An Act to Establish a State Minimum Hourly Wage for Agricultural
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 0357
Sponsors: BENNETT, ROEDER

Legislative Document
No. 357
S.P. 143
In Senate, February 3, 2025
An Act to Establish a State Minimum Hourly Wage for Agricultural 
Workers
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on January 30, 2025.  Referred to the Committee 
on Labor pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator BENNETT of Oxford.
Cosponsored by Representative ROEDER of Bangor and
Senators: TALBOT ROSS of Cumberland, TIPPING of Penobscot.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  26 MRSA c. 7, sub-c. 2-B is enacted to read:
SUBCHAPTER 2-B
AGRICULTURAL EMPLOYEE MINIMUM HOURLY WAGES AND RELATED 
PROVISIONS
§651. Definitions
As used in this subchapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms 
have the following meanings.
1. Employ. "Employ" means to suffer or permit to work.
2. Employee. "Employee" means an individual employed to perform agricultural labor 
as defined in the Employment Security Law and the Federal Unemployment Tax Act, 
except that members of the family of the employer who reside with and are dependent upon 
the employer are exempt from this subchapter.
3.  Employer.  "Employer" means a person or entity that directly or indirectly engages 
the services or permits the work of an individual employed to perform agricultural labor or 
an individual employed in certain activities related to agriculture.
4. Wages. "Wages" means compensation paid to an employee in the form of legal 
tender of the United States and checks on banks convertible into cash on demand and 
includes the reasonable cost to the employer that furnishes the employee board or lodging. 
"Wages" also includes compensation paid through a direct deposit system, automated teller 
machine card or other means of electronic transfer as long as the employee either can make 
an initial withdrawal of the entire net pay without additional cost to the employee or the 
employee can choose another means of payment that involves no additional cost to the 
employee.
§652. Minimum hourly wage
An employer may not employ an employee at a rate less than the rates required by this 
section.
Beginning January 1, 2026, the minimum hourly wage for an employee is $14.65 per 
hour. On January 1, 2027 and each January 1st thereafter, the minimum hourly wage then 
in effect must be increased by the increase, if any, in the cost of living. The increase in the 
cost of living must be measured by the percentage increase, if any, as of August of the 
previous year over the level as of August of the year preceding that year in the Consumer 
Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, CPI-W, for the Northeast 
Region, or its successor index, as published by the United States Department of Labor, 
Bureau of Labor Statistics or its successor agency, with the amount of the minimum hourly 
wage increase rounded to the nearest multiple of 5¢. If the highest federal minimum hourly 
wage is increased in excess of the minimum hourly wage in effect under this section, the 
minimum hourly wage under this section is increased to the same amount, effective on the 
same date as the increase in the federal minimum hourly wage, and must be increased in 
accordance with this section thereafter.
§653. Records; retention, examination, copies
An employer subject to this subchapter shall keep a true and accurate record of the 
hours worked by each employee and of the wages paid to the employee, such records to be 
preserved by the employer for a period of at least 3 years, and shall furnish to each 
employee with each payment of wages a statement that clearly shows the date of the pay 
period, the hours worked, total earnings and itemized deductions. An employer making 
payment by direct deposit or other means of electronic transfer shall provide each employee 
with an accurate record of the transfer, including the date of the pay period, the hours 
worked, total earnings and itemized deductions, when the transfer is made.  If the record is 
provided in an electronic format, the employer shall provide a method by which the 
employee may have ready access to the information and print it without cost to the 
employee.  The Director of the Bureau of Labor Standards within the Department of Labor 
or the director's authorized representative may, and upon written complaint shall, enter the 
place of business or employment of an employer or employee for the purpose of examining 
and inspecting such records and copy any such records as the director or the director's 
authorized representative determines necessary or appropriate.
§654. Employee remedies
An employer is liable to an employee for the amount of any unpaid minimum hourly 
wages under this subchapter. Upon a judgment being rendered in favor of an employee in 
any action brought to recover unpaid minimum hourly wages under this subchapter, the 
judgment must include, in addition to the unpaid minimum hourly wages adjudged to be 
due, an additional amount equal to the unpaid minimum hourly wages as liquidated 
damages and costs of suit, including reasonable attorney's fees.
§655. Penalties
An employer that violates this subchapter is subject to a fine of not less than $50 and 
not more than $200.
An employer that discharges or in any other manner discriminates against an employee 
because the employee makes a complaint to the Director of the Bureau of Labor Standards 
within the Department of Labor or to a district attorney concerning a violation of this 
subchapter is subject to a fine of not less than $50 and not more than $200.
In the event of a violation of this subchapter, the Attorney General may bring an action 
in the Superior Court to enjoin further violation of this subchapter.
§656. Unfair contracts
An employer may not be exempted from this subchapter by special contract with an 
employee or by any other means.
SUMMARY
This bill provides that individuals employed to perform agricultural labor may not be 
paid at a rate less than the state minimum hourly wage of $14.65 per hour and that, on 
January 1, 2027 and each January 1st thereafter, the minimum hourly wage then in effect 
must be increased by the increase in the cost of living. It also provides that employers that 
employ individuals to perform agricultural labor are required to keep a true and accurate 
record of the hours worked by each employee and the wages paid to each employee. The 
bill also provides remedies for employees and penalties for employers for unpaid minimum 
hourly wage violations.