An Act to Amend the Laws Regarding Work Search Efforts for
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 0797
Sponsors: STEWART
Amends: 26 MRSA §1192

Legislative Document
No. 797
S.P. 363
In Senate, March 4, 2025
An Act to Amend the Laws Regarding Work Search Efforts for 
Unemployment Benefits and to Eliminate Benefits for Temporary 
Unemployment
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on February 27, 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 STEWART of Aroostook.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  26 MRSA §1192, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2021, c. 456, §18, is further 
amended to read:
2.  Has registered for work.  The individual has registered for work at, and continued 
to report at, an employment office in accordance with rules the commissioner adopts, 
except that the commissioner may, by rule, waive or alter either or both of the requirements 
of this subsection as to individuals attached to regular jobs and as to such other types of 
cases or situations with respect to which the commissioner finds that compliance with the 
requirements would be oppressive, or would be inconsistent with the purposes of this 
chapter.  A rule under this subsection may not conflict with section 1191, subsection 1.
The individual must actively seek work 3 times each week in which a claim for benefits is 
filed unless the individual is participating in approved training under subsection 6 or work 
search has been waived in accordance with rules adopted by the commissioner and provide 
evidence of work search efforts in a manner and form as prescribed by the Department of 
Labor.  Failure to provide required work search documentation results in a denial of 
benefits in accordance with section 1194, subsection 2 for the week or weeks for which no 
documentation was provided unless the department determines there is good cause for the 
individual's failure to comply with this requirement;.
A.  Acceptable work search efforts under this subsection include:
(1)  Submitting a resume to an employer;
(2)  Completing and submitting a job application to an employer or recruiter;
(3)  Attending and completing an interview or skills test with an employer;
(4)  Attending a job fair;
(5)  Completing an online or in-person job search workshop or job club;
(6)  Completing a job search assessment, including but not limited to a skills 
assessment;
(7)  Participating in a volunteer or on-the-job training opportunity likely to lead to 
paid employment;
(8)  Taking a civil service exam;
(9)  Developing a complete resume in the State's employment services system;
(10)  Completing career direction research or work, such as a job search plan or a 
targeted employer list;
(11)  Completing job search branding and marketing activities such as completing 
a resume, cover letter or master application, creating an online professional 
networking profile or uploading a completed resume to a job board, allowing 
visibility to employers;
(12)  Completing an online or in-person mock interview; and
(13)  Participating in job search counseling.
B.  Required evidence of work search efforts under this subsection must be submitted 
to the Department of Labor each week via an online portal or by submitting a paper 
form documenting such efforts to the Department of Labor, job center or other 
designated office no later than 5 p.m. on the Friday of the week in which the work 
search efforts were completed. Such a form must require the claimant to report the 
following:
(1)  The effort taken to fulfill each of the 3 weekly work search requirements;
(2)  The employer, employment office, program or agency with which the claimant 
interacted or educational program in which the claimant participated;
(3)  The dates of the work search efforts; and
(4)  A point of contact for each employer, employment office, program, agency or 
educational program so the Department of Labor may verify each effort.
C.  Prior to paying any weekly unemployment benefits to a claimant, the Department 
of Labor shall verify that the claimant submitted the required weekly report of work 
search efforts. Each week, the Department of Labor shall select a sample of at least 
10% of all work search effort reports for random audits with employers, employment 
offices or educational programs of reported work search efforts;
Sec. 2.  26 MRSA §1192, sub-§13, as amended by PL 2023, c. 233, §1, is further 
amended to read:
13.  Reemployment services and eligibility assessment; participation.  In the case 
that the individual has been referred to reemployment services and eligibility assessment 
by the Department of Labor, the individual participates in those services, unless the 
department determines there is good cause for the individual's failure to participate. Failure 
to participate in reemployment services and eligibility assessment without good cause 
results in a denial of benefits until the individual participates; and
Sec. 3.  26 MRSA §1192, sub-§14, as amended by PL 2023, c. 233, §2, is repealed.
SUMMARY
This bill updates the eligibility conditions for unemployment compensation to require 
an individual to actively seek work 3 times each week to be considered eligible and 
removes the provision exempting an individual from this requirement by receiving a waiver 
by the Commissioner of Labor. The bill establishes acceptable work search efforts for the 
purpose of fulfilling the requirements to receive unemployment compensation, establishes 
submission requirements for the evidence of a work search to be submitted to the 
Department of Labor and establishes verification and audit requirements for the 
department. The bill also removes the provision allowing an individual to receive 
unemployment compensation while temporarily unemployed.