Groups of legislators and supporters rallied together outside of the State House in Augusta on April 23 to testify against 13 bills that would dismantle the Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program that was originally established back in 2023. 

The PFML program was created to provide eligible workers with protected job and family-leave benefits. This program would provide workers to take up to 12 weeks of paid time off of work for a qualified reason including taking care of themselves or a family member facing serious health conditions.

Maine was the 13th state to establish this program in 2023. The PFML has a timeline of about three years with more expected benefits to be available in 2026. This PFML law was constructed by a bipartisan committee over a year of careful planning, research and public input and has been a huge effort by the Maine Department of Labor.

More bills were added to the hearing because policymakers want to push to change or repeal the program before it goes into effect. They are primarily concerned with payroll taxes, potential workforce shortages and the limit to the amount of leave requests.

Despite this, the Maine Paid Leave Coalition, which is made up of various group partners such as the Maine Women’s Lobby (MWL), is heavily opposed to any roll backs of the paid leave program. MWL is a group of feminists who work to engage community leaders and advocate for gender equity throughout the state. This group of women organized the rally on to testify against the 13 bills listed below:

• An act to repeal laws providing for paid family and medical leave and to reimburse taxpayers
• An act to repeal the paid family and medical leave benefits program
• An act to ensure equitable access to the paid family and medical leave benefits program by removing the requirement that leave must be scheduled to prevent undue hardship on the employer
• An act to amend the laws governing paid family and medical leave
• An act to exempt agricultural employers and employees from the Maine paid family and medical leave benefits program
• An act regarding employer payments for the paid family and medical leave benefits program
• Resolution, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Maine to prohibit the legislature from using paid medical leave program funds for any other purpose.
• An act to delay payment of benefits under the paid family and medical leave program funds for any other purpose
• An act to make paid family and medical leave voluntary
• An act to suspend the remittance obligation for paid family and medical leave private plan users
•  An act to make changes to the paid family and medical leave benefits program
• An act to exempt certain public school districts and their employees from the paid family and medical leave benefits program
• An act to amend the paid family medical leave benefits program to balance support of business and employees

Despite the fact that the Maine Paid Family Leave found that over 70% of Mainers support paid family and medical leave in Maine, the Legislature will hear over 10 bills against these programs, as mentioned. The removal of this program would carve out certain workers, suspend premium contribution and exclude benefit reductions. In response, groups around the state have begun to voice their concerns. 

“We know that paid family and medical leave is an essential policy that is a lifeline for Maine workers in times of need—whether it’s to care for themselves or a loved one. Right now we are at the beginning phase of this program, and now is not the time to make these sweeping changes to the program, in the middle of implementation, after years of research and input,” said Partnerships & Programs Coordinator Catie Reed on behalf of MWL.

In regards to student life at the University of Maine, the policy outlines that student wages as a part of the federal work study program are not covered. However, non-work study jobs would be covered and employees would be able to take leave if they meet the requirements of the program. For non-traditional students at UMaine, such as parents and undergraduate students who are 24 years or older, the removal of the program will need to cover their medical and family leave through a public plan or an employer’s private plan.

For more information about the PFML program you can visit this website or the Maine government site dedicated to updates.