Following her veto last week of LD 398 – “An Act to Make Agricultural Workers and Other Related Workers Employees Under the Wage and Hour Laws” – Gov. Janet Mills (D) has signed an executive order establishing a “formal stakeholder group” tasked with developing a minimum wage law for Maine’s agricultural workers set to be introduced next session.
Gov. Mills stated last week that she “reluctantly” vetoed LD 398 after hearing concerns “from members of the agricultural community about the true scope of the [bill’s] language.”
With a House roll call vote of 61-61, the Legislature effectively upheld Mills’ veto, as a two-thirds majority would have been required to overturn it.
In her veto letter, Mills articulated her intentions to form the group that has since been established by her July 25 executive order.
Referred to as the Committee to Develop and Implement a Minimum Wage Bill for Agricultural Workers, the group is responsible for devising legislation that will “implement a minimum wage for agricultural workers,” identifying the impact of the proposed bill on “other laws interconnected with Federal and State wage and hour laws,” and ensuring that the “full range of impacts are thoroughly understood by both agricultural employers and their workers.”
The group is intended to consist of representatives from a wide range of agricultural organizations, the Maine AFL-CIO, the Pine Tree Legal Assistance Farm Worker Unit, and the left-wing Maine Center for Economic Policy.
She also invites representatives from “a statewide organization dedicated to supporting farmworkers and immigrants Downeast” and “a statewide land trust dedicated to protecting farmland and supporting farmers.”
Two legislators – one from the House and one from the Senate – are also expected to serve on the Committee.
Mills stated in her executive order that the group is to present a report to her by the end of the year so that she can introduce a governor’s bill during the second session of the 131st legislature next year.
Read the Full Press Release
Read the Executive Order
“formal stakeholder group”….language belonging to the WEF. Janet’s roots are showing and hair dye won’t fix the problem. How about getting MOFGA involved Janet?
Just another way to put more stress on our already struggling farmers, designed to make them go out of business because of the added financial burden. Falls right into line with what’s happening in Europe and the U.K. by shutting down farms and killing thousands of healthy cows. Those countries say it’s to stop rising temperatures and CO2 emissions under the “green” agenda. Janet uses the “minimum wage” club to beat our farmers down. Hope some of them opine here.
Linda, I’m in total agreement with you on this !!! As good O’le Janet sucks up to #fjb as he’s making a trip to Auburn because his Chinese buddies are robbing a hard working factory blind !!!! I see corruption and pay to play scheme’s all over the place. Her “showing” roots are so thick their growing into bags under her eyes , she can’t sleep as her conscious,what’s left of it keeps her up at night … Knowing she’s purposely destroying our state ! California here we come!!
Agree with comments here.
Like putting volunteers at food banks where they were trading work for donated (not purchased, for profit) food, under the wage & hour Reg’s … so the outcome:
No more volunteer swaps for food.
Even churches.
No more help for foodbanks.
The goal is incremental control, then destruction, not to help any of the citizens, no matter how “they” spin this.