Maine lawmakers are poised to once again consider increasing the state minimum wage during their next legislative session.
This past Friday, the Legislature released a list of bill requests slated for screening going into their second regular session, which is scheduled to begin January 3, 2024.
The preliminary list is comprised of each request’s working title and sponsor. No additional information is yet available concerning the specific contents of these potential bills.
Rep. Valli D. Geiger (D-Rockland) proposed a bill with the working title of “An Act to Change the Minimum Wage to a Living Wage.”
Other working titles submitted by Rep. Geiger include: “An Act to Implement Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Kit Testing Reform,” “An Act to Establish Solar-ready New Construction Requirements,” and “An Act to Enhance Regulatory Decision Making Regarding Energy.”
If Geiger’s proposed minimum wage bill moves forward in the legislative process, this will not be the 131st Legislature’s first time considering a state minimum wage hike.
Earlier this year, lawmakers in both chambers voted in favor of a measure increasing the minimum wage to $15.00 per hour.
The bill — LD 1376 — was originally slated to contain language mandating that the minimum wage be increased by $1 per year until 2033, resulting in a state minimum wage of at least $24 an hour at the start of that year.
After this provision received intense scrutiny and harsh criticism during the bill’s public hearing, it was amended to include only a one-time increase to $15.
[RELATED: $15.00 Per Hour: Maine Lawmakers Send Gov. Mills Minimum Wage Hike]
Although both chambers approved the bill last session, the legislation was placed on the Special Appropriations Table pending passage to be enacted shortly before lawmakers adjourned for the year.
Consequently, it has been carried over to next year’s session, at which point legislators will need to make a final determination of the bill’s fate.
With the limited information that is currently available regarding Geiger’s proposed minimum wage bill, it is not yet clear how the potential legislation will differ substantively from LD 1376.
It also remains to be seen how a new minimum wage bill will fare next year — should it move forward in the legislative process — considering that a great deal of effort has already been expended debating the issue last session by both lawmakers and advocates.
Rep. Valli D. Geiger (D-Rockland) did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Maine Wire.
To Learn More About Other Potential Bills Up For Consideration Next Year, Check Out These Articles:
Maine State Rep Katrina Smith Requests Bill Restricting the Sale or Transfer of Fetal Remains
9 Comments
The Demoncrats won’t be satisfied until they force all of our small businesses out of business or out of the state. Looking at all of the companies and good paying jobs that are leaving, their actions are certainly having the desired effect.
Let’s just set a minimum wage in Maine of $200K for any job. Pretty soon we’ll all be millionaires!
BOWDION COLLEGE, 1. AAS IN AUTO 1.2. 2 YR. CMCC.EDU. 2. AAS IN MECH DRAFT TECH CMCC.EDU. 3. CERIFED CNC TECH, 2006 YR –2007 YR. CMCC.EDU. 4. EAGLE SCOUT–1985 YR. 18 YR. BRUNSWICH HIGH SCHOOL. BRUNSWICK. ME.
Really, $9.00 for a 1/4 pounder at McD’s, right now, how much if you bump the minimum to $24 an hour..great for the tax man, not so good for the consumer. The higher the income level the higher the tax penalty. Prices will skyrocket and these min wage unskilled earners will still be struggling with the increases in everything due to higher min wages….wake the frack up.
Our law makers are clearly out of touch with reality.
Learn to live without sleep and work 24 hours a day so government can take half of your income to pay for boondoggles and support the 30 million illegal aliens occupying our homeland.
When considering the minimum wage we can’t lose sight of what the wage actually is. A wage is about the worth of the job not the worth of the person.
Lets not forget that the minimum wage is a starter wage for people just beginning a job. With even minimal effort most workers will develop skills that make them worth much more in a relatively short time. If you want to earn more than minimum wage, obtain education, skills and experience that make you worth more.
I’ve watched this for forty-five yrs at Bath Iron Works, every time that the local six union got a new contract within a month all the businesses in the area adjusted their prices. Not just once, every time. This would be a state wide move that would destroy the economy and would cripple those on SSI because they would be left behind as SSI is federal and would not change! There seems to be a total lack of usable education in the legislature which is frightening as I watch the financial death spiral head to the completed flush!