AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Senate on Monday rejected a late-session bill from the governor’s office that sought to simplify the process for teenagers to obtain work permits.
The Senate voted to replace LD 1890 with a resolve that asks the Maine Department of Labor to gather information about how best to streamline the process and report back to the next Legislature.
The Labor Committee then would be asked to draft legislation based on those recommendations.
Sen. Chris Rector, R-Thomaston, who co-chairs that committee, said Monday there wasn’t enough time to debate LD 1890 this session, in part because it came in so late.
The majority report from the Labor Committee was to reject the bill. The minority report, which the Senate passed, doesn’t kill the bill, but instead delays any action until the next Legislature.
LD 1890 now goes to the House for consideration.
The governor’s original bill would have created a general work permit that would be issued to a minor by school superintendents and allow employment during the summer and during the school year.
His proposal also would have created a master list of employers that provide safe and age-appropriate jobs for minors and would have outlined a set of safe working conditions and create consequences for employers that don’t meet those conditions.
LePage’s spokeswoman, Adrienne Bennett, said the administration hopes to resubmit a similar bill next session that heeds any concerns that include suggestions from any stakeholders, such as superintendents.
Young workers were the subject of a few bills last session.
One bill that would have allowed teenagers to work more hours during the school year was seen by some as a rollback of Maine’s child labor laws.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Debra Plowman, R-Hampden, said the bill was meant to bring Maine in line with other states. The measure had the support of many industry groups.
The bill was amended to bump up the amount of hours allowed during the school year rather than repeal the limit outright and that amended bill passed through the House and Senate, although with partisan votes.
Another bill, sponsored by Rep. David Burns, R-Whiting, sought to create a training wage for young workers that was below the state’s minimum wage.
That bill failed.
Follow BDN report Eric Russell on Twitter @BDNPolitics.
Training wages of poverty, working long hours after school rather than doing homework and getting an education, and now an attempt to bypass the permit process which seeks to protect our youth. This bill wasn’t about helping kids find work. No, not at all. This bill, and the others mentioned, are all about giving employers access to cheap labor. Yet another GOP move to cheapen and and exploit the American worker. Geez, it’s like going back to the 1800’s! Jerks! On top of this there is a concomitant attack by the GOP on the American worker with their bills banning the right to assemble and organize.
“late-session bill from the governor’s office,” sorry Governor, caught in the act again.
and by his own people, WOW.
This bill would have made things easier.
As a teenager in high school I was being pushed back and forth. The school said I needed a firm offer of employment before they would issue a permit. Potential employers said I needed a permit before they would make a firm offer of employment. Of course that was under the BaldNazi administration.
As for the other two bills mentioned: Considering the economy, teenagers often need to work in order to help keep the family afloat financially. I support Plowman’s bill.
As for the “training wage” bill, I am dead set against it. An honest day’s work deserves an honest day’s pay. All employees, regardless of age should be paid based on productivity, but never below the set minimum wage.
Love your post! Well put! I’m sorry you had to deal with that trying to find work! This HAS to change!
Even his own boys are starting to doubt LePage’s wisdom !
I wonder if they had passed it, how much you would of complained about them going along with “his own boyss”.
Your comment makes no sense.
It is rhetorical. You said, “even his own boys are starting to doubt LePage’s Wisong”. If his boys would of passed the bill, you probably would of complained, yea his boys went along with him again.
Still don’t get it. why would I complain if they did the right thing ?
LePage’s Child Slave Labor permits were turned down? Guess the Tea Party is starting to run scared of the November elections. Vote all Republicans out of office.
>>>>>.
The training wage bill is gonna be seen for what it is, namely creating a class of worker that is never gonna advance past the burgerflipper stage and Burns knows it. That he’s trying to sell it to Mainer’s is both something to be ashamed of, and as a reason for someone to come out and run against this kind of class racism (and that’s what it is when you get down to it) that he’s preaching. That the Democrat’s set the bill aside due to insufficient time to debate it is something that is equally to be ashamed of.
This type bill comes up every year and is almost immediately put into the ‘Bill Bin’ at the bottom and is hopefully forgotten. That it made it to the top is both good and reason to wonder. If this issue is so important then the Democrat’s need to pull it, take it back, re-work it and then submit it as a formal Bill and get it on top of the Bill Bin for immediate action the next Session. That’s where the current Senate ajority and Minority Leader’s need to step in, Bill finished, and ready for a Whole Senate vote, and put it in front of LePage and tell’em “Here’s the Bill you wanted. We have all the vote’s needed to pass it, the GOP included so let’s go”. But the Bill needs to be written to reflect actual requirement’s, not some made-up political posturing that benefit’s no one but a few. If there was ever a time for both Parties to come together and craft a streamlining EMPLOYMENT bill, this is it. The really big question is who is gonna be the 1st one to make the call and get it started ? The one that makes THAT call is gonna be the one that has a head start on the next Legislative session’s agenda-setting. So, who’s 1st ?
Hopefully, next session will be too late.
My three children worked and it was not onerous to get a permit, they were given reasonable hours, the experience was wonderful, and we didn’t need a mammy governor telling us what to do.