The Maine Department of Labor’s child labor investigation into a leading legislative Republican escalated soon after he had a tense meeting with Gov. Janet Mills’ top aide.
House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor, accused the state of “political weaponization” after news of his case was broken this weekend by an independent journalist who filed a complaint against Faulkingham. He is facing nearly $3,500 in fines related to putting a 14-year-old family friend to work on his lobster boat for four days in 2024.
He ramped up his criticism of the state in an interview this week, saying he was “chilled” by the February interview in part because it came roughly three weeks after a meeting on the state budget with Jeremy Kennedy, Mills’ chief of staff, that broke up quickly after Kennedy excoriated him and swore at his staff and aides.
“This is one of those things where, if you’re going to come after me, there’s 5,000 guys that do it the same way,” he said of the focus on his case.
The Maine Department of Labor has emphasized that it investigates every complaint filed. The governor’s office never communicates with the department about labor cases and did not influence the timing of Faulkingham’s interview, Mills spokesperson Ben Goodman said.
He did not address questions about Kennedy’s conduct. Faulkingham provided text messages with another Mills aide that backed up his account of the meeting on Jan. 25, 2025. He referred to it in an open letter to Mills last winter that accused her top aide of “hostile behavior.”
Kennedy featured in conservative media headlines around that time after allegedly swearing at White House officials last February around Mills’ war of words with President Donald Trump over Maine’s transgender policies. The governor’s office denied that he swore at anyone, according to CBS News 13.
Since the labor case was made public, Faulkingham drew support from the fishing industry. Both the Maine Lobstermen’s Association and the conservative New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association issued statements defending him. Those in the industry have noted it is common practice to have children on lobster boats through family and informal relationships.
The labor department responded in a Tuesday statement that was distributed by the Maine Department of Marine Resources regarding its enforcement of child labor laws, citing established avenues for children to fish through a student program. But it prompted more questions from those in the industry, including from a Democratic lobsterman.
“We shouldn’t require every young person who wants to try working on a boat to be enrolled in the student program,” former Rep. Genevieve McDonald, D-Stonington, said. “It’s a licensure pathway for kids who know they want to enter the fishery full time.”