LD 1545 – Passes both House & Senate; LD 1552 recalled & indefinitely postponed
UPDATE: 4/14/2010: Governor Baldacci signed LD 1525 on Monday 4/12/2010. The new LAW will take effect 90 days following the final adjournment of the legislature which was also April 12, 2010. – M.A.B.
Updated to include summary – MAB
LD 1545 – An Act To Protect Maine Workers passed both the House and Senate yesterday (April 7th) and are now awaiting the Governor’s signature.
The controlling Amendment is Senate Amendment “A” to Committee Amendment “A”
– This amendment adds language to the laws governing proof of equipment ownership for employers using foreign laborers requiring that any lease used to demonstrate ownership must be a bona fide lease and setting forth some of the standards for determining whether a lease is bona fide.
– The amendment requires employers of bond workers to notify the Department of Labor of the name and location of bond workers performing logging work in the State.
– The amendment requires employers seeking bond workers to form and participate in a recruitment clearinghouse that assists in evaluating and referring potential logging occupation workers. The Department of Labor will work with the clearinghouse to ensure understanding of, and compliance with, recruitment and hiring requirements under federal regulations and state law.
– The amendment requires the Department of Labor to maintain a list of contractors who are seeking to hire bond workers, and to require landowners to hire contractors from that list. Contractors who violate federal regulations or state law relating to bond workers must be removed from the list. A landowner who enters into or maintains a contract with an entity that is not on the list is subject to a fine of up to $50,000.
– The amendment establishes the Foreign Labor Certification Process Fund and adds an appropriations and allocations section.