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Bill would amend Maine Human Rights Act
April 17, 2009
AUGUSTA – A majority of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee members gave its approval this week to a bill that calls for amending the Maine Human Rights Act to expand the protections against discrimination in employment to include family caregivers. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Cynthia Dill, D-Cape Elizabeth, says that family caregiver discrimination is an important policy matter that the Legislature should take very seriously.
“Under current state law, these valuable family service providers are not afforded any protection against caregiver discrimination, and federal laws, such as the Family Medical Leave Act, fall woefully short in protecting non-medical caregiver responsibilities,” said Dill.
The Maine Human Rights Act currently protects employees from employment discrimination based on race or color, sex, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, age, ancestry or national origin. It does not protect workers from discrimination based upon family caregiver responsibilities. Dill’s proposed legislation, LD 962, An Act To Protect Family Caregivers, seeks to change that.
"Most workers today need to balance work with care giving responsibilities,” said Dill. “Family caregivers play a critical role in our communities and deserve our protection. Without them, our community structure would be weaker and the cost burden on state funded social programs would surely be higher. This bill does not seek to grant caregivers special rights or accommodations, but only to protect them against adverse actions based on stereotypes.”
Dill says the inspiration behind the proposed legislation comes from changing workplace demographics in Maine, which has led to more working parents and workers with elder-care responsibilities.
The Maine Women’s Lobby, Legal Services for the Elderly, Maine Civil Liberties Union, Maine Disability Rights Center, Maine Children’s Alliance, American Cancer Society, League of Young Voters and Maine Center for Economic Policy all testified in favor of the bill at a public hearing in front of the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
The bill will now go to the full Legislature for votes on passage.
Contact:
Rep. Cynthia Dill, 767-7197
Sean Smith, Legislative Aide, 287-1430
Kyle Leighton, communications director, 287-1433