AUGUSTA - In a 73-56 vote, the Maine House gave initial approval Wednesday to a proposal from Rep. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, that would provide pay increases for employees at the Riverview Psychiatric Center in Augusta and the Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center in Bangor.
LD 1792 as amended would require a wage increase of $3 per hour for all employees working at the centers, which provide inpatient and outpatient services for people with severe mental health conditions. Both centers treat forensic patients, individuals who have been found not guilty of crimes committed due to mental illness.
"This wage increase for workers providing a critical service to our state is long overdue," said Berry. "These employees routinely face tough working conditions and inadequate pay. Providing this pay increase is the first step to acknowledging their commitment while also beginning to address persistent issues of staff recruitment and retention."
The measure was supported by the Maine Service Employees Association, and dozens of employees from both centers testified in support of the bill at its public hearing in January.
The bill faces additional votes in the coming weeks.
Berry represents House District 55, which includes Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Swan Island and most of Richmond. He previously served from 2006 to 2014, the final two years as House majority leader, and returned to the House in 2016.
Contact:
Jackie Merrill [Berry], c. 812-1111