AUGUSTA - The Legislature's Labor and Housing Committee voted Tuesday to advance a bill sponsored by Rep. Amy Roeder, D-Bangor, that would increase access to severance pay for Maine workers.
Current law requires notice to be given to employees, municipalities and the State regarding severance pay due to the closing, substantial shutdown or relocation of more than 100 miles of an industrial or commercial facility that employs 100 or more workers. Workers who are employed with the same employer for three or more years may be eligible for severance pay.
As amended, LD 12 would expand this provision to all workplaces outside of the industrial and commercial sectors.
"I am pleased that members of the Legislatures Labor and Housing Committee recognize the importance of expanding access to severance pay for Maine workers in all sectors," said Roeder. "This bill closes a loophole discovered by the Department of Labor and protects Maine workers who are struggling due to the loss of their livelihood."
The bill faces further votes in the House and Senate in the coming weeks.
Roeder is serving her second term in the Maine House of Representatives and is House chair of the Legislature's Labor and Housing Committee. She represents House District 23, which includes a portion of Bangor.
Contact:
Brian Lee [Roeder], 305-965-2744