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LD 55

An Act To Amend The Law Governing The Accrual Of Earned Paid Leave

132nd Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Michael Lemelin

Maine amends earned paid leave accrual rules, changing how employees earn leave and how employers track it, with DOL enforcement and potential payroll policy updates.

Signed by Governor
#earnedpaidleave #employmentpractices #leave
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Bill Summary · LD 55

Summary — LD 55: An Act To Amend The Law Governing the Accrual of Earned Paid Leave

Status: Signed by the Governor (July 1, 2025)
Introduced: January 6, 2025
Committee: Labor
Subject: Earned paid leave; employment practices; leave

Purpose / Intent

LD 55 amends Maine’s statutory rules that govern how earned paid leave accrues. The bill’s stated intent is to modify accrual-related requirements so that employees’ earned paid leave is calculated or applied differently than under current law. The legislative record provided does not include the bill’s full text in this packet, so the precise statutory language changes are not shown here.

Key procedural actions

  • Referred to Labor Committee (Jan 6, 2025).
  • Committee work, amendment (Committee Amendment “A” (H‑137) adopted), and votes through March–May 2025.
  • Passed to be enacted by the Legislature (May 20, 2025); placed briefly on the Special Appropriations Table; final concurrence actions in late June.
  • Signed by the Governor on July 1, 2025.

Known substantive effects and who is affected

  • Employers: Private-sector employers that are subject to Maine’s earned paid leave law will be required to apply the amended accrual rules. Depending on the substance of the amendments, employer payroll, timekeeping, and leave policies may need revision.
  • Employees: Changes may alter how quickly or in what increments employees accrue paid leave, affecting leave balances and eligibility for use.
  • Department of Labor (DOL): Responsible for enforcement and compliance oversight under the amended law.

Fiscal and implementation impact

  • Preliminary fiscal estimate (April 2025) indicated DOL would need one additional Labor & Safety Inspector and associated funds: approx. $81,401 (FY2025‑26) and $111,967 (FY2026‑27), with continuing costs thereafter. That estimate assumed an effective date of October 1, 2025.
  • Revised fiscal notes (May 2025, including for the engrossed version with Committee Amendment A) state that the Department of Labor will incur costs to ensure compliance but that the bill requires enforcement within existing resources using strategic enforcement; no General Fund appropriation is included in the enrolled bill. The DOL cautioned it is uncertain whether it can handle compliance work without impacting other programs.

Notes / next steps

  • The summary above describes procedural and fiscal effects visible in the provided documents. The specific statutory text of LD 55 (as enacted, including Committee Amendment A) is needed to describe exact changes to accrual rules (e.g., accrual rates, caps, carryover, qualifying hours/pay periods). If you want, I can retrieve and summarize the enacted statutory language or compare the enacted version to current law.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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