Dear friend,

We're BURSTING with the joy of watching LD 1964, the bill to create Paid Family and Medical Leave in Maine, pass through the House and Senate last week. The bill still needs to get start-up funding and to avoid a Governor's veto, but we're hopeful. If passed, it will be the biggest change to workplace policy in four decades. Every time we hear someone say 'we can't afford it,' we hear 'we'd rather keep letting women and caregivers provide us all with unpaid care labor.' Because that's the current status quo. 

The Governor has been silent on this bill, and close watchers know what that means.  You can remind her here why this bill matters for Maine.

LD 1619, the bill to update Maine's Reproductive Privacy Act, also made it through the House in a 74-72 squeaker (the Senate will vote this week - you can chime in with your senator here). We give so much love to our members and allies who have been filling up the halls in support of abortion access this week, especially Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights. Here are the facts on this bill:

• It allows abortions after “viability” only when necessary based on the judgement of a physician (physicians are subject to many medical and ethical guidelines!),
• It removes criminal penalties for non licensed performance of an abortion, since this is addressed elsewhere in the law (no one can practice medicine without a license), and
• It updates the data collection process and emphasizes patient privacy.

On this anniversary of the fall of Roe V. Wade, you can read up on the devastating consequences - especially on the health and economic security of Black women. 

We had our fingers crossed that this would be the last weekly round-up, but alas! The Legislature will add days for as long as they need them, and likely wrap sometime this week. Regardless, they will be back for Veto Day a week or two later, when they convene to try to override the Governor's red pen.  Until then, you'll hear from us, and you can follow along for updates at our Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok accounts.

In solidarity,

Destie, Dania, Catie, and Brook

PS - Maggie Rogers is an *absolute ICON* and is playing a sold-out show at Thompson's Point on July 31. Missed your chance? Enter to win our raffle for a pair of tix! Check our her Tiny Desk Concert if you need a reminder of how cool she is. 

PPS - Here are some celebratory paid leave pics, including Destie with Betsy Sweet, who was instrumental in passing Maine's first-in-the-nation unpaid family leave 36 years ago! It's okay, we're crying too. 

Weekly Calendar

The weekly House Calendar is here. The weekly Senate Calendar is here. 

If you're looking for information about how long this will go on for..... GOOD LUCK.

What's in Maine's PFML Bill Anyway? 

LD 1964 is a big, complicated bill, there have been a few amendments, and there has been a LOT of misinformation. So what does the bill really include? Here goes: 

• PFML works like an insurance program. Everyone chips in a little bit and everyone gets support when they need it. In this case, employers and employees each contribute about 40-50 cents per $100 in wages earned, and it happens through payroll just like social sercurity. 
• Workers are eligible once they earn 6 times the Average Weekly Wage in the prior year - that's about $6,000 (but it changes annually, so the number remains relevant). 
• People can take leave for the birth or placement of a baby, or caring for ones self or loved one during serious injury or illness. There is also language allowing safe leave (for somestic or sexual violence) and leave related to miltary deplayment. There is a process for applying for leave - people can't take it for just anything. 
• People can take up to 12 weeks of leave (though experience in other states shows that the average leave is not that long). 
• Wages are replaced on a tiered system: for wages up to half the average weekly wage, people will get 90% back. For wages above that, people will get 66% back. 
• When a person needs leave, they schedule leave with their employer unless there is an accident or immediate need. 
• The benefits are job protected, which means you can gaurantee you get your job back when you return, once you have been in a workplace for 120 days. 

Our downloadable fact sheet is available here.   

Here's a longer explainer from our partners at Maine Center for Economic Policy.

One last reminder - this is almost over the line, but a lot is resting on the Governor. Take action to let her know how you feel here.

We have SO MUCH to celebrate!

Join us for an evening on the farm to celebrate our wins of the legislative session, and 'cultivate' our collective purpose and power!

We come together to celebrate the end of the session, and to lift up and honor gender justice changemakers in our community with our first annual legislative awards.

Tickets are available on a sliding scale, and volunteers attend at no cost. We hope to see you there! 

Get Tickets Here

MWL Bill Tracker

Find Your Legislator

Testimony Archive

Citizen Advocacy Toolkit