129th MAINE LEGISLATURE
		LD 2019		LR 2844(01)
	An Act To Extend to Other Public Sector Employees the Same Protections Provided to State Employees upon the Expiration of Contracts
	Preliminary Fiscal Impact Statement for Original Bill
	Sponsor: Sen. Claxton of Androscoggin
	Committee: Labor and Housing
	Fiscal Note Required: Yes
Preliminary Fiscal Impact Statement
Current biennium cost increase - local units of government Current biennium cost increase - higher educational institutions
Fiscal Detail and Notes
	This bill provides that during the interim between the expiration of a municipal, judicial and public higher education employee collective bargaining agreement and before the effective date of any subsequent collective bargaining agreement (CBA) the employees covered by the expired agreement must receive merit increases in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the expired agreement. Assuming merit increases would not be granted in the absence of this bill, these increases would represent a cost to municipal, school, county and higher education employers. No estimate of this cost is available at this time and no funding is provided in the bill. The Judicial Branch has indicated that in recent years without this bill, such increases may have been delayed but not foregone. The delay was only until a new collective bargaining agreement had been reached, at which time increases were made retroactively. Therefore, no additional costs are anticipated for the Judicial Branch.