| | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: |
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| | | Sec. 1. 26 MRSA §664, sub-§§5 and 6 are enacted to read: |
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| | | 5.__Indexing of minimum wage.__Beginning in 2006, and every 3 | | years thereafter, the minimum wage described in subsection 1 is | | subject to a rate of adjustment pursuant to this subsection. |
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| | | A.__Beginning April 1, 2006 and every 3rd April 1st after | | that, the Commissioner of Labor shall calculate the adjusted | | minimum hourly wage by multiplying the minimum hourly wage | | in effect on the calculation date by an inflation index as | | computed in paragraph B. The adjusted minimum hourly wage | | must then be rounded to the nearest 5__and become effective | | on the first day of October immediately following the | | calculation. The commissioner shall publish the adjusted | | minimum hourly wage and shall provide all necessary forms | | and posters to employers in this State. |
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| | | B.__The inflation index is the sum of the Consumer Price | | Index, as defined in Title 36, section 5402, subsection 1, | | for the 3 calendar years ending on the December 31st | | immediately preceding the calculation date, divided by 3.__ | | The result of that calculation is divided by the Consumer | | Price Index for the 12-month period ending December 31, | | 2005. |
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| | | 6.__Training wage.__Notwithstanding the requirements of | | subsection 1, for employees who have not attained 17 years of | | age, the minimum hourly wage is the federal minimum wage. |
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| | | Sec. 2. Regulation of employment poster. The Department of Labor shall | | include notice of the change in the minimum wage and the | | establishment of a training wage in the department's next | | reprinting of the regulation of employment poster. |
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| | | This bill indexes the hourly minimum wage to the rate of | | inflation. The hourly minimum wage, currently scheduled to | | increase from $6.35 per hour to $6.50 per hour beginning October | | 1, 2005, would be adjusted every 3 years, beginning October 1, | | 2006, to reflect the rate of inflation for the previous 3 years. |
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| | | This bill also establishes a training wage, which is a minimum | | wage for employees under 17 years of age. The training wage is | | the federal minimum wage, which is currently $5.15 per hour. |
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