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An Act Relating to the Status of a Private Investigator as an Independent Contractor
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 26 MRSA §1043, sub-§11, ¶F, as amended by PL 2009, c. 637, §12, is further amended to read:
 
F. The term "employment" does not include:
 
(1) Service performed in the employ of this State, or of any political subdivision thereof, or of any instrumentality of this State or its political subdivisions, except as provided by this subsection;
 
(2) Service performed in the employ of the United States Government or an instrumentality of the United States immune under the Constitution of the United States from the contributions imposed by this chapter, except that on and after January 1, 1940 to the extent that the Congress of the United States has permitted states to require any instrumentalities of the United States to make payments into an unemployment compensation fund under a state unemployment compensation or employment security law, all of the provisions of this chapter are applicable to such instrumentalities and to services performed for such instrumentalities in the same manner, to the same extent and on the same terms as to all other employers, employing units, individuals and services. If this State is not certified for any year by the Secretary of Labor under section 3304 of the Federal Internal Revenue Code, the payments required of such instrumentalities with respect to that year must be refunded by the commissioner from the fund in the same manner and within the same period as is provided in section 1225, subsection 5, with respect to contributions erroneously collected;
 
(3) Service with respect to which unemployment compensation is payable under an unemployment compensation system or employment security system established by an Act of Congress. The commissioner is authorized and directed to enter into agreements with the proper agencies under such an Act of Congress, which agreements become effective 10 days after publication thereof in the manner provided in section 1082, subsection 2, for regulations, to provide reciprocal treatment to individuals who have, after acquiring potential rights to benefits under this chapter, acquired rights to unemployment compensation under such an Act of Congress, or who have, after acquiring potential rights to unemployment compensation under such an Act of Congress, acquired rights to benefits under this chapter;
 
(4) Agricultural labor as defined in subsection 1, except as provided in paragraph A-2;
 
(4-1) Services performed by an individual who is an alien admitted to the United States to perform agricultural labor pursuant to the United States Immigration and Nationality Act, Sections 214(c) and 101(a) (15) (H);
 
(5) Domestic service in a private home, except as provided in paragraph A-3;
 
(6) Service performed by an individual in the employ of that individual's son, daughter or spouse and service performed by a child under the age of 18 in the employ of that child's father or mother, except for periods of such service for which unemployment insurance contributions are paid;
 
(6-1) Services performed by a student attending an elementary, secondary or postsecondary school while participating in a cooperative program of education and occupational training or on-the-job training that is part of the school curriculum;
 
(9) Service performed with respect to which unemployment compensation is payable under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (52 Stat. 1094);
 
(10) Services performed in the employ of any other state, or any political subdivision thereof, or any instrumentality of any one or more of the foregoing that is wholly owned by one or more states or political subdivisions and any services performed in the employ of any instrumentality of one or more other states or their political subdivisions to the extent that the instrumentality is, with respect to such a service, immune under the Constitution of the United States from the tax imposed by section 3301 of the Federal Internal Revenue Code, except as provided in paragraph A-1, subparagraph (1);
 
(11) Service performed in any calendar quarter in the employ of any organization exempt from income tax under section 501(a) of the Federal Internal Revenue Code other than an organization described in section 401(a) or under section 521 of the Code, if the remuneration for such service is less than $150;
 
(16) Service performed in the employ of a foreign government, including service as a consular or other officer or employee or a nondiplomatic representative;
 
(17) Service performed in the employ of an instrumentality wholly owned by a foreign government:
 
(a) If the service is of a character similar to that performed in foreign countries by employees of the United States Government or an instrumentality thereof; and
 
(b) If the commissioner finds that the United States Secretary of State has certified to the United States Secretary of the Treasury that the foreign government, with respect to whose instrumentality exemption is claimed, grants an equivalent exemption with respect to similar service performed in the foreign country by employees of the United States Government and of instrumentalities thereof;
 
(18) Service performed as a student nurse in the employ of a hospital or a nurses' training school by an individual who is enrolled and is regularly attending classes in a nurses' training school chartered or approved pursuant to state law and service performed as an intern in the employ of a hospital by an individual who has completed a 4 years' course in a medical school chartered or approved pursuant to state law;
 
(19) Service performed by an individual for a person as a real estate broker, a real estate sales representative, an insurance agent or an insurance solicitor, if all such service performed by that individual for that person is performed for remuneration solely by way of commission;
 
(20) Service performed by an individual under the age of 18 in the delivery or distribution of newspapers or shopping news except delivery or distribution to any point for subsequent delivery or distribution;
 
(21) Service performed in the employ of any organization that is excluded from the term "employment" as defined in the Federal Unemployment Tax Act solely by reason of section 3306(c)(7) or (8) if:
 
(a) Service is performed in the employ of a church or convention or association of churches or an organization that is operated primarily for religious purposes and that is operated, supervised, controlled or principally supported by a church or convention or association of churches;
 
(b) Service is performed by a duly ordained, commissioned or licensed minister of a church in the exercise of that minister's ministry or by a member of a religious order in the exercise of duties required by that order;
 
(c) Prior to January 1, 1978, service is performed in the employ of a school primarily operated as an elementary, secondary or preparatory school for higher education that is not an institution of higher education;
 
(d) Service is performed in a facility conducted for the purpose of carrying out a program of rehabilitation for individuals whose earning capacity is impaired by age or physical or mental deficiency or injury or providing remunerative work for individuals who, because of their impaired physical or mental capacity, cannot be readily absorbed in the competitive labor market by an individual receiving such rehabilitation or remunerative work;
 
(e) Service is performed as part of an unemployment work-relief or work-training program assisted or financed in whole or in part by any federal agency or an agency of a state or political subdivision thereof by an individual receiving that work-relief or work-training;
 
(f) Service is performed in the employ of a hospital as defined in subsection 26 by a patient of that hospital;
 
(g) Services are performed prior to January 1, 1978 for a hospital in a state prison or other state correctional institution by an inmate of that prison or correctional institution and after December 31, 1977 by an inmate of a custodial or penal institution;
 
(h) Service is performed in the employ of a school, college or university if that service is performed by a student who is enrolled and is regularly attending classes at such a school, college or university; or
 
(i) Prior to January 1, 1978, service is performed in the employ of a school that is not an institution of higher education and after December 31, 1977, service is performed in the employ of a governmental entity referred to in paragraph A-1, subparagraph (1) if that service is performed by an individual in the exercise of duties:
 
(i) As an elected official;
 
(ii) As a member of a legislative body or a member of the judiciary of a state or political subdivision of a state;
 
(iii) As a member of the State National Guard or Air National Guard;
 
(iv) As an employee serving on a temporary basis in case of fire, storm, snow, earthquake, flood or similar emergency;
 
(v) In a position that, under or pursuant to the laws of this State, is designated as a major nontenured policymaking or advisory position or a policymaking or advisory position the performance of the duties of which ordinarily does not require more than 8 hours per week; or
 
(vi) As an election official or election worker if the amount of remuneration received by the individual during the calendar year for services as an election official or election worker is less than $1,000;
 
(29) Services performed by a hairdresser who holds a booth license and operates within another hairdressing establishment if operated under a booth rental agreement or other rental agreement;
 
(30) Services performed by a barber who holds a booth license and operates within another barbering establishment if operated under a booth rental agreement or other rental agreement;
 
(31) Services performed by a contract interviewer engaged in marketing research or public opinion interviewing when such interviewing is conducted in the field or over the telephone on premises not used or controlled by the person for whom such contract services are being provided;
 
(32) After December 31, 1981, services performed by an individual on a boat engaged in catching fish or other forms of aquatic animal life, unless those services would be included in the definition of "employment" for federal unemployment tax purposes under the Federal Unemployment Act, United States Code, Title 26, Section 3306(c), as it may be amended. Also included in this exemption are services performed in harvesting shellfish for depuration from designated areas as authorized by Title 12, section 6856;
 
(33) Services performed by a member or leader of a musical group, band or orchestra or an entertainer when the services are performed under terms of a contract entered into by the leader or an agent of the musical group, band, orchestra or entertainer with an employing unit for whom the services are being performed, provided the leader or agent is not an employer by reason of subsection 9 or of section 1222, subsection 3;
 
(34) Services performed in the delivery or distribution of newspapers or magazines to the ultimate consumer by an individual who is compensated by receiving or retaining a commission or profit on the sale of the newspaper or magazine;
 
(35) Services performed by a homeworker in the knitted outerwear industry as those terms are defined, on the effective date of this subparagraph, in 29 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 530, Section 530.1;
 
(36) Service performed by a full-time student, as defined in subsection 30, in the employ of a youth camp licensed under Title 22, section 2495 if the full-time student performed services in the employ of the camp for less than 13 calendar weeks in the calendar year and the camp:
 
(a) Did not operate for more than 7 months in the calendar year and did not operate for more than 7 months in the preceding calendar year; or
 
(b) Had average gross receipts for any 6 months in the preceding calendar year that were not more than 33 1/3% of its average gross receipts for the other 6 months in the preceding calendar year;
 
(37) Services performed by an individual as a home stitcher as long as that employment is not subject to federal unemployment tax;
 
(38) Services performed by a person licensed as a guide as required by Title 12, section 12853, as long as that employment is not subject to federal unemployment tax;
 
(39) Services performed by a direct seller as defined in 26 United States Code, Section 3508, Subsection (b), Paragraph (2). This subparagraph does not include a person selling major improvements or renovations to the structure of a home, business or property;
 
(40) Services performed by lessees of taxicabs, as long as that employment is not subject to federal unemployment tax. This subparagraph may not be construed to affect a determination regarding a lessee's status as an independent contractor for workers' compensation purposes;
 
(41) Services provided by a dance instructor to students of a dance studio when there is a contract between the instructor and the studio under which the instructor's services are not offered exclusively to the studio, the studio does not control the scheduling of the days and times of classes other than beginning and end dates, the instructor is paid by the class and not on an hourly or salary basis, the compensation rate is the result of negotiation between the instructor and the studio and the instructor is given the freedom to develop the curriculum;
 
(42) Services performed by participants enrolled in programs or projects under the national service laws including the federal National and Community Service Act of 1990, as amended, 42 United States Code, Section 12501 et seq., and the federal Domestic Volunteer Service Act, as amended, 42 United States Code, Section 4950 et seq.;
 
(43) Services of an author in furnishing text or other material to a publisher who:
 
(a) Does not control the author's work except to propose topics or to edit material submitted;
 
(b) Does not restrict the author from publishing elsewhere;
 
(c) Furnishes neither a place of employment nor equipment for the author's use;
 
(d) Does not direct or control the time devoted to the work; and
 
(e) Pays only for material that is accepted for publication.
 
This exception does not apply if the employment is subject to federal unemployment tax; and
 
(44) Services provided by an owner-operator of a truck or truck tractor while it is leased to a motor carrier, as defined in 49 Code of Federal Regulations, 390.5 (2000), as long as that employment is not subject to federal unemployment tax.; and
 
(45) Services performed by a private investigator, as defined in Title 32, section 8103, subsection 5, if the following requirements are met:
 
(a) There is a written contract between the private investigator and the party requesting services;
 
(b) The private investigator offering the services operates independently of the party requesting services, except for the time frame and quality of finished work as specified in the contract;
 
(c) Compensation for services is negotiated between the 2 parties and is paid for each service performed; and
 
(d) The party requesting services furnishes neither equipment nor the place of employment to the private investigator.
 
SUMMARY
This bill excepts a private investigator from the definition of "employment" in the Employment Security Law if there is a written contract between the parties; the private investigator operates independently; compensation for services is negotiated; and the party requesting services furnishes neither equipment nor the place of employment to the private investigator.