A joint ballot initiative effort between the Maine People’s Alliance and the Maine Women’s Lobby seeks to put the question of whether Maine should mandate paid family and medical leave to voters. The Secretary of State’s office issued a petition for the proposed referendum question on July 13 and the groups announced this week that the effort to collect signatures has begun.
The referendum text charges the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) within the Department of Labor with establishing and administering a paid family and medical leave program.
It stipulates that, beginning July 1, 2026, individuals would have the right to take paid family and medical leave, and to receive insurance benefits during the time they take leave for that purpose if they are covered and are caring for an infant in the first year after its birth, or if they are going through an adoption or foster care placement of that child. Covered medical and family leave outlined in the proposed legislation also includes care of a family member with a serious health condition, personal care related to a serious health condition, or exigency leave due to a family member being on active duty with the armed forces.
The law would also cover “safe leave,” defined as leave taken to address violence, assault, sexual assault, stalking, or other acts covered by an order for protection from abuse.
Under the proposal, a covered individual could take up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave in a benefit year to...
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