Two Maine groups have launched a referendum drive for a paid family and medical leave program to force the hand of the Legislature.  The Maine Women’s Lobby and the Maine People’s Alliance said Tuesday that they are beginning to gather signatures to put a measure on the ballot next year.  A Legislature-appointed commission is currently working on creating a statewide program.

A leader of the effort hopes the commission comes up with a paid family leave program for the Legislature to take up next year, but said the need for the program is too dire to rely solely on that approach.  “The calls for a solution that will support families and small businesses have been growing,” Destie Holman Sprague, the executive director of the Maine Women’s Lobby, said in a statement. She continued by saying that, while she supports the Legislature commission, that “we hope that a people’s referendum will help to make sure that paid family leave and medical leave becomes a reality for Mainers in the next two years.”

Matt Gagnon spoke about the referendum this morning on the WGAN Morning News.

The group plans to have enough signatures to have the referendum on the November 2023 ballot, giving the Legislature time to look at the plan that the Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave comes up with.  The Commission is scheduled to report to the Legislature this November.

The groups working on a referendum said a paid family and medical leave program should apply to all workers – hourly, salaried or self-employed – to take paid time off to deal with events such as the birth, adoption or fostering of a child; recovery from surgery, an accident or other significant physical or mental health condition; supporting a loved one who has had a significant physical or mental health condition or an older family member who needs significant support; preparation for or transitioning back from a family member’s military deployment; and taking care of their own or a family member’s immediate needs if they are a victim of domestic or sexual violence.

Leave would be limited to 16 weeks per year and 12 weeks for an individual need.  Funding for the program would come from both employers and employees, with larger employers contributing more to the fund.  Critics say the amount of leave the bill would allow puts too much strain on small, local business owners.