Supplemental budget bill for FY 2015 on Governor s desk. Special Appropriations Table. April 17, 2014

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1 Supplemental budget bill for FY 2015 on Governor s desk On Tuesday, April 15, the Legislature voted in the House of Representatives (136-8) with seven absent and in the Senate (35-0) to approve the Supplemental Budget Bill LD 1858, An Act to Achieve the Savings Required Under Part F of the Biennial Budget and to Change Certain Provisions of the Law for Fiscal Years Ending June 30, 2014 and June 30, The bill is now sitting on the desk of Governor Paul LePage, awaiting action. LD 1858 closes a budget gap of $30 million for FY Last week, the Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs worked into the early hours of the morning to finalize the supplemental budget for FY 2015 and voted unanimously to approve the proposal. Most notably, the bill includes a provision that would reverse Public Law 2013, chapter 502, Part K that reduced the income tax credit for qualified Pine Tree Development Zone businesses by 50%. LD 1858 would restore the income tax credit to the percentages in effect prior to the changes made by Public Law 2013, chapter 502, Part K. Among other things, LD 1858 would also do the following: Establish the total cost of public education from kindergarten to grade 12 for fiscal year , the local and state contributions, and the annual target state share percentage; Authorize the adjustment of salary schedules in order to implement wage parity as authorized in Public Law 2013, chapter 425. This part also adjusts the salaries of District Attorney positions, Assistant District Attorney positions, and Assistant Attorney General positions upward by 4%. It would also authorize transfers from the Salary Plan program for these purposes and limit the amount available for transfer to the Department of the Attorney General to $423,424 in fiscal year ; Set aside any profit sharing payments from the wholesale liquor distribution contract that ends June 30, 2014, in excess of budgeted amounts for the final profit sharing payment into an Other Special Revenue Funds account in the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations for the purpose of funding additional liquor enforcement positions; Remove from the cap on total itemized deductions medical and dental expenses included in an individual s itemized deductions from federal adjusted gross income for tax years beginning on or after January 1, It would also provide allocations to the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of Revenue Services, to increase contingent fee funding for contracted tax collection services to hire eight additional collectors and improve automated collection functions; Make changes to laws relating to mandates imposed on municipalities Continued on Page 4... April 17, 2014 Special Appropriations Table There are a number of bills followed by the Maine State Chamber this session that have been funded from the Special Appropriations Table. At the time of publication, the following bills were passed by the legislature and now await the governor s action: LD 1120, An Act To Improve Maine s Tax Laws; LD 1463, An Act To Examine Best Practices Relating to Tax Expenditures; LD 1751, An Act To Provide Property Tax Relief to Maine Residents; LD 1746, An Act To Facilitate Informed Planning for Higher Education and Careers; LD 1641, An Act To Amend the Workers Compensation Laws as They Pertain to Employee Representation; and, LD 1530, An Act To Establish a Process for the Implementation of Universal Voluntary Prekindergarten Education. In addition, LD 1710, An Act To Retain Call Centers in Maine, which was strongly opposed by the Maine State Chamber, was voted down 9-2 by the Appropriations committtee. Please check the Ffinal Summary of Impact for the final disposition of the these pieces of the legislation.

2 Inside Impact... Bond Package p. 4 Call Center Legislation..... p. 5 InternHelpME.com p. 7 Just Good News p. 5 Maine s Path of Legislation. p. 6 Regional Breakfasts p. 8 Proposed workers comp changes balance needs of all involved Maine s current law puts the state out of step with the rest of the nation EDITOR S NOTE: This Maine Voices column appeared in the Portland Press Herald on Friday, April 11, It was submitted by Peter Gore, vice president of governmental relations for Maine State Chamber of Commerce, in response to Jeff Cohen s March 18 column. Special Approps Table..... p. 1 State Budget p. 1 Universal Voluntary PreK... p. 3 Workers Comp Benefits... p. 2 Vol. 48, No. 13 Impact (207) Impact (ISSN ) is published weekly January through June and monthly July through December by the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, 125 Community Dr., Suite 101, Augusta, Maine Periodicals postage paid at Augusta, Maine, and additional mailing offices. Maine State Chamber member companies are assessed $75.00 yearly for each newsletter subscription (subscribers or out-of-dues assessement). POSTMASTER: Please send any address changes to Impact, 125 Community Dr., Suite 101, Augusta, Maine Chairman of the Board of Directors: Melinda Poore President: Dana F. Connors Information in this newsletter is intended to provide guidance, not legal advice. Since exact language and definitions of key terms are critical to understanding the requirements of legislation, rules or laws, we encourage you to read each carefully. Articles and information contained in this newsletter may be reprinted with attribution given to: Maine State Chamber of Commerce. Please address comments to Melanie Baillargeon, director of communications. Information about the Maine State Chamber of Commerce may also be viewed on the Internet at: Our address is news@mainechamber.org. About the Maine State Chamber of Commerce: Since 1889, the Maine State Chamber has been fighting to lower your cost of doing business. Through our Grassroots Action Network and OneVoice program, we work with a network of approximately 5,000 companies statewide who see the value in such a service and provide the financial support that keeps our access, advocacy, and assistance efforts going strong. As Maine's Chamber, we make sure that the business environment of the state continues to thrive. The Maine State Chamber of Commerce advocates on behalf of their interests before the legislature and regulatory agencies and through conferences, seminars, and affiliated programs. In Tuesday s Maine Voices column, Richard Wuerffel describes a workers compensation proposal that has been the product of more than a year s worth of conversation in the Maine Legislature. His description is inaccurate and a one-sided review of this important piece of legislation. The current proposal is an attempt to fix a part of Maine s workers compensation law that is unworkable for both employers and employees. It springs out of the work of task forces that were created by former Govs. Angus King and John Baldacci. Last year, with the introduction of LD 1571, there began another attempt to fix the flawed law. At the instruction of the Legislature, a group of stakeholders to the workers compensation system, including myself, met through the summer and fall in an attempt to find common ground on the issue. While our group found some commonality, we were unable to reach consensus on how to treat injuries that cause a partial incapacity. Organized labor sought to maintain the current system, which guarantees large workers compensation settlements even for partially incapacitating injuries. The employer community sought a cap similar to those used in most states on the wage replacement benefit for all employees partially incapacitated and an end to the existing law that purports to allow one in four Maine workers to be eligible for lifetime partial weekly benefits based on the nature of their injury, not on their ability to work. LD 1571 was killed by the committee as too Draconian for employees. A new proposal emerged offering an increase of $70 per week in the maximum rate that a worker could earn for wage replacement benefits, a change in how benefits will be calculated that will result in further increased benefits for some workers and continued use of the existing 520-week cap on partial incapacity benefits without any eligibility for lifetime benefits. Yet a further compromise was proposed and eventually approved by a majority of the Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee last week. This final version was a direct result of requests by labor to ensure protection of those most seriously injured workers in the system. In addition to the benefit increases and cap of 10 years for partial incapacity benefits, the new proposal creates two safety nets for workers affected by their workplace injury after 10 years of payments. First is a financial hardship provision which allows any worker to appeal directly to the Maine Workers Compensation Board if their injury continues to have a significant negative impact on their ability to make ends meet. Second, for those with serious injuries who are working part time, the bill provides extended benefits (past 10 years) for those earning less than 50 percent of their pre-injury wage. Under this proposal, Maine workers with partial incapacity injuries would continue to be eligible for 10 years, or 520 weeks of benefits. Only one other state in New England, Connecticut, offers that same amount. No other state offers the same extended safety net that is proposed in this bill. So why now seek these changes? The current law with respect to partial incapacity benefits is broken. Since 2006, the workers comp board has been unable to comply with the law that requires it to make adjustments as to who is and who is not eligible for lifetime partial weekly benefits. In reality, the current law is unworkable as written. Since the mid-1990s, stakeholders have recognized the problems with this portion of our law but kicked the can down the road when it came to trying to fix it. We think this proposal is a reasonable attempt to bring a balanced solution to this problem. Continued on Page III Impact III 04/17/2014 For the most current information, visit

3 PreK is a smart investment for Maine s economic future EDITOR S NOTE: This opinion editorial appeared in the Bangor Daily News on Wednesday, April 9, It was submitted by Dana Connors, president of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, and Steve Rich, board member of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. All Maine parents want bright futures for their children. All Maine employers want prosperous futures for their businesses and their employees. These employers know that to accomplish this they need to find and retain bright, hard working, conscientious, qualified employees. The Maine State Chamber of Commerce strongly believes that education is the single most important investment that can be made to help reach these goals. Education is the key to success in our new knowledge-based economy. Our K-12 education system can provide important building blocks for success after high school, but what it provides today too frequently may not be enough. Both early childhood education and post-secondary education and training are becoming increasingly important. That is why the Maine State Chamber of Commerce is endorsing LD 1530, An Act to Establish a Process for the Implementation of Universal Voluntary Prekindergarten Education. Moving all Maine children toward their highest potential is imperative. Unfortunately, most Maine K-12 public school systems don t include early childhood (birth to age 5) care and education, when 85% or more of brain development occurs. Early childhood care and education from birth to age 5 receives minimal funding (if any at all) and is not integrated into overall education system components. This is a missed opportunity. Research shows that children who receive high-quality early childhood care and education are more likely to succeed academically, more likely to finish high school, go on to post-secondary education, achieve higher wage earning potential, own their own homes, and bring in higher ROI for Maine s tax base. Conversely, youngsters who lack highquality early childhood care and education are statistically more likely to require remedial education, more likely to drop out of school, become teen parents, engage in teen and adult criminal behavior, and be dependant participants in our social service programs. A 2011 report by America s Edge shows that investments in quality early childhood care and education can generate surprising short-term and long-term gains for Maine s economy and bottom lines for Maine s businesses. It details how these investments will help lead to improved goods and services, job creation and economic growth, while at the same time reducing public social services expenditures. Key to this success is the creation of a Maine workforce with the 21st century skills needed in a global marketplace. This same report also highlights other interesting advantages generated from investments in quality early learning, such as: For the most current information, visit Every $1.00 invested in early care and education in Maine actually generates $1.78 in economic activity for local goods and services. This is more than the $1.71 economic multiplier $1.71 for Farming, Logging, Fishing and Hunting; more than the 1.68 multiplier for Transportation; more than each multiplier for Construction, for Retail Trade, for Wholesale Trade, for Manufacturing, and for Utilities. The report goes on to show that early learning investments create and sustain jobs. In fact, every four people PUBLICATION SCHEDULE CHANGE: Wednesday, April 16 is the legislature s statutory adjournment date, which means it is likely that the session will end next week. Once the legislature adjourns, we will suspend our weekly newsletter production in order to begin preparations for our Legislative Final Summary. When the legislature is not in session, Impact is produced on a monthly basis. employed in the early learning sector create and support another full job outside of the sector. That is real economic development. It also points out that quality early learning programs help significantly reduce employee absenteeism, a cumulative occurrence that costs U.S. businesses a whopping $3 billion annually! The Maine Development Foundation and our Maine State Chamber of Commerce prepared a 2012 report titled Making Maine Work: Investment in Young Children = Real Economic Development. That report concluded that for Maine s children to truly reach their potential, it all starts at birth. Waiting to invest in Maine s most precious assets, our children, until they enter our K-12 system is, for many, too late. To attain our vision of a high quality of life for all Maine people, we feel we must ensure that each and every Maine child has access to high quality care and education from birth. Investment in early childhood IS real economic development. It is not just a social and moral imperative; it is an economic imperative. Pre-K is a strong step in that direction. 04/17/2014 III Impact III 3

4 Legislature approves six-part bond package, totaling $50 million Bonds still need Governor's approval to appear on ballot The Legislature has approved a bi-partisan, six-part bond package totaling $50 million. The bonds still need to be approved by the Governor and, if approved, are scheduled to appear on the November 2014 ballot. The sixpart bond package includes: A $12 million bond for smallbusiness financial aid through the Finance Authority of Maine to fund two established programs that provide start-up and expansion capita; A $10 million bond to fund a competitive grant program for the development of a biometric research facility; A $10 million bond to fund various water initiatives, including the construction of culverts to aid fish passage, clean-water systems and consrvation work; An $8 million bond to fund efforts by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension to assist farmers and forestry; A $7 million bond to fund competitive grants to boost the state s marine economy, including lobster and seafood processing; and, A $3 million bond to fund biotechnology workforce training and drug research and development. Budget Update... (Continued from Page 1...) by the state. It would amend the law governing dog licensing and animal control ordinances to clarify that a municipality may impose fees necessary and appropriate to finance the cost of animal control services. It would repeal the law requiring the local appointment of an inspector of weights and measures. It would also amend the law governing the exempting of certain owners of boilers from the laws governing boilers and pressure vessels generally, including from certain state fees, to exempt also municipalities and schools; Repeal laws requiring municipalities to administer licensing programs for a range of recreational business activities, such as bowling, billiards and roller skating. Instead, it would authorize the municipal licensing of these activities pursuant to ordinances adopted under municipal home rule authority. It would also amend the statute governing the licensing of going out of business sales to establish those licensing requirements only in municipalities that choose to adopt such a licensing ordinance; Create the State Local Intergovernmental Working Group for the purpose of establishing a two-way communication system between the state agencies responsible for the oversight of municipally-performed, state-mandated activities and the municipalities that perform the mandated activities with the goal of establishing more efficient, effective and cost effective approaches to the implementation and administration of the mandated activities. The working group would be required to meet periodically and report to the joint standing committees of the Legislature having jurisdiction over appropriations and financial affairs and state and local government matters in 2016 and It would also authorize the Joint Standing Committee on State and Local Government to report out legislation relating to the final report of the man- date working group to the First Regular Session of the 127th Legislature; and, Designate up to $1,300,000 of the fourth priority transfer of the yearend distribution of the unappropriated surplus of the General Fund at the close of fiscal year to be transferred by financial order to the Department of Health and Human Services, Developmental Services Waiver, MaineCare program for services provided under the MaineCare Benefits Manual, Chapter II, Section 21 for individuals on the Priority 1 waiting list for waiver services. The budget also provides additional funding for Jobs for Maine Graduates, the Bridge Year Program (the collaborative effort between technical high schools and the University of Maine), and Head Start. Special Appropriations Table... Every year, bills that require funding and contain fiscal notes end up on the Legislature s Special Appropriations Table to be considered by the Appropriations committee. The committee worked several late nights from April 15 through April 17, to vote out the list of bills that required funding. The Maine State Chamber monitored several bills of interest on the table (see sidebar on page 1). The committee voted along party lines on LD 1120, An Act to Amend Maine s Tax Laws, sponsored by Rep. Adam Goode (D-Bangor). Opposed by the Maine State Chamber, the bill would label certain countries as tax havens. The committee also voted unanimously to approve LD 1463, An Act to Examine Best Practices Related to Tax Expenditures, sponsored by Rep. Peggy Rotundo (D-Lewiston), which the Maine State Chamber supported. The Maine State Chamber opposed LD 1710, An Act to Retain Call Centers in Maine, sponsored by Sen. Troy Jackson (D- Aroostook), which was given an 11-2 ought not to pass vote by the Appropriations committee. For more information, please contact Linda Caprara (ext. 106) or Jessica Laliberte (ext. 111) by calling (207) or by ing lcaprara@mainechamber.org or jlaliberte@mainechamber.org. 4 III Impact III 04/17/2014 For the most current information, visit

5 Penalizing call centers won t protect Maine jobs It will ensure no new call center jobs come to Maine EDITOR S NOTE: This opinion editorial appeared in the Bangor Daily News on Wednesday, April 16, It was submitted by Peter Gore, vice president of governmental relations for Maine State Chamber of Commerce, in response to Krista Jensen s April 14 column. In her April 14 article, Krista Jensen argues that a bill before the legislature will help keep companies that use state provided investment dollars accountable by subjecting them to a series of economic punishments should they relocate beyond the United States. The bill, LD 1710, An Act to Retain Call Centers in Maine, might well do just that, but only by applying a Hotel California method of business retention in other words, you can check in, but you can never leave. The Maine State Chamber of Commerce has strongly opposed this bill since its introduction. Our opposition is about much more than the clawbacks in the bill, or the barring of access to investment incentives, or the wall of shame approach the bill uses to label companies that may leave based on decisions over which they have no control, or the fact that no other state in the country imposes such sanctions of their employers. Our opposition is based on the terrible message this bill sends to businesses potential employers that are outside of the state of Maine regarding our business attractiveness. This bill culls call centers from the rest of the business community. So why should other employers care? You need only look to Ms. Jensen s own words to see the handwriting on the wall. In speaking to the need for the bill in Maine absent similar national legislation, she says its passage starts with Maine call center workers. In other words, someone else is next. Today this bill targets call centers, tomorrow it might be paper mills, or maybe tech companies, or any business of any size that utilizes the meager investment tools our state offers. Put succinctly, imposing penalties and clawback provisions envisioned in this bill ask a company, regardless of whether it is a call center or another type of employers, for a guarantee that it will never leave. No company in Maine, or anywhere else, can make that kind of guarantee. So, if the object of the bill is to limit participation in these development partnerships to certain employers, by holding repayment of incentives and investment dollars over their heads as a threat, that s a class of zero companies. Punishing businesses of any type for factors beyond their control like diminishing markets or global competition makes a bad situation worse. Passage of LD 1710 won t convince a company to remain here. They will consider leaving now, before the law takes effect. And forget about ever seeing any call center ever locate here in Maine. LD 1710 incentivizes just the opposite. Why would any business of this type come here knowing the consequences should things not work out? Is that the message that the Maine legislature really wants broadcast across the country at the very moment when our state is fighting to attract new jobs, new investments and new opportunities for our citizens? That is precisely the message that LD 1710 conveys inside and outside of our state. The closing or relocation of any type of business, in any area of our state, is never a good thing. Jobs are lost; people are unemployed the entire local economy suffers. Will penalizing that individual company, or a class of companies, make those jobs come back? No. And, passage of such a law won t make them come here either. LD 1710 adds, justifiably so, to the already notorious perception that Maine is not a business friendly state. It will hurt our ability to attract future call center endeavors and hurt our overall business attractiveness. For the most current information, visit Continued on Page 7... We want to hear your good news! Last month, the Maine State Chamber launched a new partnership with JustGoodNews.biz, a new, free, national online news service that focuses solely on publishing positive business headline news from around the country, including Maine. The service is a powerful tool for attracting new businesses to a state, and includes a Who s Hiring page connecting job seekers and employers. We want to ensure we are covering good news stories from all across Maine and not just in specific areas. We are asking that you let us know if you have good news. What qualifies as good news? Growing and expanding companies; Innovative businesses and startups with great ideas; Who s hiring, so employers and jobs seekers can connect; and, National, regional, state rankings and awards. How do you get your good news to us? Go to click Share Your Good News at the top of the page, and fill in the information, including uploading photos if you have them (always a nice enhancement to your story); Add info@justgoodnews.biz to your newsletter and news release distribution list; or, the basic information for follow-up to Amy Downing at adowning@mainechamber.org. If you or your company has a Facebook page, please search for and like JustGoodNews.biz Maine. If you or your company is on Twitter, you can follow JustGoodNews.biz on there too We look forward to hearing about and sharing your good news. For more information, please contact Amy Downing, member services and program manager at the Maine State Chamber, by calling (207) , ext. 104, or by ing adowning@mainechamber.org. 04/17/2014 III Impact III 5

6 Participate in democracy... Maine s Path of Legislation Source: State of Maine s web site IDEA DEVELOPED: A legislator decides to sponsor a bill, sometimes at the suggestion of a constituent, interest group, public official, or the governor. The legislator may ask other legislators in either chamber to join as co-sponsors. BILL INTRODUCED: The legislator gives the bill to the Clerk of the House or Secretary of the Senate. The bill is numbered, a suggested committee recommendation is made and the bill is printed. The bill is placed on the respective body's calendar. REPORTING BILLS FROM COMMITTEE: Committee reports shall include one of the following recommendations: Ought to Pass; Ought to Pass as Amended; Ought to Pass in New Draft; Ought Not to Pass; Refer to Another Committee; or, Unanimous Ought Not to Pass. With the exception of Unanimous Ought Not to Pass, a plurality of the committee may vote to make one of the other recommendations. When this occurs, a minority report or reports are required. BILL DRAFTED: At the legislator's direction, the Revisor's Office, Office of Policy and Legal Analysis, and Office of Fiscal and Program Review staff provides research and drafting assistance and prepares the bill in proper technical form. GENERAL ORDER: When the bill is reported to the floor it receives its first reading and any committee amendments are adopted at this time. The committee reports the bill to the originating body as is, with amendment, with a divided report, or with a unanimous recommendation of Ought Not to Pass. COMMITTEE ACTION: When scheduled by the chairs, the committee conducts a public hearing where it accepts testimony supporting and opposing the proposed legislation from any interested party. Notices of public hearings are printed in newspapers with statewide distribution. SECOND READING: The next legislative day the bill is given its second reading and floor amendments may be offered. When one chamber has passed the bill to be engrossed, it is sent to the other body for its consideration. The House has a consent calendar for unanimous Ought to Pass or Ought to Pass as Amended bills which takes the place of First and Second readings. COMMITTEE REFERENCE: The bill is referred to one of the Joint Standing or Joint Select committees in the originating branch and then sent to the other body for concurrence. SECOND CHAMBER: The bill goes through a s i m i l a r process. If the second chamber amends the bill, it is returned to the first chamber for a vote on the changes. It may then be sent to a conference committee to work out a compromise agreeable to both chambers. A bill receives final legislative approval when it passes both chambers in identical form. LAW: A bill becomes law 90 days after the end of the legislative session in which it was passed. A bill can become law immediately if the Legislature, by a two-thirds vote of each chamber, declares that an emergency exists. An emergency law takes effect on the date the governor signs it unless otherwise specified in its text. If a bill is vetoed, it will become law if the Legislature overrides the veto by a two-thirds vote of those members present and voting of both chambers. GOVERNOR: After final passage (enactment) the bill is sent to the governor. The governor has 10 days in which to sign or veto the bill. If the governor does not sign the bill and the legislature is still in session, the bill after 10 days becomes law as if the governor signed it. If the legislature has adjourned for the year the bill does not become law. This is called a pocket veto. If the legislature comes back into special session, the governor on the fourth day must deliver a veto message to the chamber of origin or the bill becomes law. 6 III Impact III 04/17/2014 For the most current information, visit

7 Why You Should Hire an Intern Workload InternHelpME.com For any employer of any size anywhere in the state InternHelpME.com is a FREE online system that connects in-state employers with Maine students for year-round internship opportunities. Interns bring enthusiasm and innovation to the workplace, with the ability to complete your company s projects. Creativity An intern can contribute fresh ideas to your organization and positively impact your bottom line. Recruitment An internship program is a powerful recruitment tool, with more than 50 percent of interns accepting an employment offer from their host company. Retention Internships have a positive impact on long-term retention of Maine s workforce. Get started today with InternHelpME.com! 1. Register Visit to register as a New User and receive your password. 2. List internship Create a job posting for each internship opportunity you offer. 3. Search for match Add a Saved Search to search the student resumé database for potential candidates. Click on Contact to access a window for you to send a message encouraging that student to apply for your internship. 4. Receive application When a student applies for one of your postings, his/her cover letter will come to you via and the resumé will be uploaded to your online profile for review. For more information, call (888) , ext. 109, or visit A program managed by the Maine State Chamber For the most current information, visit Workers Comp... (Continued from Page 2...) Furthermore, this section of our law is a magnet for litigation which while greatly helping trial attorneys to grab big settlements may not help the injured workers get back to work and recover their life fully. The law as written makes Maine an outlier. No other state guarantees that 25 percent of all injured workers regardless of their ability to work may be eligible for lifetime benefits. This proposal brings Maine in line with the vast majority of other states. Lastly, despite Mr. Wuerffel s assertions, Maine remains a high-cost state when it comes to workers compensation. Although costs have declined, Maine is still a state with high workers compensation costs: NCCI places Maine in the top 10 of the most costly states they rate, and the most recent Oregon study ranked Maine as having the 9th highest costs. Maine employers want a system that works for both employers and employees, one that protects those most seriously injured and encourages and assists injured workers in going back to work quickly. These debates are never easy, and the type of scare tactics employed by Mr. Wuerffel doesn t help. We are all in this together as a state, and we can and must continue to improve upon the laws we have to move our state forward. Call Centers... (Continued from Page 5...) We all want more job opportunities and a stronger economy for our state. Those things happen when businesses are confident can operate in a welcoming environment. We can help achieve this goal by making sure employers that take the risk of doing business here know they have a fair and reasonable regulatory environment in which to conduct business, and they won t be unreasonably punished for factors beyond their control if things don t work out. The call center bill is anything but welcoming. In fact, it diminishes the likelihood that, in Ms. Jensen s words, more good, middle class jobs like mine will come to Maine, be they call center jobs or some other type. 04/17/2014 III Impact III 7

8 Periodicals Postage Paid Lisbon, ME 125 Community Drive, Suite 101 Augusta, Maine To register for any of these Meetings, please contact Amy Downing by calling (207) , ext. 104, or by ing Ellsworth / Bar Harbor Wednesday, May 14; 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. The Bar Harbor Club, 111 West Street, Bar Harbor Lewiston / Auburn NEW DATE! Thursday, June 5 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. TD Bank, Bates Mill #3, Lewiston Bath / Brunswick Date and location to be announced Bangor Regional Business Breakfast Tuesday, June 17; 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Richard E. Dyke Center for Family Business, Husson University, One College Circle, Bangor Aroostook County Wednesday, June 18; 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. University of Maine Presque Isle, 181 Main St., Presque Isle Portland Area Tuesday, June 24; 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Anthem Corporate Office, 2 Gannett Drive, South Portland Oxford Hills Wednesday, June 25; 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Western Maine University and Community College Center, 232 Main Street, South Paris Southern Maine Regional Business Breakfast Thursday, June 26; 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Ramada Saco & Express Events Catering, 352 North Street, Saco