An Act Regarding Employer Payments For The Paid Family And Medical Leave Benefits Program

LD 1169 allows Maine employers with private paid family and medical leave plans approved by the Department of Labor before January 1, 2025, to request refunds for premiums they paid toward the state's program. These employers, who previously paid 1% of employee wages (with 50% potentially covered by employees), can now submit a refund request form to get back all premiums paid before their plan was approved, plus interest. The Department of Labor must process these requests within 90 days and make the refund form available online within 45 days of the bill's effective date. The bill does not change eligibility for the leave program itself but refunds overpayments made by employers whose private plans were later approved as substitutes.