APPROVED CHAPTER
JULY 1, 2025 438
BY GOVERNOR PUBLIC LAW
STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
_____
H.P. 19 - L.D. 55
An Act to Amend the Law Governing the Accrual of Earned Paid Leave
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 26 MRSA §637, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 156, §3 and affected by
§4, is amended to read:
3. Accrual. An employee is entitled to earn one hour of paid leave from a single
employer for every 40 hours worked, up to 40 hours in one year of employment. Accrual
of leave begins at the start of employment, but the employer is not required to permit use
of the leave before the employee has been employed by that employer for 120 days during
a one-year period. Accrued and unused hours of earned paid leave from the previous year
of employment must be available for use by an employee in the year of employment
immediately following the previous year. Accrued and unused hours of earned paid leave
carried forward from the previous year of employment may not reduce the total amount of
hours of paid leave an employee is entitled to earn in the year of employment immediately
following the previous year, up to 40 hours or the accrual limit specified in the employer's
policy governing paid leave, whichever is higher. The Department of Labor shall enforce
this subsection within existing resources using strategic enforcement.
Page 1 - 132LR0489(03)


Statutes affected:
Bill Text ACTPUB , Chapter 438: 26.637