Sec. 1. 26 MRSA c. 7, sub-c. 11 is enacted to read:

SUBCHAPTER 11

EMPLOYMENT ACTION BASED ON

POLITICAL VIEWS

§878.__Employment action based on political views

1.__Prohibition.__An employer may not, directly or indirectly, or promise or threaten to appoint, promote, demote, suspend, lay off, discharge or in any manner change the official rank or compensation of an employee, or harass, discipline or coerce an employee, for giving support to, withholding support from or refusing to give support to any political party, any candidate for or holder of a public office or any partisan or nonpartisan public policy issue presented for the vote of the electors in the form of a constitutional amendment, a new or amended law or the repeal of a law.

2.__Injunction.__If an employer violates this subchapter, the Attorney General may seek an injunction in the Superior Court to enjoin any further violations or to compel the reinstatement of an employee discharged or discriminated against as described in subsection 1.

3.__Violation.__An employer who violates this subchapter commits a civil violation for which a forfeiture of not less than $100 nor more than $500 for each violation may be adjudged.

4.__Exemption.__This section does not apply to officers, heads of departments or other major policy-influencing positions in the unclassified service, as described in Title 5, section 931, subsection 1, or to the Legislature.

SUMMARY

This bill prohibits an employer from appointing, promoting, discharging, laying off or demoting an employee or harassing, disciplining or coercing an employee because of the employee's political support or nonsupport of a candidate or issue.

This bill does not apply to certain officers in the unclassified service, such as heads of departments and major policy-influencing positions, or to the Legislature.