H.P. 1430 - L.D. 1994
An Act to Establish a Migrant and Immigrant Worker Assistance Office in Central Maine
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 26 MRSA §1404 is enacted to read:
§1404. Migrant and immigrant worker assistance outreach project
The department, to the extent possible within available resources, shall establish a migrant and immigrant worker assistance outreach project to assist migrant and immigrant workers in the State. The project shall coordinate with employers, employees, labor unions, nonprofit agencies and government agencies that serve migrant and immigrant workers to promote efforts that:
1. Educate. Educate employers and migrant and immigrant workers about state and federal laws that establish workers' employment-related rights and responsibilities;
2. Facilitate. Facilitate access for non-English-speaking workers to necessary translation services and programs that teach English as a 2nd language;
3. Assist. Assist migrant and immigrant workers in obtaining services necessary to improve their health and safety and broaden their employment opportunities; and
4. Advocate. Advocate for migrant and immigrant workers who seek redress of their grievances or who seek to make claims through government agencies and facilitate workers' access to legal services.
Sec. 2. Report. The Department of Labor shall report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over labor matters by January 2, 1999 regarding the activities it has undertaken pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 26, section 1404. The report must include a list of written materials produced and distributed to migrant and immigrant workers, available labor market information about migrant and immigrant
workers in the State, a description of the outreach activities to those workers that take place in the State by nonprofit and government agencies, an assessment of the number of migrant and immigrant workers reached as a result of this outreach and the effectiveness of the outreach, an assessment of the barriers that migrant and immigrant workers face in obtaining basic information about employment-related rights and responsibilities and safety net services and an assessment of the resources needed to assist in removing those barriers. The department shall seek input and comment from all interested parties in developing and reviewing its report.
Effective June 30, 1998, unless otherwise indicated.
| Revisor of Statutes Homepage | Subject Index | Search | Laws of Maine | Maine Legislature |
