5.__Fund created.__The Temporary Disability and Family Leave Benefits Fund is created to collect contributions and fund benefits under this section.__The fund may be used to pay administrative costs of the program and to pay benefits.__The fund does not lapse but must be carried forward to implement this subchapter.

6.__Contributions. The department shall determine the actuarially appropriate total contribution needed each year.__ The department shall collect 1/2 of the required amount from employers and 1/2 from employees.__The aggregate employee contribution must be collected from individual employees on a sliding scale based on wages, as determined by the department. The department shall adopt rules to determine the method of collecting and depositing contributions in the fund created in subsection 5.__Rules adopted under this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.

SUMMARY

This bill creates the Maine Temporary Disability and Family Leave Benefits Program, to provide wage replacement benefits to persons who are on leave from work because of their own illness, the illness of a family member or the birth or adoption of a child. The program is funded by employer and employee contributions and provides 2/3 of the employee's average weekly wage for up to 26 weeks for the employee's own illness and up to 12 weeks for other leave purposes. Employee contributions are collected on a sliding scale based on wages.