124th MAINE LEGISLATURE
		LD 1474		LR 1983(01)
	An Act To Assist Maine Workers and Businesses in Succeeding in a Changing Economy
	Preliminary Fiscal Impact Statement for Original Bill
	Sponsor: Rep. Pingree of North Haven
	Committee: Labor
	Fiscal Note Required: Yes
Preliminary Fiscal Impact Statement
Undetermined current biennium cost increase - Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund
Fiscal Detail and Notes
	This legislation will result in increased benefit payments from the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund beginning in fiscal year 2009-10.  The amount can not be determined at this time.  However, an analysis performed by the Department of Labor using information from the State of Washington, which has a similar dislocated worker benefit program that allows individuals to receive benefits more than one time during an individual's lifetime, shows that 1.76% of the participants in that state collected benefits under the program more than once.  Based on that information, the Department of Labor estimates that had this provision been in place in Maine in 2008 only 5 to 6 individuals would have potentially collected the dislocated worker benefits more than once at a cost of $18,000.  Given this information and the low participation rate under the current program, the Department of Labor does not anticipate that the additional costs of this provision will have a significant impact to the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund.
	Additional costs to the Department of Labor to conduct the required study can be absorbed within existing budgeted resources.