
New Maine Bill Could Put Contractors Around The State Out of Business
Despite our massive land area and proportionately small population (I can't believe I spelled 'proportionately' correctly on the first try), Maine is really a great place to work. We frequently have businesses both large and small ranked in the 'best places to work' in the country.
However, for everyone that works for a company, large or small, we have a dedicated man or woman who is in business for themselves. From mechanics to electricians, welders to plumbers and everything in between, Maine is a great home of the trades.
However, thanks to new legislation, some of those tradesmen and women could soon be out of work, at least temporarily. According to an article published by WGME 13, a new bill that just cleared the Maine Senate, would require general contractors in Maine to be fully licensed.
As it stand right now, professions in Maine like electricians and plumbers require a license, however, general contractors do not. This new bill aims to change that by requiring contractors to be licensed for any jobs totaling more than $15,000, the news station reported.
The vote, which was moved along by Senate democrats along party lines, proceeded with 0 votes from republicans, according to WGME. They went on to explain that Maine is one of only six states in the USA that does not currently require licenses for general contractors.
The Maine Attorney General's Office says that they have fielded more than 3,000 complaints about general contractors in the last 5 years alone. Maine democrats say that this bill would likely help curb the number of complaints filed with the state.
The bill still has to clear one more vote in the House before it likely lands on the appropriations table, the same place a similar version quietly fizzled out last year after it didn’t get the funding it needed.
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