AUGUSTA — Lawmakers on Monday rejected proposals that would roll back protections in Maine’s new paid family and medical leave program, including bills that would repeal the program, make it voluntary and that would exclude certain workers from coverage.

The House of Representatives voted 75-65 to reject a bill repealing the program and 74-65 to reject a bill that would make it voluntary for employers and employees to participate. The Senate voted 20-14 against a bill to exempt agricultural employers and employees from the program.

The bills face further votes in both chambers, but the action Monday indicates the program approved in 2023 likely won’t be significantly changed by lawmakers despite Republican-led efforts to either repeal the program entirely or change aspects of it.

Democrats in the House defended the fledgling program Monday, saying that while the state has only just begun collecting the new payroll tax to fund the program and benefits won’t be available until next year, it promises to improve the lives of families.

“It’s a popular program, even before it was in law or before it pays out a single benefit,” said Rep. Amy Roeder, D-Bangor. Roeder said there has been speculation that the costs of the program will “spiral out of control,” but said experiences in other states have shown otherwise.

“Paid family programs across the country have remained stable over time, with most states avoiding major rate increases and no premium over 1.2%,” Roeder said.

As of August 2024, Maine and 12 other states had adopted mandatory paid family and medical leave programs, while eight states have voluntary paid leave options that employers can purchase through private insurers, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The Maine program is funded with a 1% payroll tax split evenly between employers and employees.

When benefits become available on May 1, 2026, the program will pay up to 90% of regular wages for up to 12 weeks for workers who are ill or need to take care of newborns or other family members, among other reasons. Employers with fewer than 15 workers are exempt from paying into the program, but workers at small businesses still pay a 0.5% payroll tax and will be eligible for benefits.

Republicans in the House pushed for repeal of the program, saying it’s been difficult for businesses to implement and a burden for taxpayers, particularly those who pay into the program and may never use it.

“Maine citizens currently shoulder one of the highest tax burdens in the nation,” said Rep. Joshua Morris, R-Turner, the sponsor of LD 406, which would repeal laws related to the paid family and medical leave program. “As of Jan. 1, with the implementation of this new payroll tax, that burden has only gotten higher.”

LD 406 was rejected 75-65 along party lines in an initial House vote Monday and now heads to the Senate.

Other changes to the program were also rejected in initial votes Monday.

LD 1333, sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Poirier, R-Skowhegan, would require workers to be employed at a job for 120 days before they would be eligible for leave and would prohibit employees from taking paid leave unless they have simultaneously taken any available unpaid leave, among other changes.

Poirier said the bill would add fairness and sustainability to the program. “This bill will help ensure there are proper guardrails on the program,” she said.

The bill was defeated 75-63 and heads to the Senate. In a House debate, Roeder addressed the requirement for an employee to be with their employer for 120 days, saying that an employee’s payment into the program should follow them from job to job.

“If I worked at a company for 20 years and I quit and go to another company, I should be able to use the paid leave I earned over that 20 years,” she said.

The House on Monday also rejected a bipartisan proposal, LD 1712, from Rep. Tiffany Roberts, D-South Berwick, for changes to the program.

In the Senate, lawmakers rejected bills Monday that would exempt agricultural employees and employers from the program and that would allow for reimbursements of payroll taxes collected from businesses that offer equivalent or superior private plans. Both bills were rejected 20-14.

The Senate approved LD 894, a Department of Labor bill that makes clarifying and technical changes to the current law.

Both chambers gave initial approval Monday to LD 1221, which directs the department to study ways to protect the program’s funds from being expended for any purposes other than paid family and medical leave benefits.