AUGUSTA — The Maine House and Senate voted March 11 to advance a bill sponsored by Representative Scott Cuddy, D-Winterport, ensuring certain educational technicians are not required to pay into the Maine Public Employee Retirement System (MePERS) and can instead collect social security, according to a March 15 news release. 

“Maine faces a shortage of educational technicians,” said Rep. Cuddy. “Fortunately, not all of these positions require certification for them to work. That is true for people at the first level of ed tech authorization. These folks, who often work other jobs that already allow them to collect social security, should also be allowed to do so as ed techs. We need to be streamlining employment opportunities for these critical workers instead of making their benefit system more complex and cumbersome."

LD 275 represents a technical fix to current state law. The bill was proposed in the 129th Legislature as LD 1949, and was passed unanimously by the Labor and Housing Committee but did not made it to a final vote when the Legislature adjourned early due to COVID-19.

The bill now awaits the Governor’s approval.

Co-sponsors of the legislation include Representative Richard Bradstreet of Vassalboro, Senator Glenn Curry of Waldo County, Representative Tavis Hasenfus of Readfield, Senator Joseph Rafferty of York, Representative Amy Roeder of Bangor, Representative Michael Sylvester of Portland, Representative Sophia Warren of Scarborough, and Representative Bruce White of Waterville. 

Cuddy, a member of the Labor and Housing Committee and the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee, is serving his second term in the Maine House of Representatives.

He represents House District 98, which includes Frankfort, Searsport, Swanville and Winterport.