AUGUSTA — State Representative Bill Pluecker, I-Warren, presented LD 1683, “An Act To Compensate Department of Corrections Employees for Hazardous Work” to the Legislature’s Criminal Justice & Public Safety Committee on Monday. 

This legislation was introduced to rightfully provide Department of Corrections staff hazard pay relating from the COVID-19 pandemic that they stopped receiving from the state government in December.

At the beginning of the pandemic, to encourage Corrections staff from leaving their high-risk jobs which became complicated by a deadly virus, Governor Janet Mills issued a hazard pay stipend on top of their regular pay from federal Coronavirus Relief Funds, with an understanding that the pay would continue until the state of emergency ended, according to a news release. 

Staff with direct contact with residents of the prison system received an additional $5/hour and non-direct contact received an additional $3/hour.

As it became clear that the pandemic was continuing, the Governor declared that hazard pay would not continue as part of the State’s response to COVID-19, the release noted. 

Pluecker introduced this legislation after hearing from prison staff in his district who reported on mandated 12-16 hour shifts, additional stress among residents, and an inability to maintain corrections officers.

Understanding that there would likely be some federal relief money coming to the state, he found it necessary to force the legislature to make a change the executive branch was unwilling to make, the release said. 

“That five dollar an hour stipend continued until the end of the year when the first wave of federal dollars was spent,” said Pluecker. “The danger did not stop. In fact, MSP did not have a COVID outbreak at the prison until 2021 this past Spring. MCC has had various outbreaks throughout the Spring. The danger of getting COVID inside continues, but the hazard pay has not. The correctional officers continue to show up to work, potentially bringing the sickness back to their families and loved ones.”

Included in the bill proposal is a clause for all backpay corrections staff have not received to be paid back retroactive to the end of December.

Maine is set to receive $4.5 billion from the federal American Rescue Plan Act signed into law by President Joe Biden.

“We have instituted robust work rules and incorporated CDC-sanctioned coworker contact tracing for any employee impacted by COVID-19,” the Maine State Government testified in opposition of the bill. “Governor Mills has provided generous paid leave options for 2021 to ensure employees can keep themselves and their families safe.”

Corrections staff that testified in support of the bill cited their concerns that even after wearing personal protective equipment they still had concerns about bringing home the COVID-19 infection to their families.

“The officers have been crucial to the functioning of the prisons and the Department of Corrections’ nation leading control of COVID inside the prisons,” said Pluecker. “This would not have been possible if our correctional officers had not accepted the risk and gone to work despite the conditions. Properly compensating them for the work they have done, and the service they have provided the state must be our highest priority as a legislature and as a government.”

In the previous legislature, Pluecker sponsored legislation that would have aligned corrections officers' pay to align with Maine State Troopers to help retain current staff who were underpaid, and to address the short-staffing by helping to recruit with the
higher wage. That effort died when the legislature adjourned due to the impending COVID-19 pandemic.