Senate overwhelmingly votes to enact Jackson ‘Hire American’ bill

AUGUSTA—Late Wednesday evening, the Maine Senate voted 24-9 to enact legislation from Senate Democratic Leader Troy Jackson of Allagash to establish a “Hire American” tax credit for businesses to prioritize the hiring of Maine residents for Maine jobs.

LD 1744, “An Act To Create the Hire American Tax Credit for Businesses That Hire Residents of the United States” establishes a “Hire American” tax credit for businesses in the logging industry that hire American residents.

“It’s about time we prioritize the hiring of Maine residents and taxpayers for Maine jobs. Too often I have seen Maine companies receiving subsidies hire Canadian workers, who are often cheaper due to the Canadian national health care system and the exchange rate. It just isn’t right,” said Sen. Jackson. “I’m thrilled we could finally pass this legislation to incentivize Maine companies to hire Maine people and support Maine workers.”

The bill is an extension of Sen. Jackson’s efforts last year on behalf of loggers, truckers and others in the forest product industry who face unfair international competition in the Maine woods. Maine loggers and truckers struggle to compete with Canadian labor that is much cheaper due to the currency exchange rate and the national health care system.

Many of these large land-owning companies already receive a tax break from the state government. Sen. Jackson believes that if they receive a tax break, these companies ought to hire from the taxpayers who ultimately subsidize these breaks. His hope is that a tax credit will reward companies for doing right by Maine people.

LD 1744 will now head to the governor, who has 10 days to sign it, veto it, or allow it to become law without his signature.

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