Mainebiz

V O L . X X I I N O. X X V I I I D E C E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 6 6 B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state S T A T E W I D E PERSO NAL R EL ATIO N S H I P S AR E O U R PASSION. Portland 207.482.7920 Auburn 207.791.2110 F I N A N C I A L E X P E R T I S E I S O U R S TR E N GTH . norwaysavingsbank.com norwaysavingsbank.com INVESTMENT MANAG EMENT TRUST SERVICES FINANCIAL ADVICE ESTATE PL ANNING NOT FDIC INSURED • NO BANK GUARANTEE • MAY LOSE VALUE NOT FDIC INSURED • NO BANK GUARANTEE • MAY LOSE VALUE Portland 207.482.7920 Auburn 207.791.2110 norwaysavingsbank.com • INVESTMENT MANAG EMENT • TRUST SERVICES • FINANCIAL ADVICE • ESTATE PL ANNING ESTATE PL ANNING NOT FDIC INSURED • NO BANK GUARANTEE • MAY LOSE VALUE With OT rule sidelined, businesses wait at the ready A federal judge in Texas on Nov. 22 granted a preliminary injunction blocking the U.S. Department of Labor's new overtime regulations from taking effect nationwide on Dec. 1 as originally scheduled. The regulations had been slated to expand by millions nationwide the number of workers who would be eligible for time-and-a-half overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours by raising the salary threshold for determining eligi- bility for overtime pay from $23,660 per year, or $455 per week, to $47,476, or $913 per week. Judge Amos L. Mazzant III of the Eastern District of Texas ruled that the Obama administration exceeded its authority by more than doubling the OT threshold in one fell swoop. Mazzant's ruling explicitly states that it only temporarily halts the DOL overtime rule, stating that the looming Dec. 1 deadline didn't allow enough time to "render a meaningful decision on the merits" of DOL's arguments in favor of the new OT rule or the counter-arguments put forward by the 21 states (including Maine) that sought the temporary injunction. Tawny Alvarez, an attorney with the labor and employment law group of the Portland law fi rm Verrill Dana, told Mainebiz that until a fi nal ruling is made, Maine employers should at the very least proceed with keeping accurate time records, effective Dec. 1, for all employees who potentially could be affected under the DOL's overtime rule. That way, she said, if the OT rule is eventually determined to be legal and in force, employers will have the essential records in place to help them determine how many workers might need to be paid overtime retroactively to Dec. 1 under the new guidelines. "Right now the federal DOL is mulling its legal options," Alvarez said. Numerous business groups challenged the OT rules. The National Retail Federation, which had joined the 21 states and dozens of business groups in the lawsuit seek- ing a preliminary injunctions, welcomed the recent ruling. "The Labor Department's overtime changes are a reckless and aggressive overreach of executive power, and retailers are pleased with the judge's decision," NRF Senior Vice President for Government Relations David French said in a statement. "The rules are just plain bad public policy, and we are pleased that the judge is allowing time for the case to go forward before they can go into effect. We hope the judge ultimately fi nds in our favor, and in the meantime this timeout gives Congress a chance to take another look at the impact of these rules." NRF, the world's largest retail trade association, represents retail stores, restaurants and Internet retailers in the United States and more than 45 countries. Retail is the nation's larg- est private sector employer, the trade group stated, supporting one in four U.S. jobs — 42 million working Americans — and contributing $2.6 trillion to annual GDP. — j a m e s m c c a r t h y The rules are just plain bad public The rules are just plain bad public The rules are just plain bad public The rules are just plain bad public The rules are just plain bad public The rules are just plain bad public The rules are just plain bad public The rules are just plain bad public The rules are just plain bad public The rules are just plain bad public The rules are just plain bad public The rules are just plain bad public The rules are just plain bad public The rules are just plain bad public policy, and we are pleased that the policy, and we are pleased that the policy, and we are pleased that the policy, and we are pleased that the policy, and we are pleased that the policy, and we are pleased that the policy, and we are pleased that the policy, and we are pleased that the policy, and we are pleased that the policy, and we are pleased that the policy, and we are pleased that the policy, and we are pleased that the policy, and we are pleased that the judge is allowing time for this case to go forward ... — David French, National Retail Federation Maine researchers could be affected by climate funds cuts President-elect Donald Trump's vow to scale back research funding for some NASA programs is wor- rying some research sites in Maine, the Christian Science Monitor reported. e University of Maine, Gulf of Maine Research Institute and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences rely on NASA's satellite data. e state has been a hub for climate research, but without input from NASA, research initiatives in areas like marine algae monitoring and analysis of melting sea ice could falter, the Monitor reported. N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E The 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, which faces a vote in the U.S. House and Senate, con- tains several provisions that would benefi t Maine companies. If passed, the bill would authorize $618.7 billion in spending nationwide. Provisions

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