Public Policy + Advocacy

On Tuesday, March 3rd, Maine officially shifts from caucusing to secure presidential delegates to a primary vote. The hope of both parties is that the process will be simpler and will encourage broader participation. We are among 14 states voting on Super Tuesday. (To learn more about Super Tuesday, please read here.) On this day […]

The IRS issues guidance on refunds for UBIT parking tax Good news for the Nonprofit Sector! The IRS issued guidance that will help nonprofits quickly get back taxes paid on the now-repealed tax on nonprofit transportation benefits: How To Claim a Refund or Credit of Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT) or adjust Form 990-T for […]

On January 1, 2020, several important changes will take effect that impact all Maine employers, regardless of size. Some are based on recent federal rulemaking; others due to enacted Maine laws. Maine’s minimum wage will increase $1 an hour more, to $12 an hour, effective January 1, 2020. This is the final dollar increase to the […]

Reprinted with permission from The Maine Nonprofit Law E-Bulletin December 2019, by Robert H. Levin, Attorney-at-Law with the Law Office of Robert H. Levin. One question that comes up rather often in my practice is whether Board Directors or members can vote by email or some other electronic means. In general, the answer is yes, […]

According to state statute, Maine “recognizes exemption from overtime for people working in a ‘bona fide executive, administrative or professional capacity’ and requires that employers pay a salary according to the requirements of the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).” Maine’s mandated minimum wage increases affect the overtime salary threshold, however. Maine and federal law […]

Reprinted with permission from The Maine Nonprofit Law E-Bulletin September 2019, by Robert H. Levin, Attorney-at-Law with the Law Office of Robert H. Levin. Since May, the Legislature and Governor have passed several changes to state employment laws that will affect all employers, including nonprofit organizations. All of these laws take effect on September 18, […]

Giving USA 2019: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2018 came out in late June and it’s still being talked about because it is one of the only resources for determining how charitable giving has been impacted by the Trump administration’s Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017. The report finds that when […]

After over a year of deliberation and much handwringing on all sides, the Trump administration finally abandoned their desire to have a citizenship question on next year’s census. Instead, they intend to use other “administrative” means to find this data. This is good news for now as the census numbers are used to determine federal dollar amounts […]

A study released last week by the Center for Budget Policy and Priorities (CBPP)  shows how the Trump administration’s proposal to change the way the federal government measures poverty could cause millions of people to lose health and food benefits. The federal poverty line is used to determine who’s eligible for benefits like SNAP (food stamps), Medicaid […]

The US Supreme Court just ruled that while the US Constitution does not prevent the administration from adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census (split along ideological lines), it upheld part of a federal judge’s ruling barring the question. Chief Justice Roberts joined the liberal judges saying that under a U.S. law called the […]