Retail Association of Maine

05/28/2026

Join us for the next Exchange Webinar: Running Your Business Confidently Under Paid Family & Medical Leave.

This webinar will focus on employer compliance under Maine’s PFML program, including practical guidance for navigating requirements, understanding responsibilities, and preparing your business with confidence. The session will also touch on Maine’s new pay transparency law and what employers should know moving forward.

Presented by Tawny Alvarez of Verrill, this discussion is designed to help employers stay informed and prepared ahead of upcoming changes.

📅 Thursday, June 11
⏰ 8:30–9:30 AM
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/4yajzfy7

05/11/2026

The Retail Cup introduces a friendly Maine vs. New Hampshire competition; bringing together retail leaders for a day of golf, networking, and industry connection.

📅 June 18 | Breakfast Hill

Reserve your spot:

Members of the Retail Association of Maine & the New Hampshire Retail Association compete in a friendly interstate tournament, bringing retailers together for a day on the course.

05/08/2026

We’re looking forward to bringing the retail community together for something new this year. The Retail Cup is a Maine vs. New Hampshire tournament designed for connection, conversation, and a little friendly competition.

Maine vs. New Hampshire
June 18 | Breakfast Hill

Secure your spot today: https://tinyurl.com/mvazkf9j

04/07/2026

Yesterday, the Maine Senate voted 18–14 to advance LD 1822, sending the bill back to the House for another vote. Only Senator Craig Hickman of Kennebec broke from his caucus leadership and stood with the business community.

That result is incredibly disappointing.

Over the past week, Maine’s business community showed up in a way I’ve never seen before. What started as roughly 150 businesses grew to more than 400 Maine employers speaking with one voice in opposition.

That level of engagement should matter. Instead, it was largely ignored.

This bill now returns to the House, likely today, the same chamber that rejected it last week by a strong bipartisan margin. Make no mistake, those legislators are under significant pressure to change their votes.

They need to hear from you.

If your Representative stood with the business community, now is the time to reinforce that decision. A quick note telling them to hold firm can make all the difference.

This is a pivotal moment.

Last week proved that engagement matters. Now we need to make sure it holds.

Stay engaged.

04/05/2026

Portland Press Herald editorial board gets it right. Continuing to put Maine businesses at a disadvantage is not good public policy. The Maine Senate is likely to vote on this on Monday. Here's hoping they do the right thing and follow the Maine House in voting down LD 1822.

Although consumer protection needs to be muscular, these days, it must first be realistic.

04/03/2026

Last night around 10 PM, after a long and pretty grueling day at the State House, the Maine House voted 80–68 to reject final enactment of LD 1822. That’s a really big deal.

Going into the night, we knew every vote mattered. These late-night votes can be unpredictable sometimes, and you never quite know who’s still in the room or how people are feeling after a full day of debate.

But in the end, lawmakers got it right.

What made the difference? Without question, it was the response from Maine’s business community.

We launched our sign-on letter on Friday. By Monday morning, we had more than 150 businesses. By Tuesday’s press conference, we were over 200. Yesterday, we delivered more than 300 names ahead of the vote.

As of today, we’re pushing close to 400.

I’ve been doing this for nearly 20 years, and I’ve never seen the business community come together like this on a single issue. It made a huge difference.

This isn’t the end. LD 1822 now heads back to the Senate, likely for a vote on Monday. But there’s no question this vote changed the momentum.

To everyone who signed on, reached out, and stayed engaged, thank you!! It mattered.

Let’s keep it going. See how your legislator voted (We supported a NO vote):

04/01/2026

More than 200 businesses are pleading with lawmakers to reject LD 1822 and pass something that finds a balance that does not make Maine an outlier.

Business leaders gathered in Portland Tuesday to speak out against a data privacy bill in Augusta.

03/31/2026

A picture can tell a story.

New Hampshire once again has one of the lowest tax burdens in the nation!

We'll keep holding the line against new taxes to protect our New Hampshire Advantage.

03/26/2026

We’re deeply disappointed by today’s narrow vote in the Maine House on LD 1822.

Businesses from across Maine from small to large, and in every industry, have spoken up about the real-world impact this bill could have. Higher costs. More complexity. Harder for local businesses to reach customers and grow.

These concerns weren’t abstract. They came directly from Maine employers trying to do business every day.

There is a better path forward. Other states are proving you can protect consumer privacy without putting businesses at a disadvantage. Unfortunately, this bill moves Maine in the opposite direction.

Governor Janet Mills recently said, “I’d like to see them come to the middle.” We agree, and we hope that’s still possible.

If this bill reaches her desk, we will be urging a veto and continuing to push for a more balanced solution that works for both consumers and Maine businesses.

See how your House member voted. We supported a NO vote.