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July 30, 2014

State seeks feedback on drug-testing rules

The Maine Department of Labor is seeking input from businesses and other organizations on how the state can improve its drug-testing law and possibly drive down costs for employers.

The state labor department said in a Tuesday announcement that many small- and medium-sized businesses have previously indicated that they haven't been able to create their own drug-testing policies because of costs mandated under the state's current law.

"Maine's substance-testing law is an outlier in a number of ways,” the announcement said. “Maine is the only state that does not allow probable-cause testing for the first accident; fully exempts employers who have just one employee subject to federal testing; and requires employers to pay for any [Employee Assistance Programs] or uncovered drug rehab costs.”

Employers interested in providing feedback for changes in the state's current drug-testing law must receive a survey by contacting Mark Dawson of the Bureau of Labor Standards at mark.dawson@maine.gov. The state will be accepting survey responses through Aug. 15.

While businesses and other organizations with state-approved drug-testing policies have already been solicited, businesses currently without an approved policy can still participate.

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