The replacement rates offer more protections for people making lower wages, said James Myall, policy analyst at the Maine Center for Economic Policy.
“The program is designed so it is easier for lower-income workers to take leave,” Myall said. “Many of them currently don’t have access to any kind of paid leave at all, or if they do, maybe it doesn’t offer enough wages for them to be able to meet basic expenses, and so they’re more likely to either not take leave at all or drop out.”