I want to publicly thank Gov. LePage for joining the 17 states that have filed a complaint regarding the new U.S. Department of Labor overtime rule, which effectively doubles the amount required to pay salaried-exempt professionals.

This new requirement will affect my agency to the point of bankruptcy. While there exists a need to review minimum wages for salaried-exempt professionals, doubling the requirement is not the answer.

The decision impacts nonprofits egregiously and needs to be challenged. I am not an economist, but I am smart enough to realize that minimum salaries should be based on region, not pegged to an arbitrary percentage of salaries paid in certain areas of the country.

I also thank Sen. Susan Collins for having the courage to enter a bill to address this challenge.

If this federal overtime bill goes into effect as written, many nonprofits across the state of Maine will go out of business. Thank you, Gov. LePage, for understanding how this measure hurts business.

Ray Nagel, MBA

executive director, Independence Association

Brunswick