Action 100 – MAINE legislation week of April 28-May 2

Attached is a table of selected upcoming public hearings this week.   Check complete listing here: https://legislature.maine.gov/Calendar/#PHWS.  Find the text of any bill here: https://legislature.maine.gov  Form your own opinions, decide if you want to testify, and submit testimony.  Instructions are here:  https://www.mainelegislature.org/testimony/ .  You can also tell your legislators what you think of any bill, as they will all have to vote on all of the bills that make it out of committee. Know which committees your representative and senator are on: a table for Hancock County is below. They are likely to be very interested in your opinions on legislation in their committees!  Note that “Billy Bob” Faulkingham does not appear on any of these committees, probably because he is the minority leader and ranking member of a rules committee.

Some highlights this week, by hearing date:

Note: I’ve adopted the shorthand “RW” to designate a partisan, right-wing bill.

Monday April 28 A large number of solid waste management bills are being heard in the morning in the Environment and Natural Resources Committee (what a way to start the week! Like cleanup after a weekend party!) including LD 297, 1604,1633,1738,1793.  Also on Monday: three bills that attempt in small but important ways to control the influence of money on legislation: LD 1415, 1576, 1814.

Tuesday April 29 sees a large number of bills on ferry operations being heard in the Transportation Committee starting at 1 PM.  This includes LD 1477 and LD 1731 which affect Hancock County.  There are also two bills that deal with a “sleeper” issue (an issue that is of potentially large significance going forward) concerning control of Maine’s freshwater resources.  The bills are LD 757 and LD 1696.  They should be combined/reconciled in committee before going to the full legislature.

Wednesday April 30 there is a local, bipartisan bill on dam repair (LD 1382), proving that bipartisanship is still possible when the threat is immediate and local. 

Thursday May 1 If your interest is firearms control, you will want to look at the Judiciary Committee hearing at 10 AM where there will be four bills (411, 1009, 1379 and 1463, not on the attached table).  At the same time, in the Taxation committee, are 5 bills on property taxes (1506,1537,1603,1729,1798). This continues in the Taxation committee all afternoon with 7 more bills (432, 1304, 1464, 1591, 1610, 1665, 1770). None of the above bills are listed on the attached table. But you can scroll down to them on this version of the calendar https://legislature.maine.gov/Calendar/#Daily/2025-05-01 Good luck in your attempt to stay awake!  Alternatively, you may prefer to check out the four bills being heard in the Marine Resources Committee at 11:30 AM (LDs 1279, 1678, 1679 and 1790).

Friday May 2 The day starts out at 9 AM with a plethora of heterogenous bills before the Housing and Economic Development Committee.  If you are curious, check it out: https://legislature.maine.gov/Calendar/#Daily/2025-05-02.  (This is another useful link to find out the totality of what’s happening on a given day.)

Around 11 AM there are three bills that would mandate photographic identification for voting, being heard in the Veterans’ and Legal Affairs Committee. Two are typical RW voter suppression efforts (LD 38 and 397), but the third is confusingly elaborate, and apparently came from the Secretary of State (LD 1149).  This bears further analysis.  In addition, there is a RW bill (LD 1707) that would not only prevent any noncitizen from receiving any form of state or local assistance, but also require municipalities to assist ICE, etc.  (You may recall a bill from last week with similar effect – LD 1656.)  And, another unnecessary RW resolution that would require yet another referendum on who can vote. (LD 1437).  There’s also a bill (LD 1446) to reduce the voting age to 16, which would be a great idea if we still taught civics before 10th grade high school. The week wraps up with two Judiciary Committee bills on access to public records.

More highlights this week, by hearing topic:

Artificial Intelligence is featured in three bills attempting to control it: LD 872 and 1690 (both on Monday) and LD 1727 (Wednesday). Good!  Another “sleeper” issue to watch for.

Concept Drafts:  Never thought I might agree with Laurel Libby on anything, but she sponsors a brief bill (Monday, LD 1563) to do away with concept drafts.  These are annoying placeholder documents without any legislative detail, so the average citizen becomes frustrated trying to find out what they are all about.  Two examples this week are LD 630 (on beaches) and LD 861 (on the work of the public advocate).  Neither of these is on the attached table, b/c there is no info!  But we also need more info on the effect of Libby’s bill as well, hence a question mark in the “suggest” column.

RW “Culture Wars” bills pop up throughout the week in their usual performative clothing.  These include LD 1716 (Monday - RW “family life” education materials mandated by grade 3 – read what they think the video should contain!); LD 1329 (Wednesday - drivers’ license required to display citizenship status, with no provision on how it is to be determined or funded or how to verify the status hasn’t changed since the license was issued.);  LD 1461 (Wednesday - mask mandates prohibited); LD 890 (Thursday – pharmacist to dispense Ivermectin if requested by a patient for cancer, flu or Covid, without a prescription, deemed by the legislature to be a legitimate medical purpose.  How many doctors are there in the Maine Legislature?  We know of ONE, and he ain’t a co-sponsor of this bill.