Action 115 ~ MAINE Legislation May 19-23

As usual, you can view text of any numbered bill at https://legislature.maine.gov  and the whole legislative calendar at https://legislature.maine.gov/Calendar/#PHWS  Instructions for testifying are at  https://www.mainelegislature.org/testimony/  The legislature is winding down the session, so there are only a few public hearings scheduled - but an immense number of work sessions!  We are only listing upcoming public hearings.  Please go to the first link above, and search for the status of a bill you are interested in by bill number.  The page you land on will show work session schedule, and links to any testimony received in a previous public hearing.  Some of it is ...“interesting”.  Please let your legislators know your opinions – they may be voting on anything and everything, eventually.

(Hancock County legislators’ names below in boldface type.)

Monday fireworks! Fascinating!  LD 1259, the bill PROHIBITING local law enforcement from entering into contracts with ICE, was originally assigned to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety.  But on May 13 it was (sensibly) referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, where it has a public hearing on Monday at 1 PM.  While it was sitting in Criminal Justice and Public Safety, the following Republicans voted “ought not to pass”: Ardell, Cyrway, McIntyre, Nutting, Perkins. But it looks like the bill has a good chance of coming out of the Judiciary Committee with an “ought to pass” recommendation: there are 8 D’s and 5 R’s on the Judiciary Committee.  Although rightwing Republican Senator David Haggan sits on that committee, so do Senators Ross and Carney, and Representatives Kuhn and Sato, all of whom are sponsors of LD 1259!  If it is voted into law by the Maine Legislature, there will undoubtedly be fallout coming from the Trump administration, so it’s worthwhile to send a copy of your testimony to your own state legislators, even if they are not on the Judiciary Committee. They could use a precautionary dose of your resolute courage.  As Mahatma Gandhi is said to have said, “when the people lead, the leaders will follow”.

While you are preparing your testimony, consider reading the April 25 testimony that was taken by the same Judiciary Committee on LD 1656, the bill that would REQUIRE contracts with ICE. The testimony is here:  https://legislature.maine.gov/billtracker/#Paper/1656?legislature=132   We wrote about this bill in Action # 105.  Testimony was received from a few private citizens who seem to have been brainwashed into an irrational fear of immigrants, and well as testimony from a few of the people doing the brainwashing, to benefit their own desire for power and control.  I would ask the Judiciary Committee (since they are hearing two diametrically opposite bills) whether they are able to weigh, in the balance, the irrational terror expressed by people who approve of ICE’s authoritarian crackdown, and on the other side of the scale, the truly rational terror felt by those who could be (and are being) apprehended by ICE without due process. If not checked, here and now, this could eventually be the fate all of us who dare to dissent. Here is a link to a testimony guide that Rep. Rana has provided. https://tinyurl.com/TestifyLD1259

While you are at it, send testimony on LD 1971, which limits the info that state and local law enforcement can share with ICE.  All we can say is ICE and its overlords brought it on themselves by their illegal and cruel overreach.

Also on Monday: a bipartisan “concept bill” (LD 1958), presented by Sen. Grohoski, seems to imply that the State needs to recognize due process when booting someone off state property.  Had no idea this was an issue, but anything that improves due process is probably a good thing.

Another bipartisan bill (LD 1965) creates a task force of legal and social services professionals to organize helpful resources for unfortunate people who end up in court.
 

There’s a partisan Republican bill, LD 1930, defining “unborn child”.  Is this a foot in the door to curb reproductive freedom?  Uncertain, but it’s suspect given its partisan backing.

There’s a practical bill (LD 1952) to improve LIHEAP by establishing the Home Heating Fuel Assistance Program and the Office of Home Heating Fuel Assistance within the Department of Health and Human Services. Heating fuel in Maine is essential. Given potential DOGE cuts, it’s important that the program will be searching for additional sources of funding as well as cost savings through pre-season purchases etc.  It looks like benefits under the program extend almost exclusively to fuel oil, electricity and gas, and only to the portion used for space heating (even though hot water and/or cooking may be done with the same fuel and equipment.) There is interest in Hancock Co in establishing firewood co-ops, but the bill is sketchy on how and whether there is a subsidy for wood heat.  There is only so much that legislative text can do to specify the inner workings of any program, and this bill is a case in point. The details should be worked out by the Department professionals after consulting with stakeholders.

Tuesday brings a bill to regulate an industry you may never have heard of, but is currently unregulated.  This is LD 1915, which would regulate “Earned Wage Access Services Providers”.  These are companies that offer employees a way to access a portion of their already earned wages before their regular payday.  They are different from (the often reprehensible) “payday lenders” because there is no interest, but there may be fees. https://www.fourth.com/article/earned-wage-access-versus-payday-loan

Also on Tuesday, is a bipartisan bill that will look out for the interests of all Maine citizens who access health care, i.e. all of us.  LD 1972 is proposed by perhaps the only practicing MD in the legislature.  The summary describes it thus: “This bill enacts law governing consequential transactions, such as transfers of ownership or control, among health care entities, including health care providers, health care facilities, provider organizations, pharmacy benefits managers and carriers. It establishes a preliminary and comprehensive review process carried out by the Department of Health and Human Services in consultation with the Office of Affordable Health Care and provides for post-transaction oversight. It creates provisions governing reporting on the ownership and control of health care entities upon the completion of a transaction. It also makes the provisions take effect January 1, 2026.”

The rest of the week:  No hearings pique our curiosity, but of course one person’s legislative review is an imperfect process and we may have missed something.  As mentioned, there are countless work sessions.   Have a great week!  Go get ‘em on Monday!