Action 123 MAINE Legislation May 26-30

No public hearings this week but some “hot” work sessions.  As usual, you can view bill text and sponsors, items of testimony, work session schedule, and current status of any numbered bill at https://legislature.maine.gov  The whole legislative calendar is at https://legislature.maine.gov/Calendar/#PHWS  Instructions for testifying are at  https://www.mainelegislature.org/testimony/ but it’s probably too late to submit formal testimony.  You can, however, find the names of committee members on this website.  While a bill is still in committee awaiting a work session, you can communicate directly with committee members. Information here.  If you do that, be sure to copy your own legislators, whether or not they are on the committee that is considering the bill you are interested in. 

Hard to believe it was just 8 days ago that the Legislature received 362 items of testimony on LD 1259, plus 265 on LD 1971.  These are the bills to curb any relationship between local law enforcement and ICE (especially a contract under section 287g). Another bill, LD 1656 would REQUIRE towns to get in bed with ICE. (Brrr! There were only 36 items of testimony on that bill, which had a hearing a month ago.)   All three of the ICE-related bills will have a work session on Wednesday May 28 at 1 PM in the Judiciary Committee.  Pertinent to that work session, HERE is a recent, chilling, comprehensive analysis of the hazards of ICE.  I think it’s well worth your time to read in its entirety, and possibly print out and send to your legislators, particularly the Republicans.  None of us can assume we are safe within in the 100-mile border zone.  ALL OF MAINE is in that border zone, a fact you can verify using a map.  Within that zone, nationwide “200 million Americans now live under ICE rule – not constitutional law.” However, we do not have to obey in advance, we can resist, legally and safely!

Other than ICE stuff: there is a work session on May 27 at 1 PM in the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee concerning a number of bills regarding net energy billing.  This subject picks up again the next day, May 28 in the same committee, again at 1 PM.  For details see the legislative calendar, linked above, and scroll to the committee.

On May 30 at 1 PM the Judiciary Committee has a work session on two data privacy bills.  LD 1088 has 36 testimony items, whereas LD 1822 has 57 testimony items.  To compare the bills, see the  testimony item from Attorney General Frey.  Interesting, important going forward.  See forthcoming Action Item 124, “What the DOGE Knows”.

Update: Karen Cote informed me that there is a way you can submit testimony after a pubic hearing but before a work session.  This applies to hearings being held tomorrow (Wednesday) on the ICE related bills. Thank you Karen!  She says: "Maine residents can email the comment to the Committee's Clerk, which is the Committees email address.  The Clerk's name and the Committee email address are found on each of the Committees' website pages - under maine.gov).  Ask the Clerk to place the comment in each Committee members' file (and if you want it made public, you can ask the Clerk to do that as well)...You don't need to email each Committee member separately!”

For the Judiciary committee, here is the link to the committee: https://legislature.maine.gov/committee/#Committees/JUD

And the direct link to the clerk, Susan Pinette: JUD@legislature.maine.gov  phone 287-1327

So today would be a good opportunity to weigh in, if you haven’t already said something about the ICE bills.