Action 219 Maine Legislation 3/9-3/13
Things are really coming to an end in this legislative session. Very few public hearings, but a lot of work sessions leading to final votes. Some of the bills with hearings are quite technical and specialized. On Monday, for example, a bill to tinker yet again with the school funding formula, and on Tuesday a bill to require financial guarantees by certain solid waste processing facilities.
On Wednesday, LD 2176, a very important bill titled “An Act to Create a Right to Judicial Review Under the Maine Civil Rights Act for Persons Erroneously Detained” will have another hearing. The previous public hearing was held on 10 Feb, and you can read the 22 testimony items. They are worth your time to read, because they may help restore your faith in humanity. The bill has many sponsors, all Democrats. The members of the other party seem to have lost their humanity, or at least they have lost the courage to speak out when obvious wrongs are being committed.
At the same time there will be a hearing on a confusing bill (a former “concept draft”), to require the Maine Dept. of Economic and Community Development to “study” existing financial incentives that benefit data centers. Why doesn’t the bill just stop with its other provision, which is to remove data centers from eligibility for the business equipment tax exemption and the business incentives program? We certainly don’t need or want to open the door to any financial incentives for the billionaires’ data centers! Maybe the intent of the study is to find other existing incentives with a goal of moving more of them out of reach of data centers. That would be a good thing.
On March 12 we are presented with a totally obscure “concept draft” with no detail whatsoever, titled “An Act to Strengthen the Health Care System in Maine”. A complete mystery about a vitally important subject.
I will probably be wrapping up these legislative sendouts as the legislature winds down. Also there probably won’t be new Action Items from me until April. (Going on a mud season vacation!) But I urge you to sign up to receive either Emanuel Pariser’s email (emanuel.pariser@gmail.com) or the one compiled by Shelly (Baypottery@pm.me), or both. They are excellent resources and will keep you very, very busy, productively saving our nation. And don’t forget to participate in one of the No Kings protest rallies on March 28! They will be happening everywhere, and they are important
§ Check complete bill listing here: https://legislature.maine.gov/Calendar/#PHWS. Set the date range in the upper left corner. This listing also shows work sessions if you want to weigh in on any of those. As always, you can delve into the testimony that was delivered at any public hearing on a bill that interests you.
§ Find the text of any bill here: https://legislature.maine.gov Or click through on the calendar, on the bill number, which is a link. Then read the pdf or the word version (link in upper left area). Form your own opinions!
§ Instructions for testifying are here: https://www.mainelegislature.org/testimony/