Background: This is a follow-on to Action 45, where we expressed support for Janet Mills as she stood up to Chief Bully Trump. You probably thought at the time, “there oughta be a law protecting kids from being cruelly doxxed for political gain”. Well, now there is one in the works, and you can support it.

Representative Melanie Sachs of Freeport has submitted LD 537, “An Act to Prohibit the Doxing of a Minor and to Authorize a Related Civil Action”. She explained: “Last spring a similar situation arose when an adult in Maine began viciously targeting a student in Freeport. That coverage also went national. I reached out to the Maine AG and found that there were no laws that hold adults accountable if they use personally identifying information about children with the intent to harm or cause fear.” She drafted legislation last year, but it was deemed too broad by the ACLU, so she drafted a new bill that should pass muster this year.

Actions: Your choice! From easiest to most effort on your part. You can choose all three if you like!

(1) Add your name to the attached letter which will be presented as testimony in favor of LD 537. The letter was created by a group of concerned parents in Cumberland County.

(2) Contact your state Rep and Senator by phone and/or email, and also members of the Judiciary Committee (see the attached letter for names of committee members). Tell them you approve of the censure resolution passed Tuesday Feb. 25 (see Extra Credit). Further, you want them to pass a law to stop all future similar actions and to punish the perpetrators significantly if they violate it. Acknowledge that this is a separate issue from the question of how to deal with transgender athletes in public schools. If they must revisit that issue, they need to go through the normal legislative process.

(3) Testify at the Public Hearing scheduled for March 3 at 9:30 AM.

            You need to sign up to testify in person or by Zoom, and/or to submit written testimony
            https://www.mainelegislature.org/testimony/

Urgency:       BEFORE SUNDAY MARCH 1 for signing the letter (option 1 above)
                        BEFORE 9 AM March 3 for signing up to testify (option 3 above)

For option 2: It is currently unknown when the final vote on the bill will take place, so write your letters and make your phone calls as soon as practicable. Note: “Billy Bob” Faulkingham from Winter Harbor called the censure resolution a “sham” (he’s quoted in first item under Extra Credit). Not a good look for someone who touts his “Christianity”. To date, Libby has not apologized, she does not deserve forgiveness.

Extra Credit:
https://www.wmtw.com/article/maine-house-censures-republican-lawmaker-after-post-about-transgender-student/63924963

Text of Censure Resolution:

https://legislature.maine.gov/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HR0001&item=1&snum=132

Text of LD 537:

https://www.mainelegislature.org/LawMakerWeb/summary.asp?ID=280096452

Hearing schedule: https://legislature.maine.gov/committee/#Committees/JUD

All Legislators listed:

Representatives https://legislature.maine.gov/house/house/memberprofiles/listalpha
Senators https://legislature.maine.gov/senate/senators/9536

If you wish to sign, email your name and town of residence (subject line “I wish to sign”) to:

abbiemcmillen@mac.com before Sunday March 1

Upon adding your name and town to the letter, your information will be deleted

unless you indicate in your email that you’d like updates