D-Scarborough

The Legislature is entering its final weeks of the second session. Much of the work of the past several months goes on without much fanfare, but rarely a day goes by when there aren’t important decisions being made in the halls of Augusta.

Without a doubt, the tough economic times weigh heavy on the minds of all legislators as we work to balance the state’s budget.

But everyday work continues on a range of important issues. My committee, the utilities and energy committee, has been engaged in some of the most important debates – planning for our state’s energy future and preparing us to emerge stronger from the recession. We are working to expand broadband infrastructure to previously unserved areas of our state, which is crucial to statewide economic development.

We’ve also been working to make energy efficiency dollars available to thousands of Maine’s business, residents and schools.

Last week, the town of Scarborough received $33,000 to upgrade its firehouses through an Efficiency Maine Trust grant. The trust is the body that the Legislature established as a “one-stop shop” for all efficiency programs. These programs have reduced energy costs for Maine businesses while reducing our state’s carbon footprint.

Efficiency Maine programs helped home and business owners save hundreds of thousands of megawatt hours of energy, accounting for millions of dollars in savings since its creation several years ago.

Most legislative committees are finishing their work, but there are several, including my committee that will work to finalize legislation, even as the full House and Senate debate and cast votes. The result is lots of running around the State House as we are often needed in two places at once, but this Legislature has insisted on completing all of its work early in an effort to save money.

As we head into the final weeks, the appropriations committee will finalize its amendments to the governor’s proposal and move toward a full vote of the Legislature. But many other important votes will be taken.

Most bills have been worked on, by respective committees, for months. I presented four bills this session. Each bill was reviewed by different committees, amended and adjusted, before now moving to the full House for enactment.

I was successful in garnering bipartisan unanimous support among committee members for all of the bills I proposed. They face a vote before the full Legislature and will likely pass as a result of the strong consensus reached in their respective committees.

These included LD 1693, “An Act to Protect the Natural Resources of Maine”; LD 1646, “An Act to Establish a Broadband Policy for Maine”; LD 1578, “An Act to Require Equitable Cost Sharing Among Communications Providers”; and a bill that took a full year of work and attention, LD 1256, “An Act To Provide Protections for Consumers Subject to Mandatory Arbitration Clauses.”

These bills, among a couple hundred others, are working their way toward final passage. As a result, the Legislature will take several different votes each day over the final weeks. It’s important to reach out to us, if you have issues or concerns, especially about any specific bills, because constituent interest is always a factor before we cast our vote.