As local lawmakers set off
for the new legislative session in Augusta, most downplayed talk of a
Democratic raid on rules passed between the Tea Party tide that rolled Republicans
into power in 2010 and the political about face that saw them lose control of
the statehouse this past November.
Instead, all are stressing
the need for nonpartisan action to address dire times on the economics horizon,
including a recent $35 million curtailment in state spending triggered by
falling revenue, a supplemental budget that will need to address a $130 million
shortfall in social services, and a “structural gap” that predicts the next
biennial budget will start some $880 million in the hole.
“Some things may be
restored, but it will be incremental, small steps,” said Democrat Kimberly
Monaghan-Derrig, whose district covers much of Cape Elizabeth and a section of
South Portland.
“It’s not going to be a
flash-and-burn type of activity, at least I hope not,” she said. “I don’t think
we want to be in a position where, just because the Democrats are back in
majority, there’s going to be a big power struggle, because I really don’t
think that’s what any of us want to be moving forward. We all need to get
together and have both sides of the aisle working toward better solutions.”
“I think No. 1 thing on our
plates is going to be the budget hole,” said Rep. Bryan Kaenrath of South
Portland, now entering his fourth term in the House. “This is my first time
where there has been a divided government, with the governor in one party and
the Legislature in the other. If we are going to get anything accomplished,
it’s going to have to be collectively across the aisle. It can’t be this
back-and-forth nonsense.”
No one in the delegation
that represents Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough and South Portland is on the
powerful Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee, called back early last
week to get first crack at the looming budget crisis. Still, each has a role to
play, with fresh committee assignments in hand.
Although cloture – the
deadline by which bills must be submitted for consideration – is not until Jan.
18, most of the local delegation has begun turning in draft ideas. According to
the Reviser’s Office, they are among “more than 900” proposals dropped off to
date, which the Legislative Council, comprising leaders from both parties, will
pare down by winnowing out or otherwise marrying duplicate ideas.
Locally, these “better
solutions” include everything from new rules for crosswalks and a
constitutional amendment that would extend the terms of state senators to the
creation of nonprofit, state-run vehicle inspection stations and the prevention
of human trafficking.
Rep. Amy Volk
R-District 127, serving
part of Scarborough.
Volk, a Republican
representing eastern and coastal Scarborough, rode the GOP wave into office in
2010. She won re-election to her sophomore session by a mere 12 votes out of
5,444 cast. The close contest, she says, is a “clear signal that my district is
very divided.”
“In the end, I have to hold
true to my core beliefs, but I am happy to hear from everybody,” said Volk.
“So far, I have had
wonderful conversations with leadership from the Democratic Party and I’m
looking forward to working with my committee chairs,” said Volk. “We’ve got a
lot of work ahead of us and I hope we can all try to focus on the things that
we need to focus on, like our spending that is really out of line compared to
other states. We’re just drowning, frankly.”
Like most area legislators,
Volk says she has bills suggested by constituents that she “won’t be ready to
discuss” until after cloture. However, she is prepping two other bills, one at
the behest of Scarborough and the other that will change how state senators are
elected.
For the town, Volk will
submit a bill that will give passing snowplows control over streetlights,
allowing them to always have the green light.
“Emergency vehicles can do
that now and it can be argued that snow plows are a sort of emergency vehicle,”
said Scarborough Town Manager Tom Hall. “It's important in a storm for plows to
be able to keep their forward momentum.”
Volk's other bill would
lengthen terms of office for state senators from two to four years.
“I don’t know how far that
will get, because it will require a constitutional amendment,” she said.
“However, I think it’s important to end some of the tension, with all the
resources that go into campaigning rather than into effective state
government.”
Although it could get
altered in committee, Volk's plan is for the entire 35-member Senate up for
re-election every fourth year, off-cycle from the gubernatorial election,
beginning in 2016.
Although she is the ranking
Republican on the Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Labor, Commerce,
Research and Economic Development, Volk said she does not expect an invite to
the new select committee “on Maine’s workforce and economic future.”
“I’m on the State Workforce
Investment Board and the reapportionment committee for legislative districts,”
she said. “I think they’ve probably got me pretty busy.”
Volk said she does not
envision political boundaries changing locally, although the reapportionment
committee held its first meeting Tuesday, so “there’s a lot to learn,” she
said.
In the near term, Volk said
she expects more trouble from labor unions than Democrats. The unions, she
said, were particularly “unhappy” about changes made in worker’s compensation
last year, which caps benefits at 10 years.
“That’s still pretty
generous, I think,” she said, claiming that union forces “played a huge role”
in her recent race against Democrat Paul Aranson.
“In my view, what we did
was give people 10 years to recover from their injuries or retrain for whatever
workforce capabilities they have left,” said Volk. “Even severely disabled
people are capable of working. To Republicans, there’s a certain amount of
dignity to earning one’s own living, rater than just receiving a check for the
rest of their lives.
“That’s just one of the
areas in which we made a lot of progress in the last session that we need to
continue,” said Volk. “I don’t see them [Democrats] changing that.”
Rep. Terry Morrison
D-District 122, serving
part of South Portland
However, South Portland
Democrat Terry Morrison, now in his third term, sees things differently,
calling the workers compensation changes, “a really terrible thing that
Republicans did.”
“The Republicans really
made lives difficult for Mainers,” he said. “Fireworks is a done deal now, but
there will be some repairing of the damages done. We will fix things and, in
that regard, we will have the votes to win.”
However, although Morrison
seemed to most wiling among local Democrats to disparage recent Republican
initiatives, he, too, sounded a note of reconciliation.
“I know the other side
wants to work with us,” he said. “And we want to work with the governor and the
Republicans, because we can’t do this alone. We need then. Everyone has to have
a seat at the table.”
“The first thing for all of
us, obviously, is the budget,” said Morrison. “There are going to be tough,
tough choices that we will have to make. But I don’t want that to be a crutch
either. I don’t want us to be beholden to the budget and say we can’t do things
we should do just because times are tough.”
Unlike Volk, Morrison said
he is actively stumping for a spot on the select workforce development
committee. He also looks forward to the implementation in Maine of the
Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare, which will be the
primary focus this session of his committee, on insurance and financial
services.
“We’re going to strengthen
Medicare and Mainecare and expand Medicaid – we’ll be working on those things
right off,” said Morrison. “The governor has resisted that, but it’s federal
law now, so we have to do it. He can veto it if he wants, but he’ll have to
answer to the federal government if he doesn’t comply. But I think once we
bring him our proposal he’ll be fine with it, I‘m pretty sure.
“The Affordable Care Act is
an amazing opportunity for Mainers,” said Morrison. “Our committee will look to
streamline the way a person gets care, so they don’t have to jump through as
many hoops, with as many forms, while striving to make the care better and keep
the costs within reason.”
Morrison says, given the
all-encompassing nature of Obamacare, he also looks forward to working more
closely with the Health and Human Services Committee.
“I’m in charge of this,
actually,” he said. “In the past the committees have run kind of parallel.
Health and human services did its thing and we did ours, but this time we are
going to partner up and have more conversations as a team so we are on the same
page.”
Among the bills Morrison
plans to submit, two are made at the request of South Portland. One, spinning
out of recent traffic issues on East Broadway, would require vehicles to stop
for pedestrians in a crosswalk.
“Right now, cars only have
to yield,” said South Portland City Planner Tex Haeuser. “So, when we put a
stop sign in the walkway, that’s technically illegal.”
The other would streamline
the process for obtaining a handicapped ramp, eliminating most of the current
approvals needed beyond a nod form the local assessor.
Morrison also will resubmit
a bill that failed in the last session, allowing the County Registry of Deeds
to charge a fee for documents.
“Making documents for
people taps their budget pretty hard,” said Morrison. “We’ll keep the fee
pretty low, but we need to recognize that county governments are struggling to
survive.
Rep. Scott Hamann
D-District 123, serving
parts of Cape Elizabeth and South Portland
Among local lawmakers,
freshman legislator Scott Hamman has perhaps the most ambitious agenda.
He’ll join Volk on the
economic development committee and plans to introduce a bill to create tax
credits for the motion picture industry. That’s been a perennial lead balloon
in Augusta, but Hamann said that after a recent sit down with Eric Matheson,
owner of Fore River Sound Stage in the former South Portland Armory, regional
union leaders, and the new executive director of the Maine Film Commission, he
believes a winning package can be brokered.
“I don’t want to go to
producers in Hollywood and say, ‘Whatever will get you here,’ because that
might not be in the best interests of Maine’s economy,” said Hamann. “At the
same time, I don’t want to be so protectionist that I say, 'You have to hire
100 percent Maine crew and only buy local.'
I’m trying to find the middle ground that meets the goals of all
stakeholders to bring the productions and the jobs and that money into the
state.
“There were some challenges
to previous versions of this tax credit, but I feel pretty confident,” said
Hamann. “In talking to experienced legislators who have been there for many,
many terms, I think we may have found a way to address all of those negatives
and get this passed.”
Based on his experience as
a foster parent, Hamann also plans to submit a bill that will put organic baby
formula on the list of WIC-subsidized meals. Organic formula, he claims, is
both cheaper and more nutritious, making it a “win-win.”
Having seen much of the
social service industry from his vantage point as a foster parent, Hamann said
there also is a need to help people who lose custody of their children to
retain their Mainecare benefits.
When custody is lost,
Hamann said, the parent is “recategorized” by the Department of Health and
Human Services, often leading to a loss of Mainecare benefits. However, DHHS
often bridges the gap until Social Security or other safety nets are erected.
“Almost all of these folks
are accessing some services, whether it's mental health care or substance abuse
services, or basic medical care, but they end up recategorized and going to the
back of the line,” said Hamann. “So, on the same day when they lose their
child, which is an unimaginable loss for a parent, they also lose their access
to all of the supports and services that are helping them stay afloat at
whatever level they are at.
“You can’t just let people
go off of their methadone,” said Hamann. “That would be horrible. People would
die.”
Hamann said his plan would
actually save the state money because it gets “a two-to-one match from the
feds” for Mainecare expenditures, versus the full state exposure to DHHS
payouts.
Hamann also wants to funnel
projected savings from a recent five-year cap on Temporary Aid to Needy
Families subsidies, estimated at between $2.5 million and $10 million,
“depending on who you ask.”
“My proposal is to see if
we can find a mechanism to reinvest those savings back into TANF, to help
recipients achieve self-sufficiency, so they don’t get to the end of the
process and end up high and dry,” he said, adding, “That just shifts the need
onto municipal general assistance programs.”
Hamann, who said he’s
already sat through “countless PowerPoints” on the state economy, admits to
eagerly awaiting an upcoming four-day legislative bus tour of the state.
“I’m told that really gives
you at overview of the state’s economy, which has to be our top priority,” said
Hamann.
“I think one of our
challenges in that regard is to sort of get past the ostensible impasse that
supposedly exists between the Legislature and the governor that’s been played
up in the media,” said Hamann. “I think it’s not as much bad blood as people
perceive from the outside. I think both sides are interested in coming together,
identifying common ground and creating workable solutions.
“Hopefully that can happen
as soon as possible so we can get together and fix things that obviously need
fixing,” said Hamann.
Sen. Rebecca Millett
D-District 7, serving
Cape Elizabeth, South Portland and part of Scarborough
Like Hamann, freshman Sen.
Millett, of Cape Elizabeth, said animosity between the governor and her party
is as much a media creation as a real wall, despite the governor’s seeming
refusal to meet with leading Democrats until an alleged “tracker” is called
off.
However, like Morrison, she
is not afraid to criticize, calling on LePage to sign the bonds authorized at
the polls last November.
“I am disappointed the
governor is sitting on those when both the citizens and the Legislature
approved them,” she said. “I really would like to see those put into place. I
think it’s some desperately needed stimulus for Maine businesses and its
citizens.”
Also like Morrison, Millett
is placing much stock in the workforce development committee created by
Democrats.
“There was a number of
meetings right after our swearing-in Dec. 5 where there was a good deal of
discussion about this,” she said. “A number of businesses came before us to
talk about how they’re doing in Maine, and what I found interesting is that
most of them, all of them, in fact, said our tax structure and our regulation
structure is actually quite acceptable and not really the issue they are most
concerned with.
“Rather it’s the workforce
training,” said Millett. “That was a theme mentioned over and over again and it
definitely caught our attention. We thought, given where we are, with an aging
population, we need to do more to keep our graduates here in Maine and give
them the skills necessary to fulfill the jobs that we have here and hopefully
create a workforce that is so well trained that it will bring businesses to
Maine.”
Millett may get a front row
seat in that effort. She won a spot on the Legislature's Joint Taxation
Committee and will chair the committee on education and cultural affairs.
“I am just thrilled.
Education was my first choice,” she said, noting that she’s had talks with area
superintendents about possible bills, although she is not ready to talk about
any just yet.
“They’re centered around
public education and funding and keeping our schools strong, but that’s pretty
much as far as I’d like to go for now, because this is all so new to me,” said
Millett. “It’s the first time I’ve ever submitted bills. I don’t want to go out
too far on a limb until I’m more familiar with the process.”
Sen. Jim Boyle
D-District 6, serving
part of Scarborough, as well as Gorham and Westbrook.
Jim Boyle, also a freshman
senator, is taking the same tack. In fact, he’s yet to submit any bills and
says he’s not entirely sure he’s going to.
“I don’t have any bills of
my own. Being new to this, I’m just getting my feet under me,” he said.
Boyle will sit on the
Environment and Natural Resources Committee, and chair the committee on
agriculture, conservation and forestry. Both complement his day job as a
licensed forester and environmental consultant.
“I’m not new to the issues
there, I’ve testified in front of that committee many times over the years,” he
said. “Still, the really hot-button issues right now are the economy and jobs,
and those aren’t directly related to my committee.”
Boyle said the clarion call
he heard on the campaign trail was for jobs and he, to, calls the new workforce
development committee “key.”
“I will look to them for
leadership on what we can do to move things forward,” he said.
The other message Boyle has
heard from residents, which he plans to heed, is a constant plea for
bipartisanship.
“During the campaign we
didn’t know which party might be in the majority, still all I heard out on the
trail was collaboration,” he said. “People want senators and representatives of
all parties to work together to get things done for the citizens of this sate.
That’s what I heard and that’s what I’ll do.”
That said, Boyle is less
confident he can fulfill two other common wishes, that the state “fully-fund”
revenue sharing and public education.
Rep. Heather Sirocki
R-District 128, serving
part of Scarborough.
Republican Sirocki, of
Scarborough, saw a strong effort to try and knock her out of the Legislature,
with League of Conservation Voters singling her out early on for placement on
its “Dirty Dozen” list.
Still, Sirocki she won’t
let being a liberal target stop her from working with Democrats.
“Being in the minority,
sometimes you might have a great idea for a bill, but it’s better to have a
Democrat be the sponsor on it,” she said. Sirocki said she’s not yet ready to
talk about what she may submit for bills, but expects to pass some off to key
Democrats and then jump on as a co-sponsor.
One bill the dental
hygienist is ready to talk about, however, is directly related to her industry.
Sirocki said it’s high time that dental hygienists, like nurses, got their own
self-regulation board.
“That will be very
controversial and the dental community, with some of the same sorts of concerns
that doctors had when nurses first proposed this idea,” said Sirocki. “It’s an
oversight issue and I think a control issue. The dentists like the current
set-up I believe, but dental work is restorative while hygienist work is more
preventative. It’s a whole different attitude and a different way of looking at
the mouth."
Sirocki ran into trouble
with the dental board in the last legislative session when her bill to allow
independent hygienists to take X-rays was thwarted by administrative rule
making, prompting a second, more tightly worded, bill from Gov. LePage.
“They were very unhappy
with me,” she said. “They don’t have any legislative say, but of course, there
is a lot of lobbying that happens, so we’ll see how this one goes.”
Rep. Kimberly Monaghan-Derrig
D-District 121, serving
parts of Cape Elizabeth and South Portland
Democrat Monaghan-Derrig,
elected to her first full session after winning a special election in late
2011, will return to the judiciary committee.
She has one bill she’s
working on related to child protection and “human trafficking,” she said. Also
unwilling to discuss the bill’s details while it’s still being drafted,
Monaghan-Derrig said, “There are some issues that are going on around the
southern Maine area that have concerned some parents. So, they want me to
consider submitting a bill on that.”
Like some of her
party-mates, Monaghan-Derrig sees a challenge in the coming session as she and
her peers try and balance a need to work with Republicans while also trying to
roll back some of their recent initiatives.
“We regained the house and
the senate, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be all about partisan
politics,” she said. “I think everyone is working together to be balanced and
fair.
“So, I wouldn’t say that we
are going to be completely reversing the legislation passed last year, although
I might be inclined to think that some of the more extreme measures done might
be restored,” said Monaghan-Derrig.
Rep. Bryan Kaenrath
D-District 124, serving
part of South Portland
For South Portland Democrat
Kaenrath, the road to his fourth term has been kind of a round trip. After
losing a primary race to Millett for State Senate District 7, he was able to
run for his old seat as a replacement candidate. Along the way, he ended up
moving from the State and Local Government Committee back to his first assignment
from six years ago, on the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.
“I’m pretty happy with
that, it’s a good committee,” said Kaenrath, adding, “Public safety will be
dealing a lot with gun issues coming up as I expect here will be a lot of bills
dealing with firearms. Given recent news, that will draw a lot of attention.”
Still, Kaenrath said he’s
not sure if he will support a drive by area police chiefs to end Maine’s status
as an “open-carry” state.
“I foresee possibly some
changes in the away we treat firearms in this state, but not a lot,” he said.
“We have a pretty good record here. We are a high gun ownership state yet we
have one of the lowest rates of violence involving firearms.”
Among bills of his own,
Kaenrath is working with Morrison to sponsor measures for South Portland. While
Morrison is taking the lead on traffic and construction measures, Kaenrath said
he’ll likely be the sponsor for ones involving street lighting.
“Right now, the city leases
its streetlights from Central Maine Power and it’d actually be cheaper if we
could own and maintain our own," he said. "This is something our city
manager has talked about for awhile.”
For each of the past two
summers, South Portland has shut off dozens of lights to try and save on costs.
Kaenrath says he also plans
to submit a bill to combat childhood obesity in Maine by requiring physical
education classes for all students in all four years of high school.
Finally, having failed two
years ago to get a measure passed to require vehicle inspections every two
years, instead of annually, Kaenrath said he’ll try once more to tackle the
perception of industry “gamesmanship.”
“It amazes me just how much
ambiguity is out there in car inspections,” he said. “You can take a car to
five different places and get five different answers for what has to be done to
it to get a sticker.”
Although still in draft
form, Kaenrath’s bill would set up a series of state-run, nonprofit inspection
stations.
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