by James Cyr | Apr 29, 2015 | Uncategorized
AUGUSTA – The Maine Senate today soundly defeated a bill that would have banned plastic bags statewide. The bill, LD 325, would have prohibited Maine retailers from using plastic bags for their customers’ purchases after September, 2020. Senator Tom Saviello (R-Franklin), who is the chair of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, called the legislation unnecessary. “Municipalities already have the ability to put their own restrictions on plastic bags, so there’s no need to have the state mandate this. “When it comes to pollution, we have much bigger problems than plastic bags, and given the potential impact on business, I found this legislation unnecessary,” Senator Saviello said. Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason (R-Androscoggin) said, “This is a jobs-killing bill and a perfect example of what we should not be doing in the Maine Legislature. This would have made the cost of doing business higher and been a huge inconvenience to those who spend their hard-earned money in our places of business. Rejecting this bill was the right move.” The bill was defeated by a vote of 24-10....
by James Cyr | Apr 29, 2015 | Uncategorized
AUGUSTA – Maine Senate President Michael Thibodeau (R-Waldo) today submitted legislation designed to lower electricity costs in Maine. His bill, LD 1339, “An Act To Provide Relief to Maine Ratepayers,” had a public hearing today before the Maine Legislature’s Energy, Utilities, and Technology Committee. “Electricity costs have long been identified as one of Maine’s biggest economic problems,” Senator Thibodeau said. “Last year, ratepayers saw huge spikes on their electric bills, and that didn’t need to happen to the extent that it did. My bill aims to control costs that are unnecessarily inflated.” The Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) that is currently in place in Maine drives up energy costs by requiring electricity providers to buy renewable energy credits (REC) at much higher rates than those of many other states. Senate President Thibodeau’s bill, LD 1339, does not suspend the RPS. It simply suspends the requirement if the cost of energy becomes too high, adversely affecting the Maine economy. In addition, it would require the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to reject all bids to provide standard offer service if none of the bids come in at less than 10 cents per kilowatt hour. “This is a very reasonable bill that would act as a relief valve for energy costs in Maine. The standard offer rate for Maine’s two major electricity providers is currently 6.5 cents per kilowatt hour. An increase to 10 cents would represent an extraordinary spike and would be a huge hardship to ratepayers. “I am all for renewable power, but at what point do we stop asking Mainers to subsidize the high costs of these power sources?...
by James Cyr | Apr 23, 2015 | Uncategorized
AUGUSTA – The quest to add Maine to the growing list of states calling for a federal balanced budget hit a snag in the Maine Legislature today, as many Senate Democrats indicated they don’t support such a requirement. Senate President Michael Thibodeau (R-Waldo) left the rostrum and spoke from the Senate floor today in support of Senate Paper 499, “Making Application To The Congress Of The United States Calling A Constitutional Convention To Propose An Amendment To The United States Constitution To Require A Balanced Federal Budget And Further Fiscal Restraints.” So far, 27 states have passed resolutions calling for a Constitutional Convention to vote on whether to require the federal government to balance its budget. For a convention to occur, 34 states must pass such resolutions. “This nation is $18 trillion in debt,” Senate President Thibodeau said. “That is debt that is going to be passed on to our children and grandchildren, and that is an outrage. We are literally mortgaging their future, asking future generations to pay for our overspending.” Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason (R-Androscoggin) said it is up to the states to ensure the federal government finally controls its spending. “It is unreasonable for us to think that if we continue to send people down to Washington, that someone is going to go down and fix our problems for us,” he said. Senate President Thibodeau asked that the bill be tabled when it became unclear whether there were enough Democrats to reach the two-thirds threshold necessary for the resolution to pass. “Some fear passing this because of the uncertainty of a Constitutional Convention, “Senator Thibodeau...
by James Cyr | Apr 23, 2015 | Uncategorized
AUGUSTA – Maine Republican lawmakers today presented several proposals to reduce spending within the Maine Legislature’s budget. The Legislative Budget Committee, which is made up of Democrat and Republican lawmakers, oversees the Legislature’s two-year budget. Senate President Michael Thibodeau (R-Waldo), who is the chair of the Committee, today put forth several cost cutting proposals. Among them: Reducing by half the budget of the end of session mailers that go out to Mainers’ homes Not increasing funding to outside groups such as the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and Council of State Governments (CSG) Ending funding for groups that are duplicative, such as the Citizens Trade Policy Commission In all, the Republican cost-cutting initiatives would save Maine taxpayers about $430,000. Democrat leaders offered no cost cutting proposals. “It’s time to put the Legislature’s budget on a treadmill,” Senate President Thibodeau said. “Every time those mailers go out, we hear it from our constituents: ‘Surely this is not the highest priority for the taxpayers of Maine.’ “What we have in mind is a better deal for Maine taxpayers. We invite Democrat leaders to join in the discussion to reduce the cost of state government. They need to be at the table in order for this to happen. “This is a small portion of Maine’s overall budget, but the message is clear: Legislative Republicans are committed to reducing unnecessary spending in state government,” Senate President Thibodeau said. ...
by James Cyr | Apr 13, 2015 | Uncategorized
AUGUSTA – Maine Senate President Michael Thibodeau (R-Waldo) today introduced a bill aimed at increasing transparency in negative campaign ads. The bill, LD 1192, “An Act Regarding Campaign Finance Reform,” had a public hearing before the Maine Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs (VLA) Committee. The legislation, if signed into law, would impose a tax of 25 percent on transfers that amount to more than $25,000 total between PACs . That revenue would be placed into the Maine Clean Election Fund. “The purpose of this bill is to bring more transparency to the negative ads Mainers are subjected to every election cycle,” Senate President Thibodeau said. “Currently, a lot of money is shuffled around and I think this excessive transferring allows PACs, unions, corporations, and other major donors to disguise their activity. “We just emerged from one of the nastiest campaign seasons on record where political candidates were being viciously attacked in campaign ads, in some cases being accused of voting to poison children. “This is despicable behavior and has no place in Maine. We need to bring transparency to those who are behind them, and this bill takes a big step toward that goal.” The bill will be considered by the VLA Committee before going in front of the entire Legislature. ...
by James Cyr | Apr 13, 2015 | Uncategorized
AUGUSTA – Maine Senate President Michael Thibodeau (R-Waldo) today introduced a bill to the Maine Legislature that would make those convicted of drunk driving responsible for emergency response costs associated with accidents they cause. The bill, LD 944, “An Act Regarding Recovery of Emergency Response Costs Related to an OUI Offense,” had a public hearing before the Maine Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee today. The legislation would hold accountable a person who criminally operates a motor vehicle while intoxicated. If the individual causes an accident, under the bill, they would be liable up to $2500 of the emergency response costs incurred. “I understand that accidents happen and that is why we have first responders,” Senate President Thibodeau said. “But drunk driving accidents are entirely avoidable, and that’s why I believe those responsible for causing them should pay for the damage they cause. “The costs associated with cleaning up motor vehicle accidents take a huge toll on municipal budgets, especially those of our small communities.” Many states, including California, Illinois, Michigan, Texas, and Virginia have adopted legislation similar to the bill that Senate President Thibodeau presented today....
