Governor Baldacci delivered his 7th State of the State address on Tuesday March 10th. Below is a link to the text of his speech if you would like to review it:
http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=Gov+News&id=69160&v=Article-2006
I have been travelling to Augusta now for two month’s and I must say it has been an enlightening experience. We convene session most Tuesdays and Thursday and after the beginning ceremonies ( where ministers from various regions of the state are invited to open in pray, and school bands or local vocalists lead us in the national anthem), we introduce the doctor of the day, honorary pages who are visiting with their elected representatives and special guests in the gallery. Then we get down to “Business” referring bills to committee and offering up special sentiments. I know this sounds odd but it is part and parcel of the operations of the state legislature. A bit of background from those of you scratching your heads and wondering what the heck are they doing??? The process of the Legislature is similar to a long train leaving the station, the engine is pick up steam before the caboose starts to move. We typically have had a date (cloture day) by which members need to file the intent of bills (at least the title) they are working on, these are reviewed by the Legislative Council comprised of the leadership of both parties in the House and Senate (Speaker, President, Minority and Majority Leaders and their Assistant Leaders, a total of ten individuals). This council reviews proposed bills and determines if they can be paired with similar measures, then they try to coordinate the flow of proposed legislation and set a schedule for moving these items through the committee structure. In an effort to try and reduce the number of bills usually submitted, the cloture day was extended from December 23rd 2008 to January 23rd 2009. The goal was somewhat successful as it appears we have about 20% less bills this session. These measures then go to the Office of the Revisor where they are reviewed, refined and compared to current statue to make sure there is not a law currently on the books similar to or conflicted with the proposed legislation. Now the proposals have to be “loaded on the right train” meaning they must come before the House and Senate and be referred to committees for public hearings and work sessions. This is where the public can have their say and members of the committees of jurisdiction will work with proponents and opponents to craft a suitable proposal to present to the full Legislature for a vote.
As the date for cloture was moved back so too has the flow of bills ready for consideration, the result has slowed down the committee process and meant we spend more time driving to and from Augusta then we do in session. It has been somewhat frustrating for those of us who are busy but we have learned to be patient, the Legislature runs on its own special time.
With over 2,000 bills you can see the benefit of this process, as you have a full plate just researching issues before your committee and bills you are sponsoring, it is near impossible to read every bill that will come up for a vote let alone all proposals submitted for consideration. You come to rely on the process to do its work and bring forward a reasonable and well researched product. If a committee unanimously supports a proposal it gives you some assurance that the process has run its course and likewise a unanimous report of ought not to pass tells you this issue may not yet be ready for consideration.
In fairness the clerks and staff have use some of this time to provide more training for new members, we have had various groups hosting events to bring us more information on issue that will come before the Legislature so there has been productive opportunities.
During these challenging economic times we are dealing with the need to reduce spending to accommodate reduced revenues. The Appropriations Committee has been going full tilt and we can be thankful for some of the veteran members like Senators Bill Diamond and Richard Rosen and Representatives Sawin Millett, John Martin, Bob Nutting and Peggy Rotundo, they understand the process and how to ask the right questions. I will continue to outline aspects of the supplemental budget in a future posting.
During the week of January 5th the 124th Legislature began its session. As the Republican Ranking Member of the Labor Committee I attended training on Monday provided for Committee Chairs as Leads. We received presentations on many issues that go into properly holding public hearings and work session. We then met for a brief time with our committee clerk and policy analyst to discuss meeting procedures and review initial bills. The Labor Committee appears to have a light load at this time with less than 25 bills presently submitted. Cloture date is January 12th which is the date for all regular bill requests to be submitted for this session. The Joint Committee on Labor is comprised of thirteen members. They are listed below:
Senate: Troy Dale Jackson, Chair (D-Aroostook)
Stan Gerzofsky (D-Cumberland)
Peter Mills (R-Somerset)
House: John L. Tuttle, Jr., Chair (D-Sanford)
Herbert E. Clark (D-Millinocket)
Timothy E. Driscoll (D-Westbrook)
Anna D. Blodgett (D-Augusta)
Steven J. Butterfield II (D-Bangor)
Paul E. Gilbert (D-Jay)
Andre E. Cushing III (R-Hampden)*
James Michael Hamper (R-Oxford)
Michael D. Thibodeau (R-Winterport)
Bruce A. Bickford (R-Auburn)
We will be responsible for hearing bills that deal with the Department of Labor; wage and hour laws; working conditions, including health and safety; workforce development; unemployment compensation; workers’ compensation; labor relations; collective bargaining; retirement eligibility and benefits for state and municipal employees, including teachers; judicial and legislative retirement systems; Workers’ Compensation Board; and Maine State Retirement System.
We currently are scheduling our meetings for Monday and Wednesday afternoons.
Due to the significant budgetary issues facing the state the Appropriations Committee began holding hearings on Monday. Their goal is to review the Governors proposals to reduce spending in this year’s budget by $150 million. Following hearings there will be work sessions the week of the 12th with a goal of completing deliberations by the end of January. This is an agressive schedule especially with a new Legislature being seated on the 7th of the month. However we are facing serious times and we must deal with this shortfall as we then face the Governor’s proposed budget for 2009-2001(Maine’s fiscal year begins on July 1st and ends the following year on June 30th. The Legislature votes on a tow year or biennial budget) which will address an $860 million projected reduction to meet the expected lower revenues in the coming biennium.
Tuesday morning, along with many members of the Labor Committee, I attended Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman’s presentation to the Appropriation Committee.
On Wednesday We officially opened the 124th Legislature, there was the regular opening ceremonies then we quickly handled routine business, as there was not much to address since committee have generally not met. After adjourning many of us boarded buses to embark on the Policy Leaders Academy Northern Tour.
On December 3rd we, the members of the 124th Legislature were officially sworn in. The oath ofwas administered by Gov. Baldacci f which we elected leadership for the next two years and in the course of this we made some history. Sen Elizabeth Mitchell was selected as President of the Maine Senate making her the first woman in the nation to serve as both Speaker of the House and President of the Senate Rep. Hannah Pingree became the second woman to serve as Speaker and Janet Mills was elected as the first female Attorney General to serve the State of Maine.
Secretary of State Matt Dunlap, State Treasurer David Lemoine and State Auditor Neiria Douglass were all re-elected. It should be noted that Maine is the only state to elect all constitutional officers by vote of the Legislature.
Following lunch in the hall of flags we were invited to a reception at the Blaine House hosted by Governor Baldacci and the First Lady, Karen Baldacci. My mother, father and sister had come to the ceremony along with my wife Gwen.
It was a special day for those of us who are elected to serve and it was a treat to have family and friends there to share it with us. The day was a good time to get to know our fellow members and to reflect on the special privilege that we have all been granted to serve our friends and neighbors.This was a nice respite before we go to work on some important issues facing our state.
New members of the 124th Legislature came together for their first meeting on November 12th for an orientation. We did many housekeeping details, filling out forms, getting pictures for our security badges, meeting with staff members of the legislature and learning important things such as… where the bathrooms and cafeteria are located.
We also began to learn about the operation of the Legislature and the many non-partisan and dedicated people who will assist us in making the process work.
There are the offices of:
Policy & Legal Analysis - which reviews proposed bills to assure that they don’t conflict with current statutes, the staff also prepares reports for the legislature and compiles the results of studies commissioned by state government.
Fiscal & Program Review - which reviews all fiscal questions that may come before the legislature prepares budget and revenue summaries and other reports that may be of value in the discussion of legislative matters.
Office of the Revisor- this office is charged helping craft the proper language for proposed legislation and withreview of all proposed bills to assure they do not conflict with present statutes.
For more details on these entities, their staffs and how they serve the Legislature cand be accessed at www.legislature.maine.gov
The new incoming members were back in Augusta on December 1st for additional orientation, this morning we convened in the House chambers and received training on the protocol of the House asnd its operations.
We had a presentation by Gene Ross, Director of Communications for the National Conference of State Legislatures on services provided by their organization and a primer on effective means of communicating with constiuients.
Later in the day we were briefed on fiscal & policy conditions in the state and then we held a mock session. Things can move quickly when we are in session, so there are procedures which can be very effective in maintaining order and allowing the business to flow, understanding the procedures and when and how to address the Speaker is important.
The following day, December 2nd was mandatory for all members of the incoming Legislature to attend during this day we were provided training on legislative ethics and right to know laws. Tuesday evening we attended a reception and banquet where outgoing members of the Legislative Council were honored for their service.
It was a very full two days and provided a glimpse of what the coming months will bring.
Greetings to all,
As your Representative-elect I want to offer those of you who are in the communities of District 39, as well as my friends, and supporters, a look at the process in educating and inducting a new member of the Legislature.
In the coming months I will continue to post information to this site of my experiences in the Legislature and will strive to use this medium to further inform you of actions in which we are engaged in the governing of our state.
As always I will need the in put and advice of many of you as I am faced with the myriad of issues that come before the Legislature.
I would invite you to send me your email address so I can keep you apprised of legislature matters that may affect you, your community and our state.
I want to express my gratitude to the many voters in Dixmont, Hampden and Newburgh who placed their faith in me on November 4th. I am honored to have been selected to represent the citizens of these three communities and will work hard to earn that trust. I pledge to listen to my constituents, study the issues that come before me and try to always put the interests of the citizens first regardless of my personal or political feelings.
Maine will face challenging times in the next few years and we must be diligent and careful in how we govern.
I welcome your comments and input. The most effective way to reach me is by email at andre@andrecushing.com or by telephone at 449-1358.