Good Morning from Augusta.
Well, wonders never cease in the world of politics. When you think that people truly understand the issues that loggers are up against, something comes out of right field that turns reality into fallacy. Welcome to politics is all I can say and thankfully our office is just across the street from the state capitol to keep a close eye on things.
On Wednesday of this past week, February 15th, both of the PLC’s priority bills for the session, LD 180, An Act to Allow a Person to File a Paper Copy of a Timber Harvest Notification and LD 108, An Act to Establish a Logger Relations Advocate Within the Maine Forest Service were up for work session in the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (ACF) Committee. The PLC asked both bill sponsors to support these bills on our behalf.
While it would be great to see both bills advance to the floor of the House and Senate, the odds of that were fairly slim. However, we did feel that we had made a strong enough case that at least one of the bills, likely LD 180, would advance.
Well, never count your chickens before they hatch.
If you are bored this weekend, tune into a recording of the work session here and you will get a full dose of how things went down (fast forward to 9:18 am):
https://legislature.maine.gov/audio/#214?event=87437&startDate=2023-02-15T09:00:00-05:00
Long story short, without warning from the sponsors or anyone on the ACF Committee, the Committee unanimously rejected both of our bills. As I said earlier, I’m not surprised that LD 108 would ultimately be rejected this year, but LD 180 should have been a slam dunk considering how simple it is in concept and the fact that loggers attended and spoke at the hearing. After all, what’s the big deal to provide a paper copy of the FONS for anyone that wants it, in addition to the option of using the online system?
Well, as I found out from Senator Russell Black, the bill sponsor and an ACF Committee member, after the work session, it seems that the Maine Forest Service, Maine Woodland Owners and the Maine Forest Products Council teamed together to lead the committee down a different path.
Evidentially, the truth was twisted behind our backs and the three groups told the Committee between the hearing and the work session that a paper copy already exists for landowners and that the real intent of the bill was to give loggers permission to sign off on FONS on behalf of the landowner, similar to what licensed foresters have permission to do now.
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
First, why is it that the landowner is the only one who can access a paper copy? Where has this been stated and why isn’t it on the MFS website? Shouldn’t it be available all taxpayers?
Also, who provided an alternate reality that the PLC was advocating to have loggers sign off on the FONS on behalf of a landowner? As I told the sponsor, first, that this is not what the bill says and second, if you read our testimony, it’s very clear that was not our intent. We simply want to have a paper option that is available for everyone to access.
When Senator Black realized that he had been duped, he asked the Committee Chair to hold the bill and it will be brought back for reconsideration at a work session in the future.
As I’ve said on many occasions, you can’t make this stuff up.
PLC Legislative Breakfast 2023
The Legislature will not meet formally next week because of the annual school vacation week. The week they come back to town, Feb. 27th, is the week of PLC’s annual Legislative Breakfast. Considering what just happened in the ACF Committee, this event is more important than it has ever been.
The Board of Directors would like to extend an invitation for you to attend our 2023 Legislative Breakfast on Thursday, March 2 from 7:00 – 8:30 am at the Governor Hill Mansion in Augusta. This meet and greet opportunity is a great way to sit down and build a relationship with your state representative who could impact your business with the decisions that they make in Augusta. Please RSVP by clicking here, call 688-8195 or email office@maineloggers.com
Other Activity
Next week, February 20-24, 2023, the Legislature will not meet because of the traditional school vacation week. There will also be no Committee action, other than in the Transportation Committee. This is only happening because they have had a delayed start to the session and are behind on public hearings.
763 of the expected 2,000 bills have now progressed on the path to legislation, transitioning from an LR# (Legislative Reference - bill request) to an LD# (Legislative Document - bill reviewed and approved by the Revisor's Office) and have been referred to committees of jurisdiction by both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
I have updated our bill tracking spreadsheet so you can see the bills and the related language.
Legislative Activity February 20 – February 24, 2023
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
Public Hearing, Transportation Committee, 10 am, LD 318, Resolve, to Designate the Route 170 Bridge Located in Webster Plantation the Gary “Swampy” Worster Memorial Bridge. This bill will rename a bridge in memory of Gary “Swampy” Worster, the late husband of Hollie Raymond Worster. Hollie is the daughter of PLC Member, Terry Raymond, T Raymond Logging, Lee, Maine. The 2022 Log A Load for Kids Golf Tournament in Lincoln was played in honor of Gary “Swampy” Worster. The PLC will testify in support of this bill.
Contact Your Representative or Senator
Don’t know who your Representative or Senator is? A complete roster, sortable by town, is available here: House Members Senators
In your message, clearly state the bill(s) you support and why each one is important to Loggers in Maine.
Introduce yourself and/or company.
- Identify the town you live in or where your business is located. If you work in multiple towns, please identify those towns (we need to show that harvesting occurs across the state);
- # employees (gross pay roll figure would be good);
- # of subcontractors your business supports (e.g. how much you spend for repairs, fuel, how many logging crews you keep busy, etc.),
- Volume of wood you move annually;
Conclude your message by thanking the Representatives for their service to the state and asking them to support these bills.
Have a great weekend and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Best,
Dana