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Good morning from Augusta,
The legislature had this week off to coincide with the school vacation break, allowing the legislators time to spend with family. However, policy committees have barely scratched the surface with the work they have ahead of them, so this “break” certainly doesn’t help on the other end. With over 2000 bill submissions, they will need to make quick work to meet the statutory adjournment date of June 18, 2025. Would anyone like to take bets on whether they can meet this deadline?
Next week, LD 417, An Act Regarding the Confidentiality of Certain Records Belonging to the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Related to the Bureau of Forestry, will have a public hearing on Thursday, February 27th at 1pm. This bill is one of our top four priorities this session.
LD 417 would ensure records acquired by the Maine Forest Service during an investigation or from service to the public will remain confidential. A public service in this instance would include specific trainings that you or your employees attend that are provided by the Department of ACF or by affiliated organizations. We have seen many instances over the past 10 years where contractor and contractor employee information has been shared without the knowledge of the contractor. We feel the bill will provide parity for loggers, so you have the same rights as other members of the supply chain already in law.
If any members would like to testify in support of this legislation as a result of prior treatment, please do not hesitate to contact me.
In other thoughts, the legislature has cleared all committee schedules for Tuesday, the 25th and will be in session at 10am to deliberate the Governor’s Supplemental Budget. It will be another marathon day for them if there is no agreement amongst the parties ahead of the session. A 2/3rd’s majority vote is necessary for the Supplemental Budget to go into effect immediately. The Supplemental Budget would fix the almost $120 million revenue shortfall in the 2024 – 2025 Biennial Budget that was passed by the 131st Legislature in 2024.
For those of you who haven’t already, please remember to RSVP for the Legislative Breakfast and PLC Board/Member Meeting on Thursday, March 6 beginning at 7:00 AM.
- All members are invited to enjoy breakfast and engage in important policy discussions for the 2025 Maine legislative session, free of charge.
- Following the breakfast, we will hold a PLC Board/Membership Meeting, and luncheon. All members are encouraged to attend.
Details:
- Date & Time: Thursday, March 6 at 7:00 am
- Location: The Governor Hill Mansion 136 State St Augusta, ME
- RSVP by February 21
Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with your questions or concerns. You can follow along this session with our most recent bill tracker that can be found here. If there are issues affecting your businesses, big or small, we want to hear about them.
Best Regards,
Dana
If you are interested in testifying on any piece of legislation no matter the subject, please reach out to Ben Grant and he would be happy to assist you. He can be reached on his cell at 207-598-6223 or his email at ben@plcloggers.org. Senators and Representatives like to hear from the people in their districts as it helps provide knowledge to shape policy decisions.
Last Week’s Legislative Activity – February 17th – February 21st
**Legislature on break for school vacation week**
Next Week’s Legislative Activity – February 24th – February 28th
Thursday, February 27th
LD 417, “An Act Regarding the Confidentiality of Certain Records Belonging to the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Related to the Bureau of Forestry”, (Rep. Jennifer Poirier (R-Skowhegan)) Public Hearing at 1pm, – Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee. (Support)
This bill ensures that records acquired by the Maine Forest Service during an investigation or from service to the public will remain confidential. A public service in this instance would include specific trainings that you or your employees attend that are provided by the Department of ACF or by affiliated organizations. We have seen many instances over the past 10 years where contractor and contractor employee information has been shared without the knowledge of the contractor. We feel the bill will provide parity for loggers so you have the same rights as other members of the supply chain already in law.
LD 232, “An Act to Impose a Vehicle Weight Limit on Route 46 in the Town of Eddington”, (Rep. Dick Campbell (R-Orrington)) Public Hearing at 9am, Transportation Committee. (Oppose)
This bill prohibits a motor vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of more than 33,000 pounds from operating on Route 46 in the Town of Eddington beginning January 1, 2026.
LD 192, “An Act to Exempt from State Sales Tax Utility Vehicles Purchased for Use in Commercial Fishing, Agricultural Production, Aquacultural Production and Wood Harvesting”, (Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor)) Work Session at 9am, Taxation Committee. (Support)
This bill provides that utility vehicles, as defined in the bill, are eligible for the refund of sales tax on depreciable machinery and equipment used in commercial agricultural production, commercial fishing, commercial aquacultural production and commercial wood harvesting.
The PLC testified in support of this bill. Rep. Faulkingham introduced this bill to the legislature last session and it passed the House and Senate, but ended up not being funded by the Appropriations Committee.