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Good morning from Augusta,
It is a brand-new legislative session for the 132nd Legislature as the Governor officially called the Legislature back into a special session after signing the $11.3 billion majority budget last Friday. Regardless, it will be business as usual like nothing happened and policy committees will continue to meet and work on the more than 2,000 bills that require action.
Our main priority this past week was to secure all of the target sponsors and co-sponsors for one of our priority bills of this session, the truck sales tax exemption bill. We were successful in getting full bi-partisan support, led by Senator Brad Farin (R-Somerset) and followed by Speaker of the House, Ryan Fecteau and Senate President Mattie Daughtery. LD 1313, An Act to Promote Equity in the Forest Products Industry by Allowing Commercial Wood Haulers to Be Eligible for Certain Sales Tax Exemptions and Refunds, was referenced to the Taxation Committee and is set for a public hearing on April 9, 2025, at 1 pm. The bill would provide a sales tax exemption on log trucks, trailers, semi-trailers, service trucks, and pickups for timber harvesting contractors and haulers. Please, let us know if you would like to testify in support of this bill. Strong support from the membership will bring a significant benefit to a majority of the contractors in the industry.
We also followed two work sessions in the Labor Committee. The first, LD 599, “An Act to Codify the Federal Salary Threshold for Overtime Pay”, was voted ought to pass as amended on party lines, Republicans opposed and Democrats in favor. If put in statute, Maine would be an outlier and out of compliance with the current federal standard of $35,568, setting the overtime salary threshold for a salaried employee at $58,656 per year.
The PLC signed onto a coalition letter in opposition to LD 599. The letter included 29 organizations standing against this legislation. This letter will hopefully provide the Governor some cover and encourage her to veto the bill if it is passed by the legislature.
The second bill, LD 797, An Act to Amend the Laws Regarding Work Search Efforts for Unemployment Benefits and to Eliminate Benefits for Temporary Unemployment, would remove the work search waiver and benefits for workers who are temporarily unemployed with a recall date. This bill was voted unanimously ought not to pass by the committee. The Senate Chair, Senator Tipping (D-Penobscot) cited our testimony as one of the major reasons he opposed the bill.
In addition to the Labor Committee bills, we testified in support of LD 556, An Act to Preserve Heating and Energy Choice by Prohibiting a Municipality from Prohibiting a Particular Energy System or Energy Distributor. This bill would prevent a municipality from regulating what type of heating or energy system a consumer is allowed to use. The PLC testified in support of LD 556, because we believe it is critical to leave heating choice up to the consumer as they know what will best fit their needs, not the government.
Next week, Chuck Ames, PLC President, Andy Irish, PLC Treasurer, Ben Grant and myself will be in Washington, DC along with five other PLC members from Vermont for the annual American Loggers Council Fly-In. We have meetings set up with the Congressional Delegations on Tuesday and Wednesday.
You can also 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.
Hope you have a great weekend,
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 – March 24 – March 28, 2025
Monday, March 24
LD 556, “An Act to Preserve Heating and Energy Choice by Prohibiting a Municipality from Prohibiting a Particular Energy System or Energy Distributor”, (Sen. Matt Harrington (R-York) Public Hearing – State and Local Government Committee (Support)
This bill prohibits municipalities from prohibiting an individual or entity from using a heating or energy system for that individual's or entity's own heating or energy needs, including the heating or energy needs of a motor vehicle, or engaging the services of a person or energy distributor of that individual's or entity's choice unless the prohibition is otherwise authorized by statute. The PLC testified in support of LD 556.
Wednesday, March 26
LD 599, “An Act to Codify the Federal Salary Threshold for Overtime Pay”, (Sen. Mike Tipping (D-Penobscot) Work Session– Labor Committee (Oppose)
This bill codifies the federal paid overtime salary threshold for a salaried employee by adding the salary level of $58,656 per year. The federal standard must be followed in Maine but codifying it ties the state’s hands if the federal threshold changes in the future. There is no need for this legislation.
The PLC signed onto a coalition letter in opposition to LD 599. The letter had more than 25 organizations against this legislation.
This bill was voted along party lines, ought to pass in committee on Wednesday. The Republicans on the Labor Committee voted ought not to pass.
LD 797, “An Act to Amend the Laws Regarding Work Search Efforts for Unemployment Benefits and to Eliminate Benefits for Temporary Unemployment”, Sen. Trey Stewart (R-Aroostook) Work Session – Labor Committee (Oppose)
This bill removes the work search waiver and benefits for workers who are temporarily unemployed with a recall date.
We had asked the sponsor to amend this bill and remove the language regarding work search, since it put this industry in jeopardy and removes a key component of the current law we worked hard to put into effect in 2018. On the day of the hearing, we spoke in opposition to the bill as it was presented without the amendment we had requested from the sponsor. LD 797 is likely to be voted with a majority ought not to pass at the work session, but we needed to make sure our opinion was heard due to the importance of the waiver to contractors in Maine.
This bill was voted unanimously ought not to pass by the Labor Committee. Our testimony was cited by the senate chair as to one of the major reasons for not moving it forward.
Thursday, March 27
LD 402, ”An Act to Move the Natural Areas Program from the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and to Amend the Law Governing Administration of the Bureau of Resource Management Within the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife”, Rep. Jim Dill (D-Old Town) Work Session – ACF Committee (Support)
This bill would move the Maine Natural Areas Program (MNAP), which is currently administered by the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, to the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IFW). The PLC provided testimony in support of LD 402. Our testimony can be found here.
This bill was tabled in committee because landowners do not want the commissioner to adopt rules to regulate plants and natural areas and place them on a database which could include property owner information.
LD 371, “An Act to Expand Hydroelectric Development by Removing the 100-megawatt Cap”, (Sen. Joe Martin (R-Oxford), Work Session – Energy, Utilities, and Technology Committee (Oppose)
This bill provides that sources of electrical generation relying on hydroelectric generators are not subject to a limit of 100 megawatts of power production capacity. The bill also amends the law governing the criteria that must be met for the Department of Environmental Protection to approve a hydropower project. The bill requires the department to make a decision on a complete application for a project within six months of the date the complete application is received. It also clarifies that an approved hydropower project may operate at its full nameplate capacity subject to the requirements of applicable laws and rules. The PLC is opposed to this change because it puts biomass at a disadvantage compared to hydroelectric generation.
The PLC testified in opposition to LD 371. Our testimony can be found here.
This bill was passed unanimously ought to pass as amended by the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee. However, they limited the bill to only power generated within the state. They also removed section 3 & 8 of the bill, which are related to applications, and operational capacity.
LD 638, “An Act to Create Equal Opportunity Access to Clean Energy by Removing the 100-megawatt Limit on Clean Energy Sources,” (Rep. Donnie Ardell (R-Monticello), Work Session – Energy, Utilities, and Technology Committee (Oppose)
This bill removes the 100-megawatt maximum capacity limit for a source of electrical generation to qualify as a renewable resource for purposes of meeting the State's renewable resource portfolio requirement. The PLC opposes this change because it will only serve to benefit hydroelectric generation and will not benefit biomass.
The PLC testified in opposition to LD 638. Our testimony can be found here.
With the passage of LD 371 in the committee, LD 638 was voted unanimously ought not to pass.
Next Week’s Legislative Activity – March 31 – April 4, 2025
Tuesday, April 1
LD 1252, “An Act to Amend the Laws Governing the Maine Agriculture, Food System and Forest Products Infrastructure Investment Advisory Board”, (Rep. Allison Hepler (D-Woolwich), Public Hearing – Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee (Support)
This bill modifies provisions of the law governing the Maine Agriculture, Food System and Forest Products Infrastructure Investment Advisory Board and disbursements from the Maine Agriculture, Food and Forest Products Investment Fund, which the advisory board oversees.
The PLC supported a similar bill last year sponsored by the Speaker of the House Rachel Talbot Ross (now Senator Talbot Ross); however, it was not acted upon before the session ended and died.
Wednesday, April 2nd
LD 588, “An Act to Enact the Agricultural Employees Concerted Activity Protection Act”, (Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Cumberland), Public Hearing – Labor Committee (Oppose)
This bill enacts the Agricultural Employees Concerted Activity Protection Act, which gives agricultural employees of agricultural employers the right to engage in certain concerted activity.
Forestry employees are included in the language, but we have reached out to the sponsor, and we believe it is not her intent to have us included. We have asked her to amend the bill. If the bill is not amended, we will be in opposition.