Earlier this month, I traveled back to Augusta for one last day to finally conclude the first legislative session of the 128thLegislature. On this day, we voted on two dozen bills that had been vetoed by the governor and took up all outstanding business. This proved to be another long day in Augusta, but I’m glad to finally be back in the district to enjoy the rest of the summer, attend events and meet with constituents.
 
One of the unfinished bills that we addressed was LD 31, “Resolution, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine to Require That Signatures on Direct Initiative of Legislation Come from Each Congressional District.”
 
This bill, sponsored by Rep. Eleanor Espling, R-New Gloucester, initially received broad bipartisan support and was backed by the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine and the Maine Professional Guides Association.
 
It would have brought a question forward on this November’s ballot to ask Maine voters if they would support amending our state constitution to make our referendum process more fair and equitable for rural Mainers. It would achieve this goal by requiring that a percentage of signatures must be collected in each Congressional District, as it has become glaringly apparent that the vast majority of signatures collected in recent years have come primarily from Portland and the surrounding suburbs. Of the 24 states that have citizen initiated referendums, half have some sort of geographical requirements.
 
Unfortunately, in the end, not enough legislators voted to send this question to the voters this year, so it was held over until next session.
 
We also voted on a bill to support solar power in Maine that was sponsored by my good friend and colleague, Senator Tom Saviello, R-Franklin, LD 1504. As a vocal proponent of the solar industry in Maine, I would like to sincerely thank all of you who took the time to contact your legislators regarding this bill. I heard from a number of constituents in my district supportive of this legislation, and regret that it ultimately succumbed to a veto in the House of Representatives.
 
Also on the docket was a bill that would have strengthened the distracted driving law, which can be difficult to enforce, by prohibiting the use of handheld phones and devices while driving. I supported this legislation, but it also failed to overcome the veto.
 
We were able to override the veto on LD 1170, “An Act to Reduce Youth Access to Tobacco Products.” This new law, sponsored by my colleague Sen. Paul Davis, R-Piscataquis, will hopefully keep highly addictive tobacco products out of our high schools by prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21.
 
A number of other measures also passed, including my bill to improve access to opiate addiction treatment in Maine (LD 952), a bill to support nursing facilities and residential care facilities, a bill to increase the affordability of safe drinking water, a bill to establish a task force to identify special education cost drivers and a bill to set up retail marijuana testing facilities so we can ensure public safety once the new law, passed on last November’s ballot, takes full effect.
 
We may convene once more this fall in a special session to vote on proposals from the Marijuana Legalization Implementation Committee to fully implement the recreational marijuana referendum approved by voters last fall. The second session will reconvene in January to begin the shorter session which is reserved for carryover bills, fiscal bills and emergency legislation.
 
This session has gone down in the books as the longest session in Maine history. It has required a lot of long hours, hard work and compromise, but all in all, I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish.
 
If you would like to contact me about future legislation, please call 287-1505, or email me at David.Woodsome@legislature.maine.gov.
 
— Sen. David Woodsome is currently serving his second term in the Maine State Senate. He represents the people of Senate District 33 which consists of the towns of Cornish, Limerick, Newfield, Parsonsfield, Sanford, Shapleigh and Waterboro.