Presenting local legislation in Augusta - By Rep. Mike mcClellan

The second session of the 126th Maine Legislature is well into action as I write today. I again serve the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee, and the Insurance and Financial Services Committee. Over the summer I served on special committees looking at how Maine funds education and how Maine might handle the full implementation of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). In this current session there are two bills I sponsored being considered, one was carried over from last session. Both bills are based on requests from constituents.

LD 1194 was a bill to protect social media privacy and protected individual rights in the school and workplace. The Judiciary Committee spent much time over both sessions looking at this issue. The bill brought interest from a variety of groups and was covered in other states. The committee struggled with pieces of the bill and ultimately decided to study the concept over the rest of the year with the thought of crafting legislation next session.

LD 1626 seeks to support the awesome work of local citizens and organizations like Lakes Environmental Association as they fight milfoil infestation in Sebago Lake and state wide waterways as well. We found that too much of Maine's efforts were on everything but the pulling of milfoil from the water. This bill has been debated twice and had another work session in the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee February 12. 

Through this process I learned much about what Raymond and other town citizens are accomplishing on their own. I have also learned much about the serious nature of this problem. You can read more about each bill and all others at www.maine.gov. You can contact the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee at http://www.maine.gov/legis/house/jt_com/ifw.htm, if you have any comments about this bill and effort.

Finally, as I have written before, I personally struggle with the system in Augusta. We create a hodgepodge of bills each year, sometimes over 2,000. We split them out to the 17 committees and then bring them before the Maine House and Senate. My experience is that we as your government tend to treat whatever is in front of us as the most important issue. Once resolved, we treat the next issue as the most important issue. Thus you can see how we would struggle when it comes time to decide what is funded and what is not. I have recently had a picture in my head of an old or even rickety building. I find myself challenged on each bill to decide if the bill is a board covering a hole in the roof of that building (Maine) or is it a piece that with strengthen the building's (Maine's) foundation? We have way too many boards being proposed.

Mike McClellan serves Maine House Seat 103 Raymond, Frye Island, parts of Poland and Standish. Call him at 329-6148 and email mmcclel@maine.rr.com.