While the Legislature has officially adjourned for the year, we were not able to complete all of our work and have left a number of important bills unresolved.
If you’re feeling as frustrated about the situation in Augusta as I am, I want you to know that we tried to stay and finish our work. The Senate twice unanimously voted to extend session on April 18, as did every House Democratic and Independent member. Two House Republicans joined us, but that was not enough to get the two-thirds required in the House to remain in session to finish our work.
On May 2, we came back to Augusta for “Veto Day,” where we were able to successfully override the Governor’s objection to 11 good, bipartisan bills. We again took a vote to extend session. The vote failed in the House 82-66, with every Democratic and Independent member voting to finish our work, as well as the two House Republicans from before. The rest of the House Republican caucus voted to go home and leave the fate of important bills up in the air.
While we were unable to pass an extension, enough House Republicans joined us and the entire Senate to keep “alive” the bills that had not received their final votes. There are just over 200 bills left to consider, and many of them sit on the Appropriations Table waiting to be combined into a single spending package.
One of those bills is the topic of my last column, a pilot project to address the transportation needs of Maine’s veterans. Veterans groups and advocates, the Department of Transportation, and our committee did a lot of good work on this bill, and now all that time and effort is on the brink of being wasted.
There is also tax conformity, transportation spending, and funding for school-based health centers to vote on, to name a few. These issues are vital to Mainers from all corners of our state, and the Legislature should come back in to vote on them. If we do not come back, these bills automatically die.
I am disappointed we were not able to pass a routine five-day extension. The only way we can take up the important matters mentioned above now is by way of a special session. To call a special session requires a majority of each caucus to agree, which means a majority of Senate Republicans, Senate Democrats, House Republicans, House Democrats and the one House Green Independent. Governor LePage could also call us back, but he has stated several times that he has no plans to do so.
Convening a special session instead of extending the regular session comes with drawbacks. A special session will cost taxpayers at least $18,000 more each day we are in Augusta, and there is also no time limit on a special session, which is why I would have preferred to extend for five days.
I stand ready to work and finish what you sent me to Augusta to do, and while this was a frustrating end to the legislative session, I do look forward to sharing with you over the summer some of the good work we were able to accomplish in Augusta. I hope you and your family have been able to get outdoors and enjoy this beautiful spring weather. As always, please feel free to contact me with your questions and concerns.
Rep. Andrew McLean, D-Gorham, is serving his third term in the Maine House. He is House chair of the Transportation Committee and represents parts of both Gorham and Scarborough.
(207) 939-8482 | (800) 423-2900 | andrew.mclean@legislature.maine.gov