AUGUSTA - The Maine Legislature's Joint Standing Committee on State and Local Government unanimously passed an amended version of LD 1073, sponsored by Sen. Stewart, R-Presque Isle, and co-sponsored by Rep. Kyle Bailey, D-Gorham, on Wednesday.
The resolve, which includes amended language from LD 1670, sponsored by Bailey, establishes a commission to research strategies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Maine Legislature - research that includes a review of the Legislature's pay structure, committee structure, term limits, bill submission processes, budget processes and the Legislative Council's responsibilities. The commission is tasked with reporting recommendations to the Joint Standing Committee on State and Local Government in early 2022.
"Every year that I've been in the legislature, we've wrestled with at least a few of these ideas, and each year, we determine that nothing should be changed out of fear of one party taking advantage of the other, or the political ramifications that one or any of these changes might have," said Stewart. "To be sure, these concerns are getting in the way of us having a real dialogue and thoughtful discussion of these matters and how we operate as a body. From time to time, it's important for any organization to take a step back, press the pause button and do an analysis of what aspects of the organization are working well and think about ways to improve."
"The purpose of this measure is to evaluate what is working, what isn't working and what we could do better moving forward," said Bailey. "LD 1073 gives us an opportunity to ask questions and search for better models. At the end of the day, we all want what is best for Maine, and this measure can be part of generating better outcomes. Maybe it's time for us to look at our processes and modernize them."
LD 1073 faces further votes in the House and Senate in the coming weeks.
Bailey is serving his first term in the Maine House of Representatives and represents part of Gorham and part of Scarborough. He serves on the Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business Committee.
Stewart is serving his first term in the Maine Senate after representing part of Presque Isle for two terms in the Maine House of Representatives including as Assistant Minority Leader. He serves as the Ranking Republican on the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee and the Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee.
Contact:
Jackie Merrill [Bailey], c. 812-1111
Tom Desjardin [Stewart], c. 416-2230