By Rep. Holly Eaton, D-Deer Isle
The Legislature wrapped up its work for the session in mid-June. This year, we enacted more than 600 laws that will address the issues Mainers care about and move our state forward. Many of them officially went into effect on Sept. 24.
I feel it's important to note that the vast majority of these bills actually passed with strong bipartisan support. Many were unanimous. They were the result of hard work in policy committees from Democrats, Republicans and Independents that often happens outside of the spotlight — the product of thoughtful collaboration, respectful discussions and a desire to find common ground that typically goes overlooked.
This session, I had the opportunity to once again serve on the Marine Resources Committee, where I worked on legislation to strengthen our fishing industries, promote marine conservation and protect and invest in our coastal economy. We passed bills that will strengthen Maine’s working waterfronts, support our state’s emerging aquaculture industry and improve safety in commercial fishing, including during search and rescue operations.
I am proud to report that my bill to create a pilot program for the testing of biotoxins in cultured scallops is now law. I also sponsored and passed into law a bill to provide for the sustainable management of marine resources and create a noncommercial northern shrimp license, which the Department of Marine Resources asked me to work on.
I also served on the Transportation Committee, where we focused on ways to improve Maine’s roads, bridges and other infrastructure. Our committee delivered on one of our core responsibilities to Mainers by unanimously approving a two-year Highway Fund budget, which will provide important funding to repair our roads, maintain and replace bridges, and fund snow removal over the winter, among other things. These investments will improve the safety of both local residents and visitors as people travel across our state.
Our committee also spent hours holding public hearings and work sessions on many bills to address problems with the State Ferry Service. I’m pleased that the committee was able to come to agreement on a number of bipartisan proposals, including requiring DOT to get legislative approval before changing the overnight docking practices of state-owned ferries. I heard loud and clear last fall that the proposed changes to overnight docking were unacceptable, and I am proud to report that our committee, as well as the full House and Senate, unanimously approved this bill and it was signed into law by Gov. Janet Mills.
Maine people count on their elected officials to govern responsibly, and that’s exactly what we did this session. Collectively, the bills we passed will make progress to better ensure that we are meeting the needs of all Mainers, but I know there is still so much more work to do to make life better for working families and build an economy that actually works for everyone.
Hearing your thoughts on these and other issues is crucial to inform my work at the State House. As always, please feel free to contact me with your questions and concerns at holly.eaton@legislature.maine.gov or 207-610-9281.
Rep. Holly Eaton is serving her second term in the Maine House. She serves as a member of both the Marine Resources Committee and the Transportation Committee, and represents the communities of Brooklin, Deer Isle, Eagle Island Township, Frenchboro, Southwest Harbor, Stonington, Swan’s Island, Tremont, Isle au Haut and Vinalhaven.