AUGUSTA — A lack of details in a bill to make fireworks legal in Maine has prompted a legislative panel to delay voting on the measure.
Members of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, citing concerns about public safety and added costs, decided to form a working group to refine the proposal by state Rep. Douglas Damon, R-Bangor.
Representatives of the LePage administration said they support a scaled-back version of the fireworks legislation.
“What I see is an incremental change to the law, not a full-scale change … where residents and people of Maine might be able to more enjoy the use of fireworks to celebrate, but at the same time not violating any of the safety standards that are so critical to maintaining safety within the state,” said Public Safety Commissioner John Morris. “Somewhere in there, there is an opportunity to meet both those needs.”
State Fire Marshal John Dean, who was not allowed by LePage’s office to participate in the recent public hearing on the bill because of his past opposition to similar proposals, did get to speak during Monday’s work session.
“There’s no way I could say that legalizing fireworks is going to make people safer or enhance public safety, and my position is very clear,” said Dean, who noted that he has about 40 years of public safety experience. “But if you move forward with this and the governor’s office agrees with it, I will be here and my staff will be here to make it as safe as possible.”
Several legislators on the committee said they are concerned about costs related to regulating fireworks and coping with an increased number of fires that fireworks could cause.
“If people aren’t using the fireworks in a proper way, I feel that they should be held liable for it,” said Rep. Ricky Long, R-Sherman, a fire chief. “In the fire service, if somebody lights a fire illegally and it gets away from them, they are required to pay 100 percent of the restitution for the property as well as the professional costs. I feel that something along these lines should be put into this.”
Rep. Gary Plummer, R-Windham, the House chair of the committee, suggested that a working group composed of Damon and representatives of the Department of Public Safety, the Fire Marshal’s Office and the fireworks industry report back to the committee with recommendations.
The revised measure would be brought back before the committee for consideration later in the session.
MaineToday Media State House Writer Rebekah Metzler can be contacted at 620-7016 or at: rmetzler@mainetoday.com
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