The first regular session of the 126th Maine Legislature has come to a close and with that close, Maine is on the move with the successful implementation of the payback of our hospital debt, protection of Second Amendment rights and a focus on energy reform for Maine.
These are just a few of the big topics that have been enacted by the 126th. Amongst the tit-for-tat rhetoric that seemed to hit the media at all levels of government, the work that was accomplished in Augusta this year was real and will have a great effect on the people of Maine.
We even returned for a “veto” day to vote on more than 80 bills that were vetoed by Gov. Paul LePage. The media has had a field day with the record number of vetoes by Gov. LePage and how most of them were sustained. Truth be told, the governor did not look at who submitted the legislation, or which party the sponsor belonged to. His veto pen primarily looked at whether the people of Maine could afford the cost of implementation. Many bills were “good,” but we simply did not have the money to fund them all. As we worked through the bills, we had to keep in mind the biennial state budget.
Going through the budget process for the state was very enlightening. The budget to run our state is $6.3 billion for the biennium and that is with the $300 million reduction in the Department of Health and Human Services budget, as well as a $40 million reduction in state government spending. During the floor debate, many significant amendments reducing the budget were debated, but all were indefinitely postponed, which means they were killed.
The governor vetoed the budget that was submitted to the Legislature by the unanimous vote of the Appro-priations Committee. As a freshman legislator, I researched the budget, the impact of the veto and then I voted to override the veto. The reinstatement of 65 percent of the municipal revenue sharing and the addition of money to help cover the cost of public education was first and foremost on my mind. Raising the sales tax by half a penny for the next two years to help our state and communities try and stay afloat during the slow economic recovery was not an easy vote to cast, but when you look at the entirety of the budget, something had to be done to help our communities. The difficulty of the increase in the current sales tax is that the money heads to the sales tax abyss that is used to run all the programs of state government; it would be a better concept to allow for our communities to have the option to keep that revenue, hence my bill, LD 427.
Locally, I am very proud of my work on LD 427, “An Act to Allow for Revenue Enhancement.” My bill, which would have helped lower the property tax burden through a local option sales tax, passed in the House of Representatives 101-48. It achieved bipartisan support, and for the first time in the history of Maine, this concept passed in the House. The general gist of this local option sales tax bill allowed for a vote on the tax by the people of each community for implementation and the money raised would stay in every community that chose to vote in favor of this optional tax.
My work proved itself with this win on the House floor on the very last day of the session, and even though it was then systematically voted down in the Maine Senate 31-4, I will not stop trying to help lower the property tax burden, which is the most regressive tax that government levies on its citizens.
Even with the ending of the first part of the legislative session, I am still working hard for my district and am available every day to help my constituents. If you have an idea for new legislation or think a current law needs reform, please feel free to contact me and we can work on it together.
— Rep. Sharri MacDonald represents House Distrsict 132, Old Orchard Beach. Her column appears the fourth Monday of each month. Contact her at smacdonald@maine.rr.com.
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