Support LD 1209!

When making important decisions that affect our family’s future, most of us try to look at the pros and the cons and talk about it.

In Maine’s Legislature, such a common-sense approach, called a public hearing, is also used with virtually all bills—except referendum questions. In fact, there’s no requirement that the Legislature hold a public hearing on the bill version of the referendum question at all.

If a bill is favored by the majority party, holding a hearing would expose its weaknesses, so often the Legislature just sends it to the ballot and avoids a public hearing.

LD 1209 would require that all referendum questions have a public hearing in the Legislature.  This would allow state agencies, interested parties and people and organizations that will be affected by the bill to testify both for and against the referendum. Legislators can identify problems in the bill, ask questions of both sides, and determine costs. Having a hearing on past referendums might have provided information about how the law change would work that could have changed the outcome of the referendum.

Too often we hear Legislators tell us that “the people voted and we must respect their wishes,” yet the people were not given all the facts ahead of time—facts that Legislators routinely have when they vote on bills that aren’t referendums. Once again, politicians privilege themselves over the people.

Voters should be presented with all the facts, when making a decision at the ballot box. This is another simple, straightforward, common-sense change to the referendum process that can be implemented without having to amend the Constitution.

This bill was passed and signed into law. However, three senators voted against it: Justin Chennette of York, Ben Chipman of Cumberland, and Dave Miramant of Knox.

An Act To Require Legislative Hearings on Citizen-initiated Legislation

Sponsored by Representative BRADSTREET of Vassalboro. Cosponsored by Senator TIMBERLAKE of Androscoggin and Representatives: ARATA of New Gloucester, CAMPBELL of Orrington, KESCHL of Belgrade, LOCKMAN of Bradley, TUELL of East Machias.