Maine’s Legislative Council met on Thursday to determine which proposed pieces of legislation will be considered as bills during the upcoming second session of the 132nd Legislature.
[RELATED: Maine Democrats Vote Down Proposed Bill to Ban AI Child Porn…]
The council, composed of six Democrats and four Republicans, voted on 258 proposals and ultimately decided to accept 82 for consideration in the upcoming legislative session.
Because the proposals are not yet full bills, the Legislative Council votes without debating the proposals, and the meeting concluded in just under two hours.
Accepted Proposals
In a potential blow to immigration enforcement, the council passed a proposal from Sen. Jill Duson (D-Cumberland) in a 6-4 party-line vote.
Sen. Duson’s proposal would allow a person detained on a federal immigration offense to appear in state court and argue that they were wrongfully detained. The state court could then order the release of the person from federal custody and even award the detainee punitive damages for wrongful detention.
Democrats on the council unanimously supported a proposal from Rep. Eleanor Sato (D-Gorham) to prevent educational or healthcare facilities from cooperating with federal law enforcement, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The council voted 6-4 along party lines to accept a proposal from Rep. Wayne Farrin (D-Jefferson) that would require taxpayers to contribute $15,000 toward home down payments for low- and middle-income families.
In a 6-4 party-line vote, Democrats passed a proposal from Rep. Bill Pluecker (I-Warren) that is apparently aimed at combating the federal government’s recent changes placing work requirements on taxpayer-funded food assistance and restricting assistance to legal residents.
The council passed a proposal from Sen. Henry Ingwersen (D-York) to fund the construction of a psychiatric hospital for “at-risk youth” in a 6-4 party-line vote.
The Council passed a proposal from Rep. Lori Gramlich (D-Old Orchard Beach) in a 6-4 party-line vote that would restrict the use of AI chatbots in the provision of mental health care.
In a seeming attempt to reverse some harm done by the new law signed in July banning the sale of tobacco in pharmacies, beginning next year, the council voted 9-1 in favor of Sen. Chip Curry’s (D-Waldo) proposal to allow some small independent grocers to continue selling tobacco even if they lease space to a pharmacy.
Rep. Sean Faircloth’s (D-Bangor) proposal requires the addresses of all elected officials, judicial officials, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers to be redacted from public records before they can be released. Sen. Matt Harrington (R-York) joined the six Democrats in supporting the proposal in a 7-3 vote.
Denied Proposals
One Legislative Council decision already made headlines after five Democrats voted to kill a proposal to ban AI-generated child pornography.
The council unanimously opposed a proposal to ban the sale of cell-cultured meat, more commonly known as “lab-grown” meat, from Rep. Tracy Quint (R-Hodgdon).
The council’s six Democrats unanimously voted down a proposal from Sen. Trey Stewart (R-Aroostook) that would have barred people in the state illegally on an expired tourist visa from driving in Maine. The proposal came after illegal immigrants from Angola killed pedestrians over the summer while driving on Maine licenses despite having expired visas.
The council unanimously rejected a proposal from Rep. Grayson Lookner (D-Portland) to bar law enforcement officials from wearing face masks while engaging in law enforcement activities.
Democrats killed a proposal 6-4 from Rep. David Woodsome (R-Waterboro) that would have increased transparency by requiring school budget vote ballots to include the total funding for the school district.
Thanks to the Democrats on the council, the legislature will not be considering a proposal from Sen. James Libby (R-Cumberland) to authorize nuclear power generation in the state even as Maine faces mounting electricity costs.
Despite support from the council’s four Republicans, Democrats killed a proposal from Rep. Quint to stop the use of food stamps and EBT cards for the purchase of junk food.
Rep. Rafel Macias’ (D-Topsham) proposal to mandate state agencies to increase awareness of and accountability for “long COVID” failed spectacularly and received a unanimous rejection from both parties.
Legislators will have a chance to appeal the rejection of their proposals. Appeals must be filed no later than November 5, and the legislators will have an opportunity to provide the council with a more detailed explanation of their proposals before the Legislative Council votes on them.
Read a full list of proposals with voting results here:
Read more details on each proposal here:
