Advocacy

The Chamber’s Advocacy Committee meets on your behalf to survey the current legislative landscape and the great number of bills being considered that could have significant impact on your business. Understanding that the KV Chamber represents a diversity of views on any given policy issue, it is the mission of the Advocacy Committee to keep you informed of proposed legislation and aware of the opportunities for members to participate in the legislative process. It is also our aim to respectfully advocate for those positions in which the Chamber community is in substantial agreement.

It is imperative that the business community be engaged in the process so that the legislative decisions that are ultimately made are ones that are informed by our testimony and experience and cognizant of their real impacts to our businesses and our employees.

We encourage you to stay tuned to these updates, reach out to us with any questions, and respectfully engage with your government. Our strongest position in today’s reality, together as a Chamber and also as individuals representing our businesses, is to be a clear, thoughtful, and respectful voice in our public debates, relying on the strength of facts and real world experience, and recognizing the good intentions around the table which motivate the majority of those involved in the legislative process.

If you wish to participate in the Legislative process, you can track bills of interest by utilizing the following step-by-step instructions.

Bills We Are Monitoring

LD 42 - "An Act Making Certain Supplemental Appropriations and Allocations and Changing Certain Provisions of the Law Necessary to the Proper Operations of State Government" (Emergency) Sponsored by Representative Teresa Pierce

LD 46 - "An Act To Further Protect Consumers from Surprise Medical Bills" (Emergency) Sponsored by Representative Denise Tepler

LD 61 - "An Act To Include Grandparents under Maine's Family Medical Leave Laws" (Emergency) Sponsored by Representative Paul Stearns

LD 80 - "An Act To Provide Critical Communications for Family Farms, Businesses and Residences by Strategic Public Investment in High-speed Internet and Broadband Infrastructure" (Emergency) Sponsored by Representative David McCrea

LD 87 - "An Act To Implement the State Climate Action Plan, Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Enhance Maine's Economy" Sponsored by Representative Ralph Tucker

LD 105 - "An Act To Adopt the Department of Economic and Community Development's 10-year Economic Development Strategy for Maine" Sponsored by Representative Kyle Bailey

LD 110 - "An Act To Clarify Prepayment Requirements in Home Construction Contracts" Sponsored by Representative Joyce McCreight

LD 122 - "An Act To Protect Home Ownership" Sponsored by Senator Heather Sanborn

LD 126 - "An Act To Allow a Journeyman Electrician To Supervise Three Helper Electricians" Sponsored by Senator Matthew Pouliot

LD 137 - "An Act Regarding Absence from Work for Emergency Response" Sponsored by Representative Nicole Grohoski

LD 140 - "An Act To Assist Certain Businesses in the State That Sell Prepared Food or Alcohol" Sponsored by Representative Kathleen Dillingham

LD 155 - "Resolve, Directing the Board of Pesticides Control To Prohibit the Use of Certain Neonicotinoids for Outdoor Residential Use" Sponsored by Representative Nicole Grohoski

LD 163 - "An Act To Revise Maine's Environmental Laws" Sponsored by Representative Ralph Tucker

LD 180 - "An Act To Amend the Storage Requirements for Consumer Fireworks" Sponsored by Representative Michael Perkins

LD 182 - "An Act To Expand the Definition of "Essential Worker" To Include Retail and Food Service Workers" Sponsored by Representative Sean Paulhus

LD 188 - "An Act Regarding the Transportation of Products in the Forest Products Industry" Sponsored by President Troy Jackson

LD 206 - "Resolve, Regarding Legislative Review of Portions of Chapter 234: Lead Testing in School Drinking Water Rule, a Major Substantive Rule of the Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention" (Emergency)

LD 225 - "An Act Regarding the Treatment of Vacation Time upon the Cessation of Employment" Sponsored by Representative Amy Roeder

LD 227 - "Resolve, To Conduct a Feasibility Study for Extending Passenger Rail Service from Brunswick through Augusta and Waterville to Bangor" Sponsored by Senator Joseph Baldacci

LD 239 - "An Act To Improve the Transparency of Real Estate Appraisals" Sponsored by Representative Allison Hepler

LD 241 - "An Act To Support the Trades through a Tax Credit for Apprenticeship Programs" Sponsored by Senator Glenn Curry

LD 246 - "An Act Regarding the Tourism Marketing Promotion Fund" Sponsored by Senator Stacey Guerin

LD 249 -"An Act To Eliminate the Current Net Energy Billing Policy in Maine" Sponsored by Senator Harold Stewart

LD 296 - "An Act To Provide a Tax Credit for Family Caregivers" Sponsored by Representative Kristen Cloutier

LD 298 - "An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue To Fund Capital Improvements and Equipment for Career and Technical Education Centers and Regions To Prepare Students To Join Maine's Workforce" Sponsored by Speaker Ryan Fecteau

LD 306 - "An Act To Temporarily Waive Certain Requirements for Relicensing for Restaurants That Serve Liquor" (Emergency) Sponsored by Senator Louis Luchini

LD 307 - "An Act To Expand the Market for Maine Liquor Manufacturers" (Emergency) Sponsored by Senator Louis Luchini

LD 313 - "An Act To Advance Career and Technical Education Opportunities in Maine" Sponsored by Senator David Woodsome

LD 316 - "An Act To Prohibit the Use of Chlorpyrifos" Sponsored by Representative Victoria Doudera

LD 425 - "Resolve, Directing the Department of Labor To Establish a State Unemployment Program for Self-employed Workers and Independent Contractors" (Emergency) Sponsored by Senator Glenn Curry

LD 447 - "An Act To Require Equivalent Paid Parental Leave for All Parents Employed by Companies Offering Paid Parental Leave" Sponsored by Representative Amy Roeder

LD 455 - "An Act To Give the State the Sole Authority To Establish a Minimum Wage and Hazard Pay with Certain Exceptions" Sponsored by Representative Daniel Newman

LD 469 - "An Act To Ensure Safety across Maine's Construction Industry" Sponsored by Representative Michael Sylvester

LD 481 - "An Act To Propose a General Fund Bond Issue To Train Workers in High-demand Sectors and Support the State's 10-year Economic Plan Goal of Increasing Wages by 10 Percent" Sponsored by Representative H. Millett

LD 492 - "An Act To Create a Regional Grant Program To Help Rural Businesses Find Qualified Staff" Sponsored by Senator Harold Stewart

LD 498 - "An Act To Reauthorize a 3 Percent Tax on Income over $200,000 To Lift All Maine Workers out of Poverty" Sponsored by Representative Michael Sylvester

LD 501 - "An Act To Amend Maine's Corporate Income Tax by Increasing the Top Rate from 8.93 Percent to 12.4 Percent" Sponsored by Representative Heidi Brooks

LD 519 - "An Act To Protect Children from Exposure to Toxic Chemicals" Sponsored by Representative Lori Gramlich

LD 525 - "An Act To Allow Medical and Adult Use Marijuana Stores To Share a Common Space" Sponsored by Senator David Miramant

LD 543 - "An Act To Provide That the Minimum Wage Increases by the Cost of Living Every 3 Years" Sponsored by Representative Richard Bradstreet

LD 553 - "An Act To End At-will Employment" Sponsored by Representative Michael Sylvester

LD 570 - "An Act To Provide for Fairness in the Taxation of Extraordinary and Unearned Income by Establishing a 3 Percent Surcharge on Net Capital Gains and Dividends Income over $250,000 for Taxpayers Filing Single or Married Separate Returns and over $500,000 for Taxpayers Filing Joint Returns" Sponsored by Representative Seth Berry

Bills that have been assigned an LD#, printed, and referenced to their committee of jurisdiction

Click Here for List

Click on the numerical sequence hyperlink where the bill of interest would be found
Scroll down, identify the bill of interest, and click on that hyperlink
To read the text of the bill of interest, click on the “Printed Document PDF” icon
To understand where the bill of interest stands in the committee process, click on the “Status in Committee” hyperlink on left side of page
Once the bill of interest has been voted out of committee, click on the “Chamber Status” hyperlink on the left side of the page

Public Hearings and Work Sessions

Click Here for Schedule

Decide how you would like to view the scheduling information i.e. by day, committee, prime sponsor, or everything for today, and click on the tab.
Then, utilizing the drop down list, choose how many days out you’d like to view the schedule. You can view from a single day to 180 days in advance.
Then, click on the “show schedule” icon.

130th Maine State Legislature

House of Representatives

District 53 - State Representative Allison Hepler (D - Woolwich)
Towns: Arrowsic/ Dresden/ Georgetown/ Phippsburg/ Richmond (Part) / Woolwich

(207) 319-4396

District 76 - State Representative Daniel J. Newman (R - Belgrade)
Towns: Belgrade/ Fayette/ Mount Vernon/ Rome/ Vienna/ Wayne

(207) 458-1837

District 80 - State Representative Richard T. Bradstreet (R - Vassalboro)
Towns: Augusta (Part) / Hibberts Gore/ Somerville/ Vassalboro/ Windsor

(207) 861-1657

District 81 - State Representative Tavis Rock Hasenfus (D - Readfield)
Towns: Monmouth (Part) / Readfield/ Winthrop

(207) 446-0016

District 82 - State Representative Randall Adam Greenwood (R - Wales)
Towns: Litchfield/ Wales/ Monmouth (Part)

(207) 754-6604

District 83 - State Representative Thom Harnett (D - Gardiner)
Towns: Farmingdale/ Gardiner

(207) 522-1254

District 84 - State Representative Charlotte Warren (D - Hallowell)
Towns: Hallowell/ Manchester/ West Gardiner

(207) 441-9116

District 85 - State Representative Donna R. Doore (D - Augusta)
Towns: Augusta (Part)

(207) 592-6849

District 86 - State Representative Justin Fecteau (R - Augusta)
Towns: Augusta (Part)

(207) 248-7183

District 87 - State Representative Jeffery P. Hanley (R - Pittston)
Towns: Alna/ Pittston/ Randolph/ Wiscasset

(207) 458-9009

District 88 - State Representative Michael H. Lemelin (R - Chelsea)
Towns: Chelsea/ Jefferson/ Nobleboro (Part) / Whitefield

(207) 798-9399

Maine State Senate

Senate District 13 - Chloe S. Maxmin (D-Lincoln)
Towns: Alna, Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, Bremen, Bristol, Coopers Mills, Damariscotta, Edgecomb, Hibberts Gore, Jefferson, Louds Island, Medomak, Monhegan Island Plantation, Newcastle, New Harbor, Nobleboro, Pemaquid, Round Pond, Somerville, South Bristol, Southport, Waldoboro, Washington, Westport Island, Whitefield, Windsor, and Wiscasset

(207) 200-6224

Senate District 14 - VACANT
Towns: Chelsea, Farmingdale, Gardiner, Hallowell, Manchester, Monmouth, Pittston, Randolph, Readfield, West Gardiner, and Winthrop

Senate District 15 - Matthew Pouliot (R-Kennebec)
Towns: Augusta, China, Oakland, Sidney, and Vassalboro

(207) 441- 9418

Senate District 17 - Russell Black (R-Franklin)
Towns: Avon, Belgrade, Carrabassett Valley, Carthage, Chesterville, Coplin Plantation, Dallas Plantation, East Central Franklin, Eustis, Farmington, Fayette, Industry, Jay, Kingfield, Mount Vernon, New Sharon, New Vineyard, North Franklin, Phillips, Rangeley, Rangeley Plantation, Sandy River Plantation, Strong, Temple, Vienna, Weld, West Central Franklin, and Wilton

(207) 645-2990

Senate District 22 - Jeffrey Timberlake (R-Androscoggin)
Towns: Durham, Greene, Leeds, Lisbon, Litchfield, Sabattus, Turner, Wales, and Wayne

(207) 754-6000

Senate District 23 - Eloise A. Vitelli (D-Sagadahoc)
Towns: Arrowsic, Bath, Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Dresden, Georgetown, Phippsburg, Richmond, Topsham, West Bath, Woolwich and the unorganized township of Perkins

(207) 443-4660