Bills Sponsored During My Current Term
in the Maine Legislature
LD 107 An Act To Change the Classification of Man-made Wetlands
There are a lot of wetlands in Maine that have been caused by human activity. The biggest reason is road building that blocked drainage and cause water to back up into an area that wasn't wet before the road was built or rebuilt. Yet the owner loses use of that property just the same. This bill would have allowed the regulators to take a look at some of these areas and possibly let the owners have some of their rights returned. I did my best, but the bill was killed.
LD 262 Resolve, Directing the Department of Transportation To Install a Flashing Light in Charleston
A woman was killed at this intersection and town officials asked to Install a flashing light to improve safety. MDOT put in the light as part of a bridge project and we killed the bill.
LD 516 An Act To Require That a Majority of the Members of the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission Reside in the Commission's Jurisdiction
Most of the members of the LURC Commission do not live under the rules they enact, that's wrong. We didn't accomplish my objective, but the result of bill was to increase the commissioners that must live in the Unorganized Territory by one. Maybe the answer is to abolish LURC and let the County government handle the duties.
LD 586 An Act To Retain Business in the State By Amending the Law Governing State Contract Bids
I wanted to give Maine businesses a 5 percent advantage in the state bidding process. It costs more than 10 percent more to operate a business in Maine because of our high taxes and regulations placing those business at a disadvantage. I wanted to help level the field for those people. I worked hard to get this bill passed, but the bill was killed.
LD 874 An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Axle Weights
When truck weight laws were changed a few years ago the penalty for axle weight infractions were raised beyond reason. Truckers can have a load that is within the legal gross weight, but not have it balanced on the axles properly and be fined hundreds of dollars for an honest mistake. This bill would have given those truckers that have no way of knowing the axles were out of balance a break. I thought if you give people who are doing their best a break it would be an incentive for everyone to try harder. Reducing the number of overweight trucks. The bill was passed.
LD 1516 An Act To Amend the Charter of the Dexter Utility District
The Dexter Utility asked me to submit this bill to make it easier to collect sewer bills that were going unpaid. If those bills were to remain unpaid it would have meant a huge increase for paying customers. We got the bill passed helping to keep those rates down.
LD 1719 An Act To Encourage Tourism by Ensuring the Safety, Accessibility and Availability of Highway Rest Stops and Scenic Overlooks
Tourism is our number one industry if visitors need to feel welcome if they are going to return or recommend Maine as a place to visit. We have rest stops on I-95 that cost us millions to build and are closed. Keeping them open is a small investment that will return us many times over, not to mention all the local people who use this stop every day. The bill was killed, but if I get the opportunity I'll try again.
