AIA Maine's Advocacy Newsletter - March 21, 2022
General Legislative Updates:
The Legislature is proceeding on track to complete its work by April 20, or shortly thereafter. Committees are largely wrapping up their work, though many of the big-ticket items still remain and will be worked on in the next couple of weeks. Legislators caught a break in terms of the committee schedule when a water pipe burst last week put the State House out of commission, canceling a scheduled session day on Thursday and allowing committees to continue to work.
Some of the big issues that still remain are:
Supplemental budget, LD 1995
Governor Mills’ revised spending proposal for the projected $1.2 billion surplus includes, among other things:
Proposed relief payments to Mainers in the amount of $850 for earners up to $75k (or $150k married jointly);
Two years of tuition-free community college for high school students impacted by COVID;
Modernizes and overhauls that Opportunity Maine Tax Credit to incentivize and offset student loan debt repayments;
$20 million for the state’s behavioral health system;
$22 million to the Maine State Housing Authority to address homelessness;
$60 million for testing, prevention, and mitigation of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) testing, mitigation and assistance to impacted farmers; and
$20 million for proposals on the Special Appropriations Table (which in total amount to roughly $1 billion in requests)
PFAS (LD 1911, LD 2013)
Testing and prevention of PFAS contamination is a top priority for the 130th Legislature. PFAS are widely used, long-lasting chemicals, components of which break down very slowly over time. The Legislature is currently considering two bills that further address these so-called “forever chemicals.”
PFAS in Soils (LD 1911). This bill seeks to ban the use of any sludge or sludge-derived compost on land in Maine. This has significant ramifications for towns’ management of their biosolids (residual product from sewer and wastewater treatment).
Impacted Farm Aid (LD 2013). This bill would provide income replacement, lifetime health monitoring, and potentially buyout programs for farms impacted by PFAS. The bill proposes to invest $100 million in this new fund.
Tribal sovereignty and gaming rights (LD 585, others)
Legislative leadership, the Judiciary Committee, the tribes, and the Governor’s office have been working to negotiate an agreement related to tribal sovereignty and the rights to operate gaming in Maine. LD 585 appears to be the primary vehicle for that work, and an amended version of the bill was recently passed by the Judiciary Committee
AIA Maine Legislative Updates
AIA Maine is watching a few bills dealing with housing and the building codes. We testified in support of LD 1795, which works to clean up the statutes to reference the MUBEC in all places where building codes are mentioned, and to require buildings that house public employees to meet all standards in the MUBEC.
We are also watching LD 2003, the bill to implement the recommendations of the Housing Commission. That bill was supported on party lines by a majority of the Labor and Housing Committee, and will soon move to the floor of the House and Senate for debate and consideration. Additionally, the Labor and Housing Committee was similarly divided on a bill to require the collection of housing and affordable housing data. That bill, LD 1673, initially proposed an entirely new process for appealing local affordable housing project decisions, but has been converted to require coordinated data collection across local and state agencies.
AIA Maine will also be watching the final budget negotiations in hopes that the revised Opportunity Maine Tax Credit for student loan repayments is included in the final budget – this will be a great tool for recruiting out-of-state or newly graduated talent!
The AIA Maine Legislative Database
This document serves as a one-stop shop for AIA members to see what bills have been identified by our advocacy team as potentially relevant to our organization.