This monthly newsletter written by Burton Eller, National Grange Legislative Director, covers “what’s happening” in Washington on various topics of interest to Grangers.
View from the Hill – April 2024
Category: Legislative
View from the Hill – March 2024
This monthly newsletter written by Burton Eller, National Grange Legislative Director, covers “what’s happening” in Washington on various topics of interest to Grangers.
View from the Hill – February 2024
This monthly newsletter written by Burton Eller, National Grange Legislative Director, covers “what’s happening” in Washington on various topics of interest to Grangers.
Substance Abuse Education in Maine
There are currently three bills before the Maine Legislature on the topic of Substance Abuse Education. Two of the bills were sponsored by Sen. Brad Farrin, R-Somerset.
One of the bills, LD 2089, outlined new initiatives to increase education and prevention efforts across the state. It would provide 10 hours of instruction for grades 6-12 on the dangers of fentanyl and other drugs, as well as establish the third week in October as “Drug Poisoning Awareness Week.”
His other bill, LD 363, seeks a study to bring together best practices across the state in the treatment and recovery of those suffering from substance use disorder.
A third bill discussed during the briefing was LD 986, which sought to increase penalties for those trafficking in fentanyl – a synthetic opioid many in law enforcement call a poison more than a drug. That bill died last year in non-concurrence between the chambers.
It’s not too early to be thinking about resolutions! Should the Grange support any of these bills or substance abuse education in general?
Maine Primary Absentee Ballots
Maine citizens who are registered to vote may use the State’s free and secure service to request an absentee ballot for the presidential primary election on March 5, 2024. Ballots must be received no later than 8:00 pm on Election Day. For more information, visit the Secretary of State’s Upcoming Elections page.
View from the Hill – January 2024
This monthly newsletter written by Burton Eller, National Grange Legislative Director, covers “what’s happening” in Washington on various topics of interest to Grangers.
Maine’s Public Law Library
The services and resources of the Maine State Law & Legislative Reference Library are free and available to all Maine citizens. Located on the second floor of the Maine State House in Augusta, the Law Library is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Services include public access to the Internet and other digital resources and limited word processing.
Walk-in patrons are welcome, but Mainers from Kittery to Madawaska can request information by phone, email or U.S. mail. You can also visit their web page here. While the library cannot interpret the law or provide legal advice, staff can help with legal and legislative reference assistance with its complete collection of current and historical Maine legislative materials dating all the way back to 1820. The library also has information about federal codes and statutes as well as all U.S. states.
BEP Reopens Public Comment on Elective Vehicle Sales Mandate
AUGUSTA – The Maine Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) has reopened Public Comment on the Chapter 127-A: Advanced Clean Cars II Program, also known as the “California Rule.” The public comment period extends until February 5, 2024.
In response to a citizen petition, this new rule was proposed to establish motor vehicle emission standards for new passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty vehicles by incorporating the requirements of the California Advanced Clean Cars II regulations, beginning the model year 2027.
A public hearing on the proposed Chapter 127-A was held on August 17, 2023, and the comment period closed on August 28, 2023. A final vote on the proposed rule was scheduled for the Board meeting on December 21, 2023. However, due to the state of emergency resulting from the December 18 storm, that meeting was canceled. This prevented a Board vote on whether to adopt the proposed rule and forced any potential adoption beyond the rule’s proposed effective date of January 1, 2024. This also prevents the rule from taking effect in time to apply to the 2027 model year. Therefore, the proposed rule has been amended to begin with model year 2028, and the Department is now requesting comments from the public concerning this substantive change. The Department has also proposed other non-substantive changes to the proposal.
Since the public hearing was already held in August, comments may be made by email. The deadline for commenting is now February 5, 2024.
Communications Director’s Note: To the best of my knowledge, the Grange has not taken a position on the adoption of this rule. Since this is a very substantive change, I am providing this information for those who wish to share their personal thoughts and opinions. If you do so, please do not imply or claim you represent the Grange!
UPDATE: According to an article in the Portland Press Herald, the BEP will ask the Legislature to revise state law to authorize lawmakers, not state agencies, to adopt and enforce standards deemed as “major substantive” changes rather than have them handled by an agency. Most recently, however, there has been some discussion suggesting that the requested revision would NOT impact the existing potential rule change since it is already under consideration. The revision requested would only apply to future rule changes and adoptions.
View from the Hill – December 2023
This monthly newsletter written by Burton Eller, National Grange Legislative Director, covers “what’s happening” in Washington on various topics of interest to Grangers.
View from the Hill – November 2023
This monthly newsletter written by Burton Eller, National Grange Legislative Director, covers “what’s happening” in Washington on various topics of interest to Grangers.