The list of bills clearing the Revisor’s Office is closing in on the 1,000 mark with roughly another 800 or so on the way.
Here is a list of highlights from bills 300 through 425 sponsored by tri-county lawmakers:
* Rep. Tom Winsor, R-Norway, has one of the more controversial bills this session. LD 309 is Winsor’s so-called right-to-work legislation that would make it voluntary for state employees to join the union. Although union participation is already voluntary, state employees still have to pay service fees because current law requires the state union to represent nonunion members in mediation and grievance hearings.
Winsor’s law is supported by Gov. Paul LePage and fiercely opposed by organized labor. A public hearing has not been scheduled.
* Rep. Sheryl Briggs, D-Mexico, has a bill that would change the licensing requirements for snow dumps. LD 333 is designed to give towns more flexibility to determine where they can store snow that is removed from roadways, but some environmentalists worry the measure could have unintended consequences and lead to contamination of rivers, streams and ponds.
The bill has already had a public hearing. A work session is scheduled for March 15.
* Rep. Teresea Hayes, D-Buckfield, has a bill that would allow municipalities to meet the meeting notification requirement by publishing legal notices in newspapers distributed by third-class mail or electronically. Hayes’ bill requires towns adopt an official publication policy. LD 392 also stipulates that all households receive the “alternative” newspaper and that towns keep records of all published notices. More than 50 percent of households must subscribe in order for a town to publish electronic notices.
A public hearing has not been scheduled.
* Rep. Michael Beaulieu, R-Auburn, is sponsoring LD 393, which would outline the allocation of slot machine revenue. The bill implements the recommendations of last year’s Legal Affairs Committee. The proposal also establishes a reporting system.
A public hearing has not been scheduled.
* Sen. John Patrick, D-Rumford, wants to change the requirements for wine tastings. LD 416 would allow smaller wine shops to hold the tastings by reducing the number of different wines the store offers from its current standard of 250 labels to 125.
Patrick’s bill has already been before a public hearing. It’s scheduled for a March 14 work session and committee vote.
* Sen. Margaret Craven, D-Lewiston, is seeking a $20 million bond to upgrade the region’s rail lines. The general fund bond would first be authorized by a two-thirds vote in the Legislature followed by a statewide referendum.
A public hearing has not been scheduled.
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