AUGUSTA — With big debates on contentious issues still looming, the Legislature on Wednesday took action on a slate of bills, including one requiring cell-phone manufacturers to post health warnings on product packaging.
In a surprise decision, the House of Representatives gave preliminary approval to the proposal, LD 1014, after an attempt to vote it down resulted in a 73-73 deadlock.
The bill had been decisively rejected by the Energy and Utilities Committee, 11-2. However, Wednesday’s action followed a recent announcement from the World Health Organization saying that cell phone use is possibly linked to cancer in humans.
It’s unclear if the WHO announcement affected Wednesday’s vote, which followed a protracted debate in the House.
Supporters argued that cell phones should be treated similarly to other dangerous products and that consumers deserve to know the health risks.
Opponents said Maine shouldn’t lead the country on the issue.
A similar bill is under consideration in Oregon, but so far no other state has approved such a measure.
The bill will now be taken up by the Senate.
Last year the Democrat-controlled Legislature rejected a similar proposal that would have required cell phone manufacturers to attach labels to the actual devices. A watered-down version of that bill was defeated after the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that evidence did not justify state action.
In other matters, the Senate on Wednesday rejected a bill that would have given parents a tax credit of up to $2,500 for tuition paid to a private or religious school.
On Tuesday the House voted along party lines to pass the bill. However, the Senate voted 21-14 to kill the proposal, as five Republicans joined the Democratic minority.
Opponents said the Legislature should not use taxpayer money to fund private education given that public schools were already experiencing funding cuts.
The bill carried a significant fiscal note that may have led to its demise. The tax credits would have amounted to a $54.4 million hit to the General Fund over the next four fiscal years.
Also on Wednesday, the House voted unanimously to create a legislative committee to study ways to control state health care costs.
The bill allows legislative leadership to appoint a bipartisan, 13-member panel to review current health care and delivery costs. The committee will then report recommendations to the Legislature in December.
The bill now goes to the Senate for approval .
The Senate Wednesday also voted 21-13 to increase the amount of money individuals can contribute to legislative and gubernatorial candidates in a single election.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Seth Goodall, D-Richmond, originally sought to increase the maximum campaign contribution for legislative candidates. However, a floor amendment introduced by Sen. Debra Plowman, R-Hampden, doubled the contributions for gubernatorial candidates, from $750 to $1,500 per donor.
The amendment prompted Goodall to vote against his own bill. However, two Democrats joined the Republican majority, Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, and Sen. Joseph Brannigan, D-Portland.
The amended bill now heads to the House.
The Legislature is expected to take up several more controversial bills Thursday, including a possible override of Gov. Paul LePage’s first veto. The bill, LD 1222, is designed to eliminate the “favorite nation status” assigned by health insurance companies to larger health care providers typically associated with hospitals. Supporters say larger health care providers often pay lower rates than independent health care providers.
The bill won the unanimous endorsement of the Senate and the House with no debate. However, LePage vetoed the bill, arguing that “laws and regulations that require or prohibit certain provisions of contracts take away the rights of job creators to independently organize their affairs.”
The Legislature has until Thursday to act on the governor’s veto.
smistler@sunjournal.com
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