Hi Ann.
I know you are no longer in Augusta. I could not find an email address for
you.
I’ve submitted written testimony to the Education & Cultural Affairs
Committee supporting LD 382 a bill to fund NFB Newsline, the reading service I
use to read dozens of newspapers and magazines using a menu on my phone and,
accessible with electronics.
Presently, the service is shut off. Monies from the fund that comes from
taxation of telephone services will be used by way of the Maine State Library
to refund and manage Newsline.
Once this is done it is done without revisiting it each year.
If you still have connections in Augusta please help with this.
Carson.
From: wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf ;
Of Ann Peoples
Sent: Saturday, February 09, 2019 12:00 PM
To: wsmac@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [wsmac] Re: New bills before the state legislature
I'll try to catch up with you there! I have my Committee, Labor and Housing, at
the same time but I'll try to sneak out for a few minutes!
Thanks for being willing to be part of the solution!
Ann
On Sat, Feb 9, 2019 at 11:00 AM John Brooking <johnbrooking4@xxxxxxxxx
<mailto:johnbrooking4@xxxxxxxxx> > wrote:
I've decided to attend Wednesday's hearing in person, about the traffic safety
education. I can offer rides to others. If you want a ride, please let me know
ASAP before I make other arrangements to ride with someone else. I do plan to
email written testimony about the other bills, before Tuesday's hearings on
them.
For the bills I've listed, the traffic safety education bill is in the
Education and Cultural Affairs committee, and you can send email testimony to
EDU@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:EDU@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> . The others are
in the Transportation committee, and you can send email testimony to
TRA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:TRA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> .
Here's some more general information regarding testifying for bills. The links
for each of these bills brings you to a page about that bill. On that page:
* If you know the bill number, you can see information for it by typing
the number into the LD # box in the top left, and click "Retrieve Data".
* Click "Status in Committee" along the left side to see what committee
is responsible for that bill, and if any public hearings are scheduled.
* You can send email testimony to the committee responsible for that bill.
* To find the email address for that committee, click "Committee
Information & Schedule" in the "Committee Work" section along the left side of
the page. On the new page, select the committee you want to know about from the
dropdown. After you do that, the page displays the committee name across the
top, with the name of the clerk, the meeting room in the Cross building in
Augusta, and the email address. Below that are listed the names of the
legislators on the committee on the left, and the schedule of work sessions and
public hearings on the right.
On Mon, Feb 4, 2019 at 1:35 PM Carson Wood <cwood@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:cwood@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > wrote:
I’ve sent a letter to the clerk of the committee for distribution to all the
committee members in the past.
From: wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ;<mailto:wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> ] On
Behalf Of John Brooking
Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2019 9:23 PM
To: wsmac@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:wsmac@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [wsmac] New bills before the state legislature
Hi, WSMAC,
We are at the start of a new 2-year state legislative cycle. A lot of new
bills have been introduced. At this point, they are still "in committee", with
the next step being a public hearing. A few have hearings scheduled for them,
starting in February.
Here is a list of bills that I think are of interest to this committee:
* LD165 - An Act To Prohibit the Use of Handheld Phones and Devices While
Driving
<http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/display_ps.asp?LD=165&snum=129&fbclid=IwAR1Jhrpr8j-7UdbwRUyVmEK4OTKDKRbqsqgVWSY2hlBhoW3P90TT2AzdnhY>
* LD166 - An Act To Protect Schoolchildren by Increasing the Penalty for
Unlawful Passing of a School Bus
<http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/display_ps.asp?LD=166&snum=129&fbclid=IwAR3MivIUtrlV0rw0Zk_3RN1NsIzMcc0BknI9X9OVGsJSq2dywoohD-1GUGE>
* LD344 - An Act To Increase the Penalties for Illegally Passing a School
Bus
<http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/display_ps.asp?paper=HP0270&snum=129&fbclid=IwAR2E_YbQ8V6RzyeubuvvRbGB7mGi9BSuE8ehIDg9FH-cuT0RRimKtmbWEts>
* LD470 - An Act To Provide Traffic Safety Education in Schools
<https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mainelegislature.org%2Flegis%2Fbills%2Fdisplay_ps.asp%3Fpaper%3DHP0354%26snum%3D129%26fbclid%3DIwAR25ICjkYylI-IMlnh63YAZuv5mQ9Le3zMAXGxL4ldXbpE-kCrQ1HjlIbbA&h=AT17vsbLt7ivKGVjtnUSI0uVNtZQ29dO6PFv82xfNNLY7TL0mNuunvBeoxaGx6_QNr9YueJqD09WlLpQ_m7T6zn_UD6fzP80C1Fq0-COk54Jl7V2kgNHGLdyH8mFyQsG6xoLXA>
There will also be one to clarify the status and regulation of
electric-assist bicycles in Maine, but I don't think that one has been
officially made available yet.
I created a public Facebook note here
<https://www.facebook.com/notes/john-brooking/2019-20-maine-legislative-bill-watch/10158169345204951/?hc_ref=ARSgeR2bf3_vwizc2QUztpNmR8Yn5azcSHVfe37UPpuR_U3dZSkaxFMh-d_oInwVks8>
, with a description and other notes about each of these. I'll try to keep on
top of any other bills that haven't come out yet, and add them to the list.
Of most immediate priority are two public hearings that are coming up this
month.
* Tuesday, Feb. 12, 1:00 PM - The two bills about passing a school bus
(LD 166 and 344), among others. Basically, both of these bills increase the
penalties. They seem to be pretty much identical, and I would think that the
Transportation Committee would recommend just combining them into one.
* Wednesday, Feb. 13, 1:00 PM - The act to provide traffic safety
education in school (LD470), among others. This bill is being re-introduced
from the last session, 2017-18, in which it was approved by committee after
public comment, but didn't progress.past the point of funding. The Facebook
note
<https://www.facebook.com/notes/john-brooking/2019-20-maine-legislative-bill-watch/10158169345204951/?hc_ref=ARSgeR2bf3_vwizc2QUztpNmR8Yn5azcSHVfe37UPpuR_U3dZSkaxFMh-d_oInwVks8>
has links to talking points from the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, along with
some other interesting reading.
Public hearings are the public's chance to speak for or against a proposed
bill. (You can also just make comments while being "neither for nor against".)
Most people attend the hearing and speak in person, but your comments also have
to be written out, and a copy handed to the clerk when you testify. I believe
there is also a way to submit testimony by email, without being there in
person, but I don't remember the details. Maybe Ann can tell us.
I hope to be able to travel up to Augusta on 2/13 to testify for the Traffic
Safety Education bill. Anyone else who is interested in testifying or just
attending and listening is invited to carpool with me. I probably will not go
up on the 12th, so as to not have to take two days in a row off work.
I'm promoting this and prioritizing it in my schedule because the legislative
process is one of the most powerful mechanisms we have to change things. This
is democracy in action. Let's make use of it!
- John
