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This week began in the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee with a public hearing on a bill that Senator Black introduced for us, LD 121, "An Act to Include Brush and Yard Debris in the Definition of litter." We provided testimony in support of the bill along with the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the Maine Forest Service, Weyerhaeuser, Maine Woodland Owners and CMP (along with a friendly amendment). The committee had some questions about potential unintended consequences at the hearing, so we provided the attached memo to hopefully address some of their concerns.
We are hoping that this legislation can be a vehicle to provide law enforcement with the tools they need to address some dumping issues that some of our members have experienced. Dumping brush and yard debris without permission, in addition to costing landowners time and money, can cause the spread of invasive plants and insects.
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After deliberating on the Supplemental Budget late into the night on Monday, the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee voted unanimously (all members present) in support of a bill that includes the full $2 million allocation for the implementation of the Early Intervention Strategy to control a building spruce budworm outbreak on nearly 300,000 acres of Aroostook County this spring. This funding is required to draw down $12 million in federal match, along with private landowner contributions. It is crucial to have this funding in place in time for the narrow treatment window this spring, so we were strongly encouraged to see unanimous support from the committee.
For our industry, this is the most important bill that will be considered this session, which is why we are concerned that the bipartisan support for the Supplemental Budget has since eroded due to unrelated matters.
Without the support of 2/3 of the full legislature, this funding will not be in place in time to treat the full acreage indicated as "hot spots" by monitoring conducted the University of Maine's Spruce Budworm Lab. Areas with a quickly building spruce budworm population, if left untreated, have the potential to grow exponentially this summer, with female moths laying approximately 200 eggs each. Failure to treat will also cause mass defoliation of spruce and fir trees. In short, this funding request is a true emergency because it is necessary to keep Maine's forests healthy. With a predominant spruce and fir composition, northern Maine's forest provides critical wildlife habitat, clean air, clean water, carbon storage and sequestration and abundant recreational opportunities while supplying the fiber needed to fuel our $8.1 billion industry.
We remain hopeful that both sides will return to the table to negotiate terms that result in enough support to advance this emergency legislation with the necessary 2/3 vote.
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On Wednesday, the Council submitted testimony to the Labor Committee in opposition to LD 60, "An Act to Allow Employees to Request Flexible Work Schedules" highlighting concerns about the overly rigid procedures outlined in the bill and the potential for civil violations. While we appreciate that this bill reflects work done last session by the Labor and Housing Committee on similar legislation, we remain concerned about how this provision could be abused.
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Also on Wednesday, the Council testified in opposition to LD 19, "An Act to Change the Definition of "oversized ATV" in the Laws Governing the Registration of All-terrain Vehicles" before the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee. This is one of several bills introduced this session seeking to increase the weight limit of ATVs allowed for off-road trail use. In 2020, the Council participated in the ATV Taskforce called together by Governor Mills. This taskforce included representation from all stakeholder groups. The very first recommendation was to limit the size and weight of ATVs to 65 inches and 2,000 lbs. Some stakeholders wanted higher limits and some wanted lower, but this compromise was agreed to by all, along with accommodations for heavier machines that were already in use. While we very much appreciate Senator Moore and her reasonings for bringing this bill forward, we do not support increasing the weight limit, especially so close on the heels of this agreement.
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On Thursday, we testified before the Housing and Economic Development Committee in support of LD 195, "An Act to Create the Small Business Capital Savings Account Program."
As drafted, this bill would establish a Small Business Capital Savings Account pilot project to allow certified businesses engaged in agricultural production, commercial fishing or commercial wood harvesting to claim a tax deduction for contributions up to $250,000 made to a qualifying account to be used for capital expenditures. The program would run from January 1, 2026 to January 1, 2030. To qualify, the business must be headquartered in Maine, be taxed as a C corporation or an S corporation, a partnership or a sole proprietorship and have no more than 99 full-time equivalent employees.
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That's all for this week. In addition to the hearings on bills listed below, we will continue to watch closely over the Supplemental Budget. If you have any questions about our policy positions, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Best,
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