(D-Presque Isle)
I write in response to Mr. Richard Scott’s recent letter to the editor accusing me of all manner of things, including hypocrisy. I will not waste this paper’s ink on the debatable points of whether the estate tax is fair or whether Mr. Scott fundamentally misunderstands how the tax works. Rather, I will focus my comments on the subject of legislative research, because it is objectively beyond dispute that either Mr. Scott did not attempt to do such research or his attempt was horribly flawed.
Through the wonders of the Internet, each citizen has a tremendous opportunity to access the documents that we work with and vote on at the Statehouse each day. A citizen can listen to the deliberations of any legislative committee and even watch a live broadcast of debates on the floor of the House or Senate. The state of Maine has developed an easy-to-use Wweb site for the public, which I will explain in the context of Mr. Scott’s wildly inaccurate accusation that I voted to increase taxes on beer, wine, and soda. I did not, and I will explain how each citizen can check this fact on the Internet if he or she chooses.
Step 1: Go to www.maine.gov.
Step 2: Click on “Legislature” on the right-hand side of the screen.
Step 3: At the very top of the page in the right-hand corner, there is a box that says, “LD #.” A “LD” is a “Legislative Document.” LDs are the way the Legislature organizes bills for its consideration. The numbering system works chronologically, so the first bill submitted to the Legislature during a session is “LD 1.” In this case, Mr. Scott asserts that I voted to raise taxes on beer, wine, and soda in the context of funding the Governor’s Dirigo Health program. The bill he is alluding to is LD 2247, sponsored by Rep. Hannah Pingree of North Haven. Therefore, you should type “2247” in the box. This brings you to a summary page for LD 2247.
Step 4: To see the roll call votes on the bill, click on the tab that says “Roll-calls” on the left-hand side of the screen. For LD 2247, there were a number of roll calls. Originally, the program was to be funded with an increased tax on tobacco products. Therefore, the first few roll call votes were amendments that removed the tobacco tax and replaced it with a tax on beer, wine, and soda. The two most relevant roll call votes in determining where an representative stood on the issue of increasing these taxes were # 412 (Passage to be Engrossed) and #423 (Enactment). On both these votes, I voted “N,” which means that I opposed increasing these taxes.
I encourage citizens to use the legislative resources available at www.maine.gov. I hope everyone will become informed about the issues they care about and get involved in the process of governing our state. Together, we can strengthen our democratic form of government by engaging in informed discussion about the common challenges that confront us.
Rep. Fischer can be reached by phone, 551-3097: by mail, 16 Dupont Dr., Presque Isle, 04769: or by e-mail RepJeremy.Fischer@legislature.maine.gov.
