AUGUSTA, Maine — The new state representative from Presque Isle, Harold “Trey” Stewart III, is getting started in a new legislature with 22 proposals for bills.
Among the more than 1,800 bills submitted by members of the legislature this year, Stewart is proposing legislation addressing a range of issues affecting the state and Aroostook County.
Currently many of the bills are taking the form as titles in the official list of proposed bills, while the legislative language and details are finalized. But the choice of proposals by Stewart and others reflects the concerns they’re trying to address. “A lot of these are issues that affect all of Aroostook County,” he said.
Several bills Stewart is proposing would address criminal justice and the drug problem. One would be aimed at improving workforce rates for those released from prison for nonviolent crimes. Another would seek to improve drug treatment options in northern Maine.
“I’m also optimistic we’ll be able to form a special committee and address this in a specific way,” he said of the state’s opioid crisis.
Stewart said he also has several bills related to economic policy, including one that would aim to fix the “welfare cliff,” where former welfare recipients end up immediately bringing in less income when starting new, often lower-wage jobs.
“Instead of immediately losing all your benefits, it would be kind of a gradual slide into the workforce where you don’t end up making less money,” Stewart said of the bill’s aim. “It would make sure that people can still feed their families and afford their homes as they reenter the workforce. That’s the missing piece.”
Other bills the freshman lawmaker has sponsored include a proposal to eliminate regional public school teacher salary adjustments, which is aimed at improving pay for new teachers in rural Maine, a proposal to offer a travel stipend to members of the Maine National Guard, and bill that would aim to address veteran homelessness in northern Maine.
Stewart said he’ll also be looking to work on legislation that would help communities lower property taxes. “That’s been a huge issue particularly in Presque Isle, as a service center,” he said.
