An opportunity to take part in legislative process
As your state representative and a member of the Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee, which oversees election laws in Maine, I wanted you to be aware of an opportunity Maine people have to get involved in the creation of laws.
The Secretary of State’s Office recently announced that it is now accepting public comment for the wording of the five referendum questions that will appear on November’s ballot. This is an opportunity for the public to weigh in and provide their thoughts and feedback on how each of the questions should appear on the ballot.
The five initiatives and the proposed wording of the referendum questions are:
An Act To Establish Ranked-choice Voting — “Do you want to change Maine election law to allow voters to rank their choices of candidates for U.S. Senate, Congress, Governor, State Senate and State Representative?”
An Act To Legalize Marijuana — “Do you want to legalize the possession and use of marijuana by persons who are at least 21 years of age, allow state and local regulation of retail sales of marijuana, and allow state regulation of the cultivation, manufacture, testing and distribution of marijuana?”
An Act To Raise the Minimum Wage — “Do you want to raise the minimum hourly wage of $7.50 to $9.00 in 2017, and in $1.00 increments up to $12 in 2020; and to raise it for service workers who receive tips from the current rate of $3.75 to $5 in 2017, in $1.00 increments up to $12 in 2024?”
An Act To Require Background Checks for Gun Sale — “Do you want to change Maine law to require background checks prior to the transfer of firearms between individuals, with some exceptions for certain circumstances?”
An Act To Establish The Fund to Advance Public Kindergarten to Grade 12 Education — “Do you want to establish a Fund to support kindergarten through 12th grade public education by adding a 3% surcharge on Maine taxable income above $200,000?”
The democratic process works best when everyone has a say, and this is an opportunity to share your thoughts.
Public comments must be received by the Secretary of State by 5 p.m. on Mon., June 13, 2016. For more information, visit: http://maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/upcoming/publiccomment.html.
Rep. Robert Saucier is in his second term in the Maine House and represents part of Presque Isle. He serves on the Legislature’s Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee and the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee. He is also House chair of the Maine Citizen Trade Policy Commission.
