RepRichCebra's Blog

State House Status Report

By Rep. Rich Cebra

The legislative session in Augusta is in full swing right now. A lot of the recent media attention has focused on the state’s General Fund budget shortfall of around $570 million. There’s also a sizable shortfall in the Highway Fund. I wanted to take an opportunity to tell you about a few of the other bills I have sponsored or have been working on this session.

LD 194- An Act to Require an Independent Audit of State Government Every 4 Years

This bill would have given the citizens of Maine an impartial look at exactly what is going on in Maine State Government. Currently the State Auditor is elected by a majority of the Legislature making that position a political office. In my testimony presenting this bill I likened that to the fox guarding the chicken coop. The bill was killed by the majority party. From their vote, it looks like they don’t want you to know where your money is going in state government.

LD 254- An Act to Enact a 5-point Welfare Reform Program

This bill would put into place common sense reforms to our open-ended welfare system and help ensure that Maine’s safety net would be there for Maine residents. During the public hearing of this bill, about 50 citizens attended the hearing in favor of the bill, many of them testifying passionately. I was able to present to the committee over 100 written testimonies in favor of the bill from Maine residents from all over the state. The opponents of this bill at the hearing were all either state employees or lobbyists. Currently the bill has come out of committee on a partisan divided report, meaning the Democrats voted against it and the Republicans voted for it. It has yet to come before the Legislature for debate.

LD 532- An Act to Clarify Allowable Practices Concerning Maine Farm Wineries

I submitted this bill at the request of a small winery in Casco in the interest of supporting local small business. This bill allows employees of these small wineries to pour their own wine at a civic organization’s public event. Currently this is prohibited. The bill passed the committee unanimously and is on its way to becoming law.

LD 1234- An Act to Regulate the Use of Traffic Surveillance Cameras

The discussion of traffic cameras that take a picture of a vehicle if it goes through a red light or speeds on a stretch of road has been before the Legislature several times before. While on the surface these cameras may appear to increase public safety, recent studies have shown that they actually increase the occurrences of accidents at intersections where the public is aware that there is a camera. The placement of these cameras is also a civil rights issue, creating the issuing of a summons and possible fines and jail time to the owner of a vehicle and not necessarily the actual driver of the vehicle. In many places around the country, these cameras have become nothing more than a money-maker for municipalities. This bill prohibits the use of these cameras. The Transportation Committee unanimously passed the bill and it now heads to the full Legislature for approval.

LD 1367- An Act to Increase the Homestead Property Exemption

This bill allows a municipality to approve a higher exemption amount under the Maine resident homestead property tax exemption program. This would provide much needed property tax relief to Maine residents on their primary residence. This bill is still pending.

I have also testified or given my support to numerous bills that are broad-reaching and reform-oriented, such as allowing Maine residents to purchase health insurance from companies operating outside of Maine. I have also testified against several bills one is LD 1353, An Act Regarding Salary Information for Public Employees. This bill is a blatant attempt by some in the legislature to deny public information to the citizens and taxpayers of Maine. By hiding the names of government and school employees who are paid by our constituents’ tax dollars, this bill sends a disturbing message that elected officials will not hold themselves accountable to Mainers.

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