Happy early July 4th! We'll celebrate our legislators standing up for their constituents, voting for democracy reform, expanding voting rights, and to put it simply, choosing to do what's right.
We're taking a break next week on Monday, July 5. We'll return on July 12 with a major legislative roundup. We'll recap what happened this session, celebrate the victories, and summarize the bills that didn't quite make it.
NEWS:
Gov. Mills Vetoed LD 194, and we have thoughts about it: LD 194, which received overwhelming public and bipartisan lawmaker support at its public hearing, would close an important loophole in our laws by preventing foreign governments from spending in ballot question campaigns. Read the press release from our partners at MCCE here.
There are a few reasons we hope the legislature will vote to override the veto this week:
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Overwhelming popular support for addressing the exploding amount of foreign government money in Maine campaigns.
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Bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate.
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The bill only affects companies with foreign government ownership, not other foreign ownership. None of the companies cited in the governor’s veto message have been shown to have foreign government ownership.
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The likelihood of the bill being fully constitutional, since courts have upheld the right to protect U.S. democracy from foreign-government interference.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate voted on the For the People Act (S. 1) last Tuesday, June 22. It was a 50-50 vote with Senator King joining all the Democrats, including Senator Manchin, to vote in favor of advancing the debate; Senator Collins joined all the Republicans in opposing it. This isn’t over. We are frustrated with Senator Collins aligning herself with a “states rights” argument to condone the highjacking of elections. Use our handy form to call or email Senators Collins and urge her to support the For the People Act. Let Senator King know that you appreciate his vote on S. 1, and that you hope he will continue fighting for filibuster reform so that we can get this essential law passed.
WHAT THE LEAGUE IS WORKING ON:
Ready to see real people again? Volunteer with us for 2-3 hour shifts this summer. We're tabling to register voters and educate about our advocacy work. We will be highlighting our efforts to pass the National Popular Vote in Maine, D.C. Statehood, and For the People Act. Click here to sign up!
We have no major updates on our priority bills in the Maine State Legislature. You can view last week's UTD update to see the current status. The Portland Press Herald ran this great editorial last week celebrating Maine’s pro-voter reforms. The Legislature will be in session on June 30 for a “veto day,” when they can attend to any bills that the Governor vetoes. She has 10 days from when bills are enacted to veto them, or they become law without her signature. If she does veto any, the Legislature can try to override the veto on the 30th. They will also try to conclude business on a supplemental budget at that time, which includes deciding the fate of bills that await judgement on the Special Appropriations Table. See the link to the Legislative Calendar.
Latest op-ed: To protect voting rights, Senate must reduce the influence of big money in campaigns. The reforms in the For the People Act (S. 1) would raise the power of small donors and make it easier for candidates to run for federal office without being beholden to the wealthiest individuals and corporations. Senator Angus King has long been a supporter of Maine’s Clean Elections Act. We hope that he will support these provisions in S. 1, too. Read more from Anna Kellar's latest op-ed.