Are you doomscrolling like the rest of us? With the invasion of Ukraine filling our news feed, we're witnessing an attack on a country's sovereignty and its heroic citizens fight for their democracy in real time. It's hard to watch. This is your reminder to take a moment to breathe *in* and *out* — we're in this together.
Trailblazer is the New Supreme Court Nominee: President Biden has named Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as his Supreme Court nominee. Many movements have been built on the backs of black women, and we're thrilled to see a black woman finally achieve a seat and representation in the nation's highest court. Read more from LWVUS's statement.
Check Yes for Clean Elections: When you are filling out your Maine tax forms, you can check a box to designate $3 to the Maine Clean Election Fund. This helps to finance the election campaigns of qualifying Clean Election candidates. The Clean Election check-off is on Line 1 of the Maine Income Tax form. It will NOT increase your tax bill, and it will NOT decrease your refund. Learn more here.
Legislative committees are moving from a fully remote model for public hearings and work sessions to a hybrid model, where people can participate either from the committee room in person or online. They’re testing it out this week. We’re looking forward to seeing how this will work. It could be good!
The Legislature was closed last Friday thanks to the snow day, and a few items of interest to the League were postponed. Several work sessions are still on the horizon, and here's what you can expect this coming week:
- Equity in Policy Making (LD 1610): This bill is a critical step toward improving demographic analysis and data sharing in Maine government so that we can create equitable and evidence-based policy. It builds upon LD 2, which passed last year. We testified in support. The work session is scheduled in the State and Local Government Committee (SLG) on Wednesday, March 2 at 10:00 AM.
- Tribal Sovereignty (LD 1626): This bill received incredible support during its public hearing, with over 1,600 written testimonies submitted. It's clear that Mainers stand behind the Wabanaki Alliance and their right to sovereignty. The work session is in the Judiciary Committee on Thursday, March 3 at 9:00 AM. Save the date for Lobby Day on March 9, details to follow.
Wanted: Writers and Researchers
Here at the League, we believe anyone should be able to access quality information about how their local government functions. Local governments make many crucial decisions that impact our everyday lives and future wellbeing, but often people don't know how to get involved.
There's no consistent guide on Maine's towns, so the League has taken on the project of writing and researching this resource ourselves. We're radical in that respect.
However, much to our own disappointment, guides don't write themselves. We need dedicated volunteers, like you, to help us gather good, factual information. You can focus on your community and surrounding towns, or branch out however much you'd like.
Bottom line: we need you. Interested, want to learn more, or have questions? Start by emailing Lane at lane@lwvme.org.