D – District 122

The Maine Legislature finished its first regular session in the early morning hours of Saturday, June 13.  It was a challenging and productive session and I have learned much since I took office in December.

As a first term legislator I am pleased about the work we accomplished this session in the face of significant challenges. Given economic uncertainty and difficult decisions, we were able to address a number issues and achieve a positive outcome for our state.

The current economic crisis and decreasing state revenues (we cut the upcoming state budget by more than half billion dollars) served a backdrop for our work. While many predicted there would be little we could accomplish – I am pleased to inform you the Legislature moved forward on a number of proposals that will improve the state’s economic health, build a strong energy future, increase access to health care and reduce the tax burden on Maine people.

Energy investment — The Legislature passed a landmark, sweeping energy package that included money for renewable energy, weatherization and workforce development programming in emerging green industries. The legislation creates a new “Efficiency Maine Trust” to provide a “one stop shop” for consumers and businesses to access so they can start weatherizing and improving efficiency and reduce energy costs.

Tax reform — For years Maine has been hindered with an outdated tax code. Tax reform efforts have been before almost every Legislative session for years, only to fall short. However, this year we were able to find success when leadership from both houses of the Legislature came together on a plan to lower the state’s income tax rate, the sixth highest in the nation, from 8.5 percent to 6.5 percent for those who make less than $250,000. The drop was paid for by expanding the sales tax to a number of highly exportable and discretionary services.

Marriage equality — The Legislature passed a bill that addresses the inequalities in Maine’s marriage laws, allowing loving and committed same sex couples to get married. 

The Legislature gave the bill strong support voting in favor of the legislation by healthy margins in both houses. The governor, who had previously expressed reservations about same sex marriage, signed the bill.

Dirigo health reforms — The Legislature passed a bill to protect the current members of DirigoChoice by replacing the current funding system, the controversial “Savings Offset Payment (SOP),” with a more stable funding source that will stabilize the program. As a member of the Insurance and Financial Affairs Committee, we spent many hours crafting a proposal that will work for Maine families and small businesses going forward. The reformed program will ensure stable funding and allow for more individuals to gain access to affordable health insurance in the future. 

Bond package — One of the final acts of the Legislature this session was to approve a $150 million bond package which will invest in Maine’s economy and put Maine people to work. The package will help support thousands of jobs and provide an estimated $368 million in increased economic activity in the state over the coming two years when private and federal matching funds are factored in. The proposal, if approved by voters, would invest in Maine’s transportation infrastructure, put Maine at the leading edge of the green energy revolution, and provide needed capital to help Maine businesses innovate and help Maine communities make needed environmental upgrades. This $150 million package is based on framework of the bond plan Gov. John Baldacci put forward in March.

I am honored you have put your trust in me to represent you in Augusta, and I look forward to hearing from you. Email me at tmorisson16@msn.com, call me at 831-0828 or visit my Web site at www.terrymorrison.org.