​AUGUSTA, Maine (Wednesday, July 31, 2024) - The Maine State Chamber of Commerce is asking all 2024 Maine State House and Senate candidates where they stand on transparency in the legislative process in a questionnaire sent this week to the approximately 350 candidates for the Maine State Legislature. The Maine State Chamber is urging greater transparency in the legislative process. Candidate responses, which the Chamber will share publicly, will help measure each candidate’s commitment to transparency and increasing the public’s ability to participate in lawmaking.
 
“A clear and transparent process by which a bill can become Maine law is imperative to the public’s and the business community’s ability to participate in policymaking,” said Patrick Woodcock, president and CEO of the Maine State Chamber. “As part of the Maine State Chamber’s efforts to partner on improving transparency in policymaking and increasing the public’s and the business community’s awareness of legislative activity and access to the policymaking process, we are asking all Maine State House and Senate candidates where they stand on this basic governance issue in a brief questionnaire.”
 
The Maine State Chamber has raised concerns about the increasing erosion of transparency in the legislative process, specifically as it relates to “concept drafts” – or vague placeholder bill proposals that are absent of detailed language – and the lack of advance language on bill amendments as they go before legislative committees.
 
The Maine State Chamber testified on the need for greater transparency at the Maine State Legislature’s Joint Rules Committee hearing on July 18, 2024. In an April 3, 2024, letter to legislative leaders urging reforms to the legislative rules to make public policymaking more transparent to and inclusive of the public, Woodcock wrote, “The Maine State Legislature has developed a transparency problem that must be addressed prior to the convening of the next Legislature.”
 
The four questions for candidates in the Maine State Chamber’s questionnaire are:

1. How familiar are you with the process of advancing a legislative proposal from a bill to a law?
2. Do you believe that it is important that the legislative process is consistent and transparent to members of the public?
3. Would you support legislative rules requiring that the legislative committee process be consistent across all legislative committees?
4. Would you support a legislative rule change requiring that all legislation and amendments under consideration be publicly available at least 24 hours prior to a public hearing and/or work session?

 
The Maine State Chamber wrote to candidates, “Your responses are important to improving legislative transparency and efficiency, and to providing key insights for our members, the business community, and all Maine voters. We plan to publicly share a summary of candidate responses in late August or early September.”

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​On July 16, 2024, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce announced the formation of the “Invest in Maine’s Future” ballot question committee and campaign supporting the $25 million Research and Development and Commercialization bond question on this November’s ballot. Through the “Invest in Maine’s Future” campaign, the Maine State Chamber and its partners will lead a conversation with Maine voters about how their investment in scientific research will strengthen Maine communities and families by spurring innovation in our state’s heritage farming, fishing, and forestry industries, accelerating Maine’s life sciences sector, and creating dynamic new industries in all corners of the state.
 
The committee will also advocate for long-term support for R&D funding for innovation and job growth to keep Maine competitive. Members of the ballot question committee include a growing group of organizations representing diverse industries and regions across the state. To date, committee members include The Jackson Laboratory, FocusMaine, Startup Maine, Bioscience Association of Maine, Maine Composites Alliance, Maine Forest Products Council, MDI Biological Laboratory, BioHarbor Strategies, and Aroostook Partnership.
 
Maine State Chamber President and CEO Patrick Woodcock said, “The R&D bond on November’s ballot is an investment in our state’s economic future. Maine businesses and entrepreneurs can leverage state support to invest in innovative products and new machinery and leverage our state’s competitive advantages. We look forward to having a conversation with Maine voters about the benefits of research and development and urging them to vote yes on November 5.”
 
Woodcock added, “Maine lags other states when it comes to R&D investments and that has a long-term cost to our economy in bringing economic opportunity to our state. Supporting this investment is a critical first step toward stable and sustained state R&D investments for our economy.”
 
The Maine Economic Growth Council’s 2023 “Measures of Growth” report showed that Maine lags the country in research and development (R&D) spending, ranking 44th of 50 states. The Maine 2020-2029 Economic Development Strategy prominently calls for increased innovation, to be driven by investments in research and development, highlighting evidence of state returns on prior investments.
 
Maine voters last approved a research and development bond in 2017. According to the Mills administration, $45 million approved at that time helped leverage more than $224 million in private sector matching investments and had an impact of more than $1 billion on the Maine economy. The investment also generated 1,770 direct new jobs and roughly twice as many indirect and induced jobs.
 
During the 131st Maine Legislature, L.D. 416, An Act to Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue for Research and Development and Commercialization, sponsored by Sen. Teresa S. Pierce, D-Falmouth, was passed and signed by Governor Janet Mills. Maine voters will have an opportunity on Election Day - Tuesday, November 5, 2024 - to endorse the $25 million bond.
 
“It is time to invest in our evolving Research and Development industries,” said Sen. Pierce. “Growing these industries means supporting Maine’s economic potential and creating an environment that keeps Mainers and their talent in Maine and encourages others to come to Maine and contribute to these industries. I’m grateful for the strong bipartisan coalition of legislators, in both the Senate and the House, that supported my bill to issue this R&D bond. I encourage all voters to learn more and support this measure in November.”
 
If approved in November, the bond will support innovation and job growth in several of Maine’s key industry sectors, including biotechnology, composites and advanced materials, environmental technologies, forest products and agriculture, information technology, marine technology and aquaculture, and precision manufacturing. The Maine Technology Institute will oversee the competitive grant review and award process, which will be open to Maine-based public and private institutions and will require grantees to match state funds with at least an equal amount of private investment.
 
For more information and to learn how you can join and support the “Invest in Maine’s Future” campaign, please email [email protected] or call (207) 623-4568.
 

For Immediate Release                                                                                         Media contact: Jen Webber
Monday, July 8, 2024                                                                                                       Cell: 207-939-0213

​AUGUSTA, Maine (Monday, July 8, 2024) – The Maine State Chamber of Commerce submitted written comments on proposed Paid Family & Medical Leave (PFML) rules to the Maine Department of Labor (MDOL) today. Today is the last day of MDOL’s comment period on the proposed rules, which were published on May 20, 2024, following the Maine State Legislature’s passing and enacting Maine’s PFML law in 2023 establishing the State program. Previously, Maine State Chamber President and CEO Patrick Woodcock provided testimony at a public hearing on June 10th in Augusta. 
 
In Woodcock’s written comments and letter to MDOL Paid Family and Medical Leave Program Director Luke Monahan, Woodcock thanked MDOL for the opportunity to comment on the proposed rules and shared, “The Maine Chamber of Commerce has a profound interest in making the PFML program work for its members and employees. The PFML program is the most consequential state initiative to affect employers and employees alike in decades. 
 
“We appreciate the time and effort from the Department of Labor to implement this program under significant time pressure with financial contributions commencing in less than six months. At the same time, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce believes the rules must be overhauled to be consistent with the statute, and there are numerous areas in the proposed rules that require clarification. 
 
“Specifically, the utilization of private plans for compliance, a major discussion point during the legislative process and integral to other state plans, is subverted by the rules that will cause enormous financial hardship in a matter of months on businesses and employees alike. Furthermore, the hardship provision is inconsistent with the statute by undercutting a key role of the employer in determining a reasonable hardship. These two provisions are fundamental to the Maine PFML statute and must be overhauled in the rules. 
 
“The Maine State Chamber looks forward to partnering in the implementation of Maine’s PFML program.”
 
For more information on the Maine State Chamber’s recommendations to MDOL on the proposed PFML rules, including the Maine State Chamber’s June 10, 2024,  public hearing  testimony before MDOL and a recording of the Maine State Chamber’s June 6, 2024 roundtable with businesses, please click here or visit www.mainechamber.org/pfml.

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About the Maine State Chamber of Commerce:
Founded in 1889, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce is Maine’s largest business association, serving as “The Voice of Maine Business” on behalf of thousands of employers of all sizes and sectors across the state. The Maine State Chamber focuses on three pillars - Advocacy, Access, and Awareness - to advance a positive business climate and secure a strong state economy in which Maine businesses can compete and succeed. For more information, please visit www.mainechamber.org.