An emergency bill, LD 2136 seeks to prohibit political speech concerning a referendum question3/12/2020 EDITOR’S NOTE: This testimony was delivered on Wed., March 11, 2020, for the Maine State Chamber of Commerce by Gerald F. Petruccelli of Petruccelli, Martin & Haddow before the Joint Standing Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs regarding LD 2136, An Act To Prohibit Contributions, Expenditures and Participation by Foreign Nationals To Influence Referenda (Emergency).
Senator Luchini, Representative Schneck, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs: Thank you for the opportunity to testify on LD 2136, An Act To Prohibit Contributions, Expenditures and Participation by Foreign Nationals To Influence Referenda (Emergency). My name is Gerald F. Petruccelli, from Petruccelli, Martin & Haddow in Portland, and I am here today on behalf of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. I understand that many members of this committee are co-sponsors of the bill under consideration. I hope that, after hearing my testimony and reading the more complete testimony I will submit to the committee, you will consider the Chamber’s concerns about this legislation and reconsider your approach to this issue.
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An emergency bill, LD 2136 seeks to prohibit political speech concerning a referendum question3/12/2020 EDITOR’S NOTE: This testimony was delivered on Wed., March 11, 2020, for the Maine State Chamber of Commerce by Gerald F. Petruccelli of Petruccelli, Martin & Haddow before the Joint Standing Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs regarding LD 2136, An Act To Prohibit Contributions, Expenditures and Participation by Foreign Nationals To Influence Referenda (Emergency).
Senator Luchini, Representative Schneck, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs: Thank you for the opportunity to testify on LD 2136, An Act To Prohibit Contributions, Expenditures and Participation by Foreign Nationals To Influence Referenda (Emergency). My name is Gerald F. Petruccelli, from Petruccelli, Martin & Haddow in Portland, and I am here today on behalf of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. I understand that many members of this committee are co-sponsors of the bill under consideration. I hope that, after hearing my testimony and reading the more complete testimony I will submit to the committee, you will consider the Chamber’s concerns about this legislation and reconsider your approach to this issue. LD 420 creates two different exclusion amounts that apply to Maine businesses
As predicted, LD 420, An Act to Amend the Maine Exclusion Amount in the Estate Tax, sponsored by Rep. Benjamin Collings (D-Portland), has resurfaced in the Taxation committee, after failing to garner enough votes to pass in the House (70-75) and in the Senate (12-19) last session. On Thursday, March 5, the Taxation committee voted 5-5 on the ought-not-to-pass motion. Because it was a tie, all present committee members agreed to let the absent committee members vote. Those votes will be registered later, but as of press time, Sen. Matthew Pouliot (R-Kennebec), Rep. Bruce Bickford (R-Auburn), Rep. Stephen Stanley (D-Medway), Rep. Donald Marean (I-Hollis), and Rep. Amy Arata (R-New Gloucester) all voted ought-not-to-pass, and Rep. Ryan Tipping (D-Orono), Rep. Ann Matlack (D-St. George), Rep. Diane Denk (D-Kennebunk), Rep. Kristen Cloutier (D-Lewiston), and Rep. Maureen Terry (D-Gorham) all voted “ought-to-pass as amended.” The amended version would return the exclusion amount from $5.7 million to $2 million and would provide an additional exclusion amount of $3.8 million specifically for fishing, farming, aquaculture, and wood harvesting businesses. By Dana F. Connors
As cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) begin to reach U.S. soil, and particularly the New England region, I cannot stress enough that Maine’s response to the coronavirus must be grounded in facts, not driven by fear. Regardless of size or sector, concerns about the coronavirus and actions that businesses should, or should not, take will greatly mitigate the impact of the virus on public health and the economy. The Environment and Natural Resources committee continues to work on LD 2104, An Act To Support and Increase the Recycling of Packaging, that would create a first in the nation extended producer responsibility framework for the State of Maine. On Thursday, March 5, Sen. Brownie Carson (D-Cumberland) presented an amendment that significantly altered the original proposal. The amendment proposed the following changes to the original legislation (http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/bills_129th/billtexts/HP150001.asp):
As a Maine employer, you already know it pays to be prepared. Whether you operate locally or globally, at some point in the near future, the outbreaks in other parts of the globe may likely affect the ability to obtain products from abroad or even the ability to produce goods and services. There are some great resources and guidelines for business through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Maine State Government, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
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