Chamber urges greater transparency; candidate responses will measure their commitment to increasing public participation in lawmaking 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:
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.” ###
3 Comments
8/20/2024 12:54:34 am
Wow ,this article is pretty cool ,it's so fantastic
Reply
9/10/2024 05:25:05 pm
Learn about business finance calculations
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
November 2024
|