Under the Dome: Inside the Maine State House provides a high-level overview of recent activity at the Maine State House. If you would like more specific information regarding an item in this newsletter or related to government relations, please contact a member of our Government Relations Practice Group: John Delahanty, Andrea C. Maker, or Avery Day.
Election Day change in control of both chambers of Maine’s Legislature was dramatic, with Democratic candidates capturing a number of open seats and defeating incumbent legislators in both chambers. The change in control has brought about significant change in leadership, with eight of the ten members of leadership being new to a leadership position. With leaders chosen, committees will now be appointed. The effect that the elections will have on committee composition, also, will be dramatic. While we do not know who will be appointed to committees, below are some key committees with present members struck if they are not returning to the Legislature or if they are unlikely to serve on any committee:
Appropriations and Financial Affairs
Senator Richard W. Rosen (R-Hancock), Chair
Senator Roger J. Katz (R-Kennebec)*
Senator Dawn Hill (D-York)
Representative Patrick S. A. Flood (R-Winthrop), Chair
Representative Tom J. Winsor (R-Norway)
Representative Kathleen D. Chase (R-Wells)
Representative Tyler Clark (R-Easton)
Representative Kenneth Wade Fredette (R-Newport)*
Representative Dennis L. Keschl (R-Belgrade)
Representative Margaret R. Rotundo (D-Lewiston), Ranking Member
Representative John L. Martin (D-Eagle Lake)
Representative David C. Webster (D-Freeport)
Representative Sara R. Stevens (D-Bangor)
*Member of legislative leadership in the 126th and unlikely to serve on a committee
Energy, Utilities and Technology
Senator Michael D. Thibodeau (R-Waldo), Chair*
Senator Christopher W. Rector (R-Knox)
Senator Philip L. Bartlett II (D-Cumberland)
Representative Stacey Allen Fitts (R-Pittsfield), Chair
Representative James M. Hamper (R-Oxford)
Representative Dean A. Cray (R-Palmyra)
Representative Larry C. Dunphy (R-Embden)
Representative Aaron F. Libby (R-Waterboro)
Representative Jon Hinck (D-Portland), Ranking Member
Representative Alexander Cornell du Houx (D-Brunswick)
Representative Roberta B. Beavers (D-South Berwick)
Representative Mark N. Dion (D-Portland)
Representative Louis J. Luchini (D-Ellsworth)
*Member of legislative leadership in the 126th and unlikely to serve on a committee
Environment and Natural Resources
Senator Thomas B. Saviello (R-Franklin), Chair
Senator Roger L. Sherman (R-Aroostook)
Senator Seth A. Goodall (D-Sagadahoc)*
Representative James M. Hamper (R-Oxford), Chair
Representative Bernard L. A. Ayotte (R-Caswell)
Representative Jane S. Knapp (R-Gorham)
Representative Joan M. Nass (R-Acton)
Representative Ricky D. Long (R-Sherman)
Representative James W. Parker (R-Veazie)
Representative Robert S. Duchesne (D-Hudson), Ranking Member
Representative Melissa Walsh Innes (D-Yarmouth)
Representative Joan W. Welsh (D-Rockport)
Representative Denise Patricia Harlow (D-Portland)
*Member of legislative leadership in the 126th and unlikely to serve on a committee
Health and Human Services
Senator Earle L. McCormick (R-Kennebec), Chair
Senator Nichi S. Farnham (R-Penobscot)
Senator Margaret M. Craven (D-Androscoggin)
Representative Meredith N. Strang Burgess (R-Cumberland), Chair
Representative Leslie T. Fossel (R-Alna)
Representative Richard S. Malaby (R-Hancock)
Representative Beth A. O'Connor (R-Berwick)
Representative Deborah J. Sanderson (R-Chelsea)
Representative Heather W. Sirocki (R-Scarborough)
Representative Mark W. Eves (D-North Berwick), Ranking Member*
Representative Matthew J. Peterson (D-Rumford)
Representative Linda F. Sanborn (D-Gorham)
Representative Peter C. Stuckey (D-Portland)
*Member of legislative leadership in the 126th and unlikely to serve on a committee
Insurance and Financial Services
Senator Rodney L. Whittemore (R-Somerset), Chair
Senator Lois A. Snowe-Mello (R-Androscoggin)
Senator Joseph C. Brannigan (D-Cumberland)
Representative Wesley E. Richardson (R-Warren), Chair
Representative Jonathan B. McKane (R-Newcastle)
Representative Joyce A. Fitzpatrick (R-Houlton)
Representative Susan E. Morissette (R-Winslow)
Representative John J. Picchiotti (R-Fairfield)
Representative Sharon Anglin Treat (D-Hallowell), Ranking Member
Representative Adam A. Goode (D-Bangor)
Representative Henry E. M. Beck (D-Waterville)
Representative Terry K. Morrison (D-South Portland)
Representative Paulette G. Beaudoin (D-Biddeford)
Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development
Senator Christopher W. Rector (R-Knox), Chair
Senator Thomas H. Martin, Jr. (R-Kennebec)
Senator Troy Dale Jackson (D-Aroostook)*
Representative Kerri L. Prescott (R-Topsham), Chair
Representative Dana L. Dow (R-Waldoboro)
Representative Melvin Newendyke (R-Litchfield)
Representative Amy Fern Volk (R-Scarborough)
Representative Raymond A. Wallace (R-Dexter)
Representative John L. Tuttle, Jr. (D-Sanford), Ranking Member
Representative Timothy E. Driscoll (D-Westbrook)
Representative Paul E. Gilbert (D-Jay)
Representative Robert B. Hunt (D-Buxton)
Representative Erin D. Herbig (D-Belfast)
*Member of legislative leadership in the 126th and unlikely to serve on a committee
Taxation
Senator Jonathan T. E. Courtney (R-York), Chair
Senator David R. Hastings III (R-Oxford)
Senator Richard G. Woodbury (U-Cumberland)
Representative L. Gary Knight (R-Livermore Falls), Chair
Representative G. Paul Waterhouse (R-Bridgton)
Representative Bruce A. Bickford (R-Auburn)
Representative Paul Edward Bennett (R-Kennebunk)
Representative R. Ryan Harmon (R-Palermo)
Representative Windol C. Weaver (R-York
Representative Seth A. Berry (D-Bowdoinham), Ranking Member*
Representative Donald E. Pilon (D-Saco)
Representative Mark E. Bryant (D-Windham)
Representative Elspeth M. Flemings (D-Bar Harbor)
*Member of legislative leadership in the 126th and unlikely to serve on a committee
Legislative committees rarely, if ever, enjoy the same composition from one Legislature to the next. The amount of change this year, however, is noteworthy, with some thirteen-member committees losing as many as nine members. The change in committee composition coupled with the fact that five members of the Senate and over fifty members of the House have no previous legislative service means that those companies and other interested parties with complex issues before the Legislature over the next two years should be prepared to spend the time needed to educate legislators about their issues.
As we enter this new legislative season, we are particularly pleased to have former Governor John Baldacci with us for his first session as Pierce Atwood’s Senior Advisor, Economic Development and Government Relations. Please feel free to contact John Delahanty, Andrea C. Maker, or Avery Day of our Government Relations practice group if you have questions regarding the new Legislature, ways to approach particular issues, or if we can otherwise assist with your governmental relations needs.
