MORE OBSERVATIONS FROM AUGUSTA

LEGISLATIVE BLOG # 11

If the bill gets passed to give General Dynamics/Bath Iron Works their requested $45 million state-tax subsidy, and if the bill gets passed to conform state taxes with the Federal tax giveaway to big corporations, GD/BIW will be a triple tax-cut winner. 

Protesting the Bill to give General Dynamics/ Bath Iron Works 
$3 million annually for 15 years.

My Letter to the Editor, Bangor Daily News, March 21: No Corporate Welfare

A corporate-welfare bill, LD 1781, to provide $60 million in tax breaks to General Dynamics, parent company of Bath Iron Works, is expected to pass in the Maine Legislature with bipartisan support. Supporters of this bill claim the subsidies are needed to be competitive and to protect workers’ jobs. Yet General Dynamics, a major contractor in the military-industrial complex, is making so much money at taxpayer expense they are buying back their own stock to boost the price of shares. They clearly have more than enough money to remain competitive. And the Bath shipyard still shed jobs despite their last welfare handout from the Legislature. 

Threatening job loss and competition pressure is a tactic used against the public and our legislators who are vulnerable from campaign contributions. 

In 2016, a Gallup poll found “The vast majority of those dissatisfied with the influence of major corporations want them to have less power than they do.” Vulnerable legislators in large numbers ignore opinions of most Americans when they could attend to the wishes of constituents and at the same time do the morally right thing: curb corporate power and use the money to meet pressing needs for health care, education, the environment, and infrastructure. 

The collective voices and votes of citizens are more powerful than the love of money. There is still time to contact your legislators and oppose LD 1781.

Update from Bruce Gagnon, "Organizing Notes": 

"The Progressive Caucus will meet next Tuesday to discuss LD 1781 and Taxation Committee co-chair Ryan Tipping (D-Orono) will make the case to them in favor of the bill.  This is despite the fact that he has told some of our friends in his town that he believes it is a 'bad bill' and a 'race to the bottom'.

"We are urging a large turnout of Mainers on Tuesday (March 27) from 9:30 am to noon on the 3rd floor of the capital building.  Be sure to bring a sign that says why you oppose this corporate welfare bill.  We'll also be back there on Wednesday and Thursday of next week as the legislature will be in session then as well.

"One of our advisers today shared with us that the Democrats in the legislature are quite vulnerable now as they attack Gov. LePage for his decision to insert a bill that would conform (or match) Maine with Trump's federal tax bill that recently passed in Washington.  (Of course the Dems should oppose LePage's effort to copy Trump's give-a-way to the rich and corporations.)  But for the Dems in Maine to oppose LePage's 'conformity' tax bill and then turn around and support giving $45 million to General Dynamics is the height of hypocrisy.  So the Dems in Augusta have put themselves in a real moral, ethical and political bind.

"The alternative we are told is for the Dems to try to hide (or merge) this bad corporate welfare bill for GD into another bill that is more favorable to their constituency base - like Medicaid expansion.  So keep your eyes and ears peeled for this kind of sausage making." 

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All 3 of the following Governor's bills, submitted as emergency legislation, have big corporate financial interests involved that are unstated and unacknowledged in the bills and in proponent's testimony: 1. Corporate tax cuts, 2. Corporate Carbon Energy producers, 3. Corporate pesticide producers. 

1. State Tax Conformity with the new Federal Tax Legislation
LD 1655, "An Act To Update References to the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986 Contained in the Maine Revised Statutes."

Thursday March 15, I attended the Public Hearing on this bill, the so-called "tax conformity bill," put forth by Governor Page. Proponents say everyone will get a welcome state tax break with this bill. Opponents say it is another big corporate tax cut.  According to Mal Leary on MPR, the legislature compromised with the governor and passed the bill in exchange for $15 million in school funding. '"I say the work is not done," says McCabe. "There is still more work to be done. I think we will continue to hear from our constituents back home that we continue not to meet our obligation for education funding."'

2. Update on LD 1810, An Act to Amend the Laws

Governing Expedited Permitting for Wind Energy Development

At Work Sessions on March 20 and March 22 the Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Technology issued a divided report on this bill that would restrict wind development in Maine. A divided report means they issue both majority and minority reports. At the Work Session I attended on March 20, the vote was 6 to 4 Ought Not to Pass, but members who are absent have a day to vote, and I don't know the final vote numbers.  

3. LD 1853 An Act to Ensure the Safe and Consistent Regulation of Pesticides throughout the State by Providing Exemptions to Municipal Ordinances that Regulate Pesticides

One more of the governor's bills, this one places restrictions on the ability of municipalities to regulate pesticide use. It "provides that municipal ordinances that regulate the use of pesticides do not apply to commercial applicators and spray contracting firms and to private applicators when the private applicators are producing agricultural or horticultural commodities."  I attended the Public Hearing and following Work Session on March 21 not intending to testify. But after listening to the proponents and many of the opponents, I decided to tell my gardening story: I attempt to keep my house lot pesticide and herbicide free, but every spring and summer I search for bees in my garden and don't find many, sometimes none.  I sometimes attempt to manually fertilize my cucumbers and squash and have not been successful with that. I begged the committee to please help save the bees and vote against the bill. I had trouble counting because of where I was sitting, but by my guesstimate the Commitee voted 8 or 9 to 2 or 3 Ought Not To Pass, and they issued a divided report.

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L.D. 1874 Resolve, To Ensure the Continued Provision 

of Services to Maine Children and Families

On March 23, I attended the Public Hearing on this bill and the Work Session immediately following. Of the many bills supposed to be emergencies in this session, this is the one I have attended that I consider the truest emergency. The Department of Human and Human Services (DHHS) decided in February of this year to cut funding for the program Community Partnership for the Protection of Children (CPPC) 

This program "is a network of people who live, work, and serve in our communities. We know that life is complex, and that life’s challenges can get in the way of being the best parents we can be. Sometimes we all need help.

"We partner to support families who are experiencing the highest levels of stress, before things get out of control. And when life has already gotten complicated, we are here to walk beside each family member, to help them get back on their feet. Together, we help solve problems so parents can focus on raising safe and thriving children.

"We know that preventing child abuse is not simply a matter of parents doing a better job, but about creating communities in which doing better is easier."

Again, I did not intend to testify at this hearing; I felt I did not know enough about the program. But after hearing all the testimony in favor of restoring the funding of the program, I did testify. I was especially inspired by the testimony of the Waldo County Sheriff about his involvement as a Community Partner: "I learned about the hubs being established in each county. Very often, Deputies experience families with children who are in need of assistance in many categories, Many children live in terrible poverty and often do not have enough food to eat. Many times each winter, Deputies are in homes where children are living with no heat. Frequently, Deputies purchase food or heating fuel for the families out of their own pockets. We know there are agencies who provide services to families in need or in crisis, but in those late evening or early morning hours we do not have access to those services. My hope is that these hubs will become a local resource that my Deputies can use to assist families with children in these immediate times of need. These hubs would be staffed by folks who know what resources are available and exactly how to bring these resources to children in need when they need them. Many times Law Enforcement Agencies are not included in efforts to solve community problems. I was encouraged that the folks from CPPC included us in their efforts to help children. We are excited to help and I hope this committee helps us continue this local community effort by maintaining the funding for CPPC." 

This testimony reminded me of my son's involvement with law enforcement in early adolescence and how much I wish there could have been then a program like CPPC that recognizes the complex web of  family and community relationships and works with the entire web to solve problems. Such a program can do so much to prevent the worst effects of a developing mental illness. 

Of 28 people testifying on the bill, 27 testified in favor of it. Only DHHS testified in opposition saying that it duplicates services provided by the Child Abuse and Neglect Council (CAN). Representatives of both CPPC and CAN testified that the 2 programs coordinate and complement each other. They do not duplicate services. CAN works mostly with families who are already in DHHS services as a result of crises.  CPPC works to prevent families from getting to the extreme crisis point of intervention by DHHS. The bill was tabled until Tuesday March 27 to allow some time to see if there could be some resolution about the alleged duplication of services. 

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SUIT UP MAINE

By the end of April, 2018, I will be done  with these direct Observations from Augusta, but I will keep up via Suit Up Maine which publishes ongoing information and analysis about legislative activities. This Web Site  "is an all-volunteer grassroots group of more than 5,400 Mainers who work to raise awareness of and advocate for policies and legislation that promote equity and equality in civil rights, social justice, health care, the environment, education, the economy, and other areas that affect the lives of all people. We are beholden to issues and action, not parties or politicians, and we aren’t engaged in fundraising. Suit Up Maine (SUM) fosters connection and collaboration among Maine’s other progressive groups and organizations, and offers a platform for those groups’ leaders to come together to support, educate, connect, and motivate individuals from all across Maine to rise in non-violent resistance to a regressive agenda. We support and promote the Indivisible Guide, which was circulated after our group started, and encourage everyone to read it. We believe our government works better with a more informed and engaged electorate and all our actions are designed to foster civic engagement."