2006 Associated Press file
AUGUSTA — Proposals to further restrict smoking, allow a casino in western Maine and legalize Sunday hunting are among the bills likely to create a buzz in the State House halls and beyond this year.
Already this session, lawmakers have dealt with one budget deficit, and they will begin review today of a proposed $6.1 billion, two-year spending plan. Gay rights groups also have announced they will move forward with a bill to allow same-sex couples to get married in Maine.
When it comes to other hot-button topics, Rep. Sawin Millett, R-Waterford, is bringing back a proposal to allow a resort casino in Oxford County. Voters rejected the idea in November, but Millett said he's made several changes to the language that he thinks will improve the bill.
He wants to have it approved by Oxford County voters only, not by the entire state.
"We need every bit of economic development we can get," he said.
Millett said the bill removes language that would have allowed people under 21 to work and gamble in the facility; removes references to the company that pulled out of the proposition last summer, and removes the head of the casino from positions on several boards.
It would also let the state Gambling Control Board oversee a bidding process to choose a company to run the facility. Finally, it would give the state 1 percent of the revenue and split other proceeds between economic development and transportation infrastructure.
Dennis Bailey, spokesman for CasinosNO!, said he doesn't understand why a proposal is coming back again. He said casinos don't help local economies, and many are suffering with the recession. "It's crazy to bring it up again after the voters have spoken loud and clear many times," he said.
Here's a look at other topics that will get people talking:
MOTORCYCLE HELMETS
One bill would require all motorcyclists to wear helmets, while another would require anyone under 18 to wear one.
Rep. Paulette Beaudoin, D-Biddeford, wants all riders to wear helmets. "We have seat belts to keep us safe," she said. "It would help keep them safe."
Rep. Emily Cain, D-Orono, is the sponsor of the bill to require minors to wear helmets. She sees it as a middle ground between the motorcycle groups and those who want a requirement for all riders.
"For motorcyclists who start young, we're asking them to wear headgear prior to age 18," she said. "It is a reasonable place to start."
SMOKING
Smokers would have fewer places to light up if some of the bills under consideration are approved.
Sen. John Nutting, D-Leeds, sponsored a bill to ban smoking on state park beaches.
And this week, the Health and Human Services Committee will take testimony on a bill sponsored by Rep. Gary Knight, R-Livermore Falls, that proposes banning smoking on public and municipal beaches.
"If you go to the beach in the summertime, it's difficult to find a place on a beach where someone isn't blowing smoke in your face," Knight said. He said he's concerned about secondhand smoke and litter.
WELFARE REFORM
Rep. Richard Cebra, R-Naples, sponsored a bill to reform the state's welfare system.
Cebra wants to set a 90-day residency requirement for all recipients of public assistance; offer tax credits to businesses that hire economically disadvantaged residents, and eliminate the 20-hour rule.
That rule cuts welfare benefits to people after they work more than 20 hours. Cebra wants to change it so hourly pay, not hours worked, would determine the amount of benefits received.
Also, the bill would establish a 60-month lifetime limit to receive welfare benefits in Maine.
"Five years of welfare is much more generous than you find in most states, where they provide two years of welfare before your lifetime limit is reached," Cebra said in a statement. "The important thing is that we begin to end this culture of dependency we have in Maine and get people back on their feet."
Rep. Peggy Pendleton, D-Scarborough, will sponsor a bill that would bar people from buying soda with food stamps. The bill would require the state Department of Health and Human Services to request a waiver from the federal government so it could enforce the restriction.
She said the high sugar content in soda leads to obesity and a host of other health problems.
"We're having to pay for it with our tax dollars, and it's not good for us," she said.
SUNDAY HUNTING
A long-standing debate on whether people can hunt on Sunday in Maine will be revived by a bill sponsored by Rep. Stacey Allen Fitts, R-Pittsfield.
Fitts said his proposal is somewhat different from what has been considered in the past. He wants to allow hunters with written permission from a landowner – and a $25 permit from the state – to hunt on Sundays.
All state lands would continue to be closed to hunting on Sunday, and only those who get written permission could hunt, he said.
"My intent is to address the concerns people have raised and find that middle ground to pull enough people together," he said.
LONGER SCHOOL YEAR
Sen. Peter Mills, R-Cornville, wants to add 10 days to the school year and require daily physical exercise for all children.
Mills, who has introduced this bill in previous sessions, said it would cost an extra $20 million to $30 million a year. The state spends nearly $1 billion a year on education.
At 175 days, "the school year (in Maine) is one of the shortest in the world," he said. "It's among the shortest in the U.S., and the U.S. has the shortest school years in the world."
Last week, the Education Committee shot down a different proposal to add recess time.
NO MORE TRANS FATS?
Rep. David Webster wants to do something about trans fats, but he's not sure exactly what.
Webster said an otherwise healthy constituent approached him to say he'd recently had a heart attack, and he felt trans fats were to blame.
Trans fats are found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, snack foods and other foods made with or fried in partially hydrogenated oils, said the Food and Drug Administration.
Some cities, including New York, have barred restaurants from cooking with trans fats.
"We can eliminate this stuff from our diet," said Webster, D-Freeport. "I thought it was worthy of a conversation."
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