Maine’s Important Issues

Republicans Renew Call for Legislative Action

Maine House Republicans joined Maine Senate Republicans at the State House to call upon the Governor and Democrat leaders to allow the Legislature to meet in session to focus solely on COVID-19 matters including:✅ Passing legislation to amend the Governor’s emergency powers, ensuring that both branches of government are involved in decision making going forward✅ Making sure the opinions and expertise of all Mainers shape the reopening of the Maine economy ✅ Requiring legislative approval of all additional emergency extensions

Posted by Maine House Republicans on Monday, June 15, 2020

Don't Govern in Fear (Republican Weekly Radio Address)

Hello, this is State Representative Kathleen Dillingham from Oxford with the Republican Weekly Radio Address. Much has happened since I last delivered one of our radio addresses where I reminded Mainers that we are in this together. Maine’s Chief Executive was able to act quickly to address the pandemic and House Republicans supported the steps taken in the first few weeks by our Governor and President when our state and nation was trying to prepare for the unknown.As a state we have flattened the curve and learned the necessary precautions required to minimize the effects and risks to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe – wash our hands, keep our distance while out and about in our communities, and to stay home if we don’t feel well.We have seen businesses closed to ensure against community spread and then some be allowed to open. We have seen parks closed and some opened. We’ve gone from masks, to no masks, to the suggestion of masks, to mandated masks. Stores and neighbors are now encouraged to file reports on other citizens, who in their judgement, are not adhering to the new rules. We have seen stay at home orders and modified stay at home orders, gatherings of ten to now gatherings of 50. We have seen a lockdown on visitors to our state. Then a requirement that visitors sign a legal document stating they tested negative for COVID19 within 72 hours of entering the state, and then visitors from NH and VT exempt from this requirement, and now visitors from New York, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut are free from testing and quarantining while our neighbors in Massachusetts are not. Those retail stores that were deemed essential were allowed to open but were limited by their square footage as to how many customers they could have and also were required to have directional signs on the floors to tell people which way to enter an aisle, just like my local WalMart behind me. Then more retail stores were allowed to open that hadn’t made the first essentials list and recently we saw an increase in how many people could enter one of these stores even though worship services are still held to a maximum of 50 people. It was the norm to come to our WalMart and see two lines, most times one of them well around the corner. Though I know other places may still experience lines to enter their local supermarket and such, I am thankful that our local Walmart can have 800 people enter the store now so we don’t have folks standing outside for long periods of times in all kinds of weather in order to be able to purchase their necessities.I believe the vast majority of Mainers understand the seriousness of this virus. But taking the virus seriously doesn’t mean we can’t ask questions of our government nor does asking questions mean we aren’t taking the virus seriously and therefore have them dismissed as unworthy of being answered. Even as ordinary citizens without a medical degree, we still have a right to have answers and see the data that is being used to make the decisions that are heavily impacting our lives.As a Mom, I understand the desire to want to keep those you are responsible for safe. You never stop worrying about your children, no matter how old or how far away they are. But you also realize that you can’t keep them in bubble. What you can do is to teach them how to be safe. How to make good decisions and know at the end of the day, they are individuals with their own minds and opinions and ultimately they will make their own decisions, even if you, as their parent don’t agree.You can’t parent in fear and you can’t govern in fear either. We are a self-governed people which requires that we trust Mainer’s to make decisions for themselves. The government is not our parent. Behind me is the Oxford Plains Speedway and their grandstand can hold up to 9500 people. That doesn’t include the pit side stands. The track is now allowed to run their races but they can’t have any fans in attendance. Early on in conversations with the administration about getting our track open, I was told they were looking to NH and VT as to what they were doing concerning track attendance. NH and VT are running their races with 50% capacity and spectators are asked to follow the recommended safety precautions. As of today, our track still isn’t allowed to run with any fans here but those same fans that are watching races in NH and VT can now enter our state freely without restrictions. The Oxford Casino behind me was finally able to open yesterday morning after months long conversations and inspections. This is not only great for our town and region here in western Maine but also for the state because revenues from the casino support k-12 education, which we all know will see significant financial impact from the virus. Their revenues also support our Agriculture fairs and Dairy farms, which have also taken a huge financial hit. But even with the size of the casino, they are only allowed to operate at 5% of their capacity…200 people. You remember I mentioned our WalMart can have 800 people milling about the store at a time.I have highlighted three businesses in my area. I have no doubt Mainer’s can highlight many more. They can also, sadly, point to businesses that have closed for good.Which brings me to my question, what data is now being used to make these decisions? You have two businesses that require patrons to enter their building, both of a good size, one can have 200 people and the other can have 800 people. You have a business that operates in the open air and can hold at a minimum 9500 people but aren’t allowed to have any patrons.I don’t understand the logic, Mainers don’t understand the logic. I am simply asking for whoever is making these decisions to share the scientific data that is being used to make them with the citizens of Maine because as I said before, you can’t govern in fear. Mainer’s deserve to trust that when government takes action, it does so keeping in mind it is the government of the people, by the people, for the people…not government OVER the people.This has been House Republican Leader Kathleen Dillingham with the Weekly Republican Radio Address.Thank you for listening.

Posted by Maine House Republicans on Friday, July 10, 2020

14-day quarantine rules on out of state travelers defy logic

Emergency powers in the Maine statute expressly delegate the authority to “Control the ingress and egress of persons and occupancy of premises within the State pursuant to the movement of persons within the State.”This is Representative Kathy Javner from Chester and that is the language cited in the Governor’s most recent Executive Order, in which she attempts to restrict visitors to the state of Maine.The new plan entitled “Keep Maine Healthy,” a name which implies we are healthy even though the Governor has yet to lift restrictions on Mainers and their employment, seeks to modify the travel restrictions imposed in earlier executive orders.There is broad agreement that the 14-day quarantine, imposed 23 executive orders ago, on out of state travelers is unenforceable. There is now a pending federal lawsuit asserting it is illegal. The Governor is responding to these facts and we appreciate that she is trying, but this new “plan” like the others before it is the product of an insular management style that lacks transparency. In light of the science and data, it is also too little, too late, to prevent more destruction of our economy and social wellbeing.The state’s response to the pandemic continues to be a one-woman show that disregards what Maine’s elected leaders have to say, what employers and their workers have to say, and even what other states have learned.The new plan requires people who wish to come to Maine and not adhere to a 14-day quarantine,to certify to the lodging facility that they have received a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of arriving at the lodging establishment.If tourists are unwilling to get this travel certificate, then, upon their arrival in the state, they must continue with a 14-day self-quarantine according to the rules previously established in executive orders.The Governor’s plan requires our tourist industry to enforce her rules. Lodging facilities are required to have the visitors fill out government paper work certifying the visitor and holds lodging facilities accountable for failure to adhere to the law. In addition to the emergency powers the Governor has to control the ingress, egress and occupancy of premises pursuant to movement of people within the state, she also has the authority to “enlist the aid of any person to assist in the effort to control the emergency and aid in the caring for the safety of people.” In other words she is using our tourist industry to be her enforcers under threat of penalty.It doesn’t have to be this way. Across the border in New Hampshire visitors have to sign an affidavit that they have self-quarantined at home for 14 days. It is a solution that is not intrusive and trusts people to do the right thing. In fact, the New Hampshire approach is good enough that Governor Mills provides an exemption to the travel requirements for New Hampshire and Vermont visitors. If New Hampshire’s approach was detrimental to the health of New Hampshire residents to the point that Maine couldn’t follow similar measures, why are New Hampshire residents exempted from the Governor’s restrictions? By refusing to work with the legislature, listen to employers and their workers, and looking at what other states have done, the Governor imposes her own solutions vetted by her own hand-picked advisors. This is a dangerous, detrimental, disservice to the people of Maine. The longer this goes on, the longer it will take to undo the damage being done by Governor Mills.It is time for the Presiding Officers of the Legislature to call a vote on the question of bringing the legislature back for the limited and expressed purpose of ending the emergency powers that are controlling the movement of people and coopting our legislative authority. Our elected leaders need the ability to work with the Governor to develop a reopening plan that uses the expertise contained in our citizen legislature. We all want to be safe, and there is no reason in working together we cannot be safe and open.This is State Representative Kathy Javner, thank you for your consideration.# # #

Posted by Maine House Republicans on Friday, June 12, 2020