(D-Presque Isle)
Now that the legislature is in full swing I wanted to take some time and let you know how things are going. I first want to thank everyone who gave me the opportunity to serve and I want to reiterate that it is a great honor to represent the citizens of Presque Isle. After a couple of weeks of orientations, tours and opportunities to meet my fellow legislators, I am now settling down to committee work. I will be serving on the State and Local Government Committee. Among other things, the committee considers legislation that involves local and county government and oversight of state officials. We have already been assigned some interesting bills, including one to require an independent audit of state government and one to allow municipalities greater flexibility to disburse state fees.
There is an immense amount to be learned in a short amount of time, but there is also a lot of opportunity. Being a new representative gives me the benefit of taking a fresh look at some of our old problems. There is a lot of work to do this session that could benefit from a pair of fresh eyes.
Some of you may know that although I am now a realtor, I started my career path right after high school when I joined the Army. After serving a year in Iraq and Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War, I know the many challenges of being a soldier overseas. That’s why I was concerned when I learned of a study by the Pew Center on the States that gave Maine, and a number of other states, a failing grade for our voting laws as they affected overseas military personnel.
The study concluded that Maine’s current system did not give enough time for military personnel serving overseas to receive and return their absentee ballots. This essentially means that some service people from our state are unable to vote.
I submitted a bill that would change our procedures and fix this problem. The bill would require the state to send out absentee ballots two weeks earlier to overseas personnel. According to the study’s analysis, this is all that is needed to ensure our service people are able to have their votes counted. It is a simple change, but one that will make a big difference.
I have submitted a couple of other bills and signed onto many other bills as a co-sponsor. As I said during my campaign, I will not put my name to anything that will raise taxes, and I have kept that promise.
Many changes that can make big differences in the lives of Maine people are simple ones. And they often go unnoticed unless a study comes out or someone speaks up. As your representative, I will be relying on you to come to me with your concerns and questions so that together we can work to make positive changes.
I look forward to the work we will be doing in Augusta this session. I also look forward to hearing from you. Don’t hesitate to contact me at 227-5989 or by e-mail a mikeblackbear@gmail.com.
