Time to make working Mainers a priority
From the Maine House
By Rep. Bob Saucier
Now that the election for state legislature is over, the time has come to get to work. I have listened to many concerns and I am committed to do what is best for our community.
We all know that too many hard-working Mainers are unable to find a good-paying job, afford a visit to the family doctor, or heat their homes. Unfortunately the best response the previous legislature and the governor could muster in was to give the wealthiest Mainers a huge tax cut.
The state legislature needs to make working Mainers a priority again. Instead of helping big corporations and the rich, we need to take action to help the middle-class. As a voice for the middle class, I am committed to advocating for our public schools, Head Start, championing investments in Maine’s roads and bridges, and fight to lower the cost of healthcare by protecting rural Mainers from insurance companies.
Committee assignments have been released and I am happy to report that I have been put on two committees that are of great importance to Aroostook County and Presque Isle. One is Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry and the other one is Veterans and Legal Affairs.
Agriculture touches almost every aspect of life in Presque Isle, Aroostook County, and of Maine. On the Agricultural Committee, I will have the opportunity to work on issues relating to food safety, inspection and labeling, our dairy industry, fairgrounds, harness racing, pesticide regulation and farmland preservation. I intend to be a voice for Maine’s farmers in government and I am committed to working with members of both parties to help farmers in northern Maine.
On the Veterans and Legal Affairs committee I will be working on important issues relating to liquor laws, lottery, off-track betting, election laws, governmental ethics, Department of Defense, the Maine National Guard, and veterans’ issues. I am very excited to be working on these two important committees and will be working five days a week for the people of Presque Isle.
Mainers are a hardworking people. We do what it takes to get the job done right, even if it means getting our hands dirty. Unfortunately, some Maine workers don’t currently have the skills that align with good-paying jobs with benefits. The result is that too many workers in our state remain unemployed or underemployed. The numbers don’t lie, according to the Maine Department of Labor; Maine has lost 1,600 jobs since 2011. Additionally, Maine was the only state in New England whose economy shrunk in 2011 and only one of seven nationwide, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Clearly we need to retool our education system to ensure that workers have the skills businesses are looking for. The bottom line is that Maine can do a better job preparing its young workers for the labor market and keeping our more seasoned workers up to date on the skills employers need. I am pleased that my fellow Democrats in the State Legislature have made plans to partner with businesses to develop job-training programs in the skills businesses need. We know that hard-work and ingenuity are already built into our State’s workers, and these efforts will help to prepare workers with the skills needed to compete in the modern economy.
Access to job training is just the first step to developing a thriving Maine economy. Additionally, providing businesses with a world-class transportation infrastructure is key to creating an economy that is built to last. As a member of the committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, I will be a strong advocate for investing in infrastructure projects that would benefit farmers and loggers. If businesses in traditional industries can move their goods quickly and efficiently, rural Maine will prosper.
Regrettably, The American Society of Civil Engineers gave our roads a “D” grade. Maybe if Maine didn’t have the lowest level of highway funding per mile of all New England states we could have done better.
I am willing to work with members of both parties to pass a comprehensive investment package to fix our crumbling transportation system. Fixing roads and bridges isn’t cheap, but the rewards are substantial. One independent economic analysis even found that for every $1 of spending on infrastructure in Maine, the state receives $12 in economic growth. Even though the political parties can’t seem to agree on many problems, we should all be able to find reasonable solutions to this common sense issue.
Clearly the upcoming legislative session is going to be exciting and at times frustrating. There are going to be a lot of contentious issues, but I am going to put aside partisan differences to do what is right for Maine and the residents of Presque Isle.
I will be having a meet and greet soon where Presque Isle residents can voice their concerns and questions about what is going on in Augusta. I would also gladly help schedule you to speak in front of a committee about a bill you care about.
Rep. Robert J. Saucier (D-Presque Isle) can be reached at 227-1160 or via e-mail at saucierforpi@gmail.com.
