In Support Of

L.D. 997, “An Act To Establish Restrictions on Ammunition Feeding Devices.”

Senator Gerzofsky, Representative Dion and esteemed members of the Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety. My name is Justin Alfond, I am a resident of Portland, and I am proud to serve as President of the Maine Senate and honored to represent Senate District 8 which includes most of Portland and the islands of Peaks, Cliff and Great Diamond. Today, I am pleased to appear before you as the sponsor of L.D. 997, “An Act To Establish Restrictions on Ammunition Feeding Devices.”

The bill I place before you today is a straightforward and common sense step towards solving a huge and complex problem. A problem that has caused a nation to grieve–and brought sorrow to families and communities. A problem that has given us pause about the tenuous nature of our own life and the lives of our loved ones. And a problem that at times has shaken our faith and called into question the very nature of humanity.

It’s a problem that demands action. This bill is only one part of the solution, and when coupled with other common sense measures that address addiction, violence and mental illness, an opportunity is presented to help prevent a horrible tragedy here in Maine.

The gun debate has a history of being a charged issue. But this is a different gun debate. Times have changed.

I am sure that later today you will hear impassioned testimony from both sides of the issue. Acknowledging that fact, and to avoid confusion about this legislation, I would like to explicitly state what exactly this bill does and does not do.

If this bill becomes law, it will:
ban the possession, transfer or importation of ammunition feeding devices that can carry more than ten rounds after the bill becomes law, making it a Class D crime;
exempt the high-capacity magazines already legally owned by Mainers before the law takes effect; and,
exempt current and former law enforcement officials.

This bill will not:
Criminalize the possession of high-capacity magazines already legally owned by Mainers;
Ban the sale or possession of any firearm in Maine;
Take away any guns currently in anyone’s possession;

I grew up in Dexter, Maine, far-off I-95, on the western edge of Penobscot County. I still remember getting to school and seeing guns on racks in my friends’ pickup trucks. I come from rural Maine, and have a deep and abiding respect for hunting and sporting culture. I believe in protecting our liberties as laid out in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. I respect the Second Amendment and what it stands for.

This is the first time I have brought forward a bill about guns. In fact, this is the first time I’ve testified in front of this committee. What’s changed? Newtown, Connecticut.

I still remember where I was when the news of the tragedy of Sandy Hook hit. Coincidentally, I was just leaving an education event. My first phone call was to my wife Rachael, which was then followed immediately by a call to my son’s childcare. I needed to be reassured that my family was safe. I was overcome by the same dizzying, heartbreaking sorrow that hit every parent in America that day.

We must take what steps we can to prevent the horrible tragedies that we see unfolding with each new news cycle. We can no longer put off having these conversations and making these decisions. The citizens of our country and our state support reasonable measures such as the measure before you today. And they expect us as lawmakers to do what we can to keep their loved ones safe.

Unfortunately, the parents of the Sandy Hook school children cannot benefit from the laws passed in Connecticut. They will never get their children back, but those laws might prevent more lives lost.

On that day, the murderer managed to fire 154 rounds with ten 30-round magazines. Twenty-six people shot dead, twenty of them children. It only took twelve minutes. In the time it took him to reload in one of the classrooms, 11 children were able to escape.

Oak Creek, Wisconsin. That shooter entered a Sikh temple armed with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun and three 19-round magazines. He killed seven people, and injured four.

Aurora, Colorado. The murderer that night managed to shoot 70 people in 7 minutes. 12 of them died. 58 injured. He fired 30 rounds from a 100-round drum, then fired shots from two Glocks with modified 40-round magazines.

Tucson, Arizona. That shooter had only one gun, but he had with him four magazines; two thirty-three-round magazines and two fifteen-round magazines. Thirteen injured, including Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. Six dead, including a judge and a nine-year-old girl.

It should be noted that the Tucson shooter was stopped only when, after exhausting the first 33-round magazine, paused to reload, dropped his second magazine, and he was restrained by bystanders. That nine-year-old girl, Christina Taylor Green, was killed by the 13th bullet fired.

Virginia Tech. Columbine. Fort Hood. The list goes on and on. More than 325 people dead or injured during mass shootings in the last 10 years where the killers used high capacity magazines.

You see, these high-capacity magazines serve one purpose, and one purpose only: to free the person wielding the gun of the inconvenience of frequent reloading. Hit more; faster; and with less effort. The goal becomes firing as many rounds as possible, as quickly as possible.

In Maine, it’s illegal to hunt with a magazine that can carry more than five rounds, and for sport and recreational shooting the short time it takes to reload is a minor inconvenience at best. But when used by a mass murderer, those precious seconds could be enough to stop the shooter. Enough time to seek refuge. Enough time to save a life.

Eliminating the availability of high capacity magazines in no way limits an individual’s right to bear arms and is well within the courts interpretation of the Second Amendment.

I have no illusions that restricting access to these high-capacity magazines in and of itself will stop the next massacre, but it could reduce the number of lives lost. And this is exactly the kind of reasonable restriction that will protect Constitutional rights while saving lives.

I am certain that the Committee will hear a lively debate over this and other measures seeking to strike a balance between individual liberty and public safety. Everyone in this room that has come to testify is a patriot who cares deeply about their rights and the safety of their neighbors. My hope is that when the dust settles, and all of the evidence is placed before you, that the Committee will make the right decision that balances rights with saving lives and unanimously supports the measure before you.

I would like to thank the committee for your time, and I am happy to answer any questions you may have.

In Support Of
L.D. 745, “An Act To Promote Sustainable Food Policies”

Senator Jackson, Representative Dill and esteemed members of the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee. My name is Justin Alfond. I am a resident of Portland, and I am proud to serve as President of the Maine Senate and honored to represent Senate District 8 which includes most of Portland and the islands of Peaks, Cliff and Great Diamond. Today, I am pleased to appear before you as the sponsor of L.D. 745, “An Act To Promote Sustainable Food Policies”

In 1919, the legislature had the good judgement to permanently include the farmer and the fisherman on our great State of Maine seal. Maine has a rich heritage of farming and fishing, and it was early agriculture and fishermen that helped build this state.

Unfortunately, Maine is in a food crisis. According to a 2010 Census, nearly 1 in 7 Mainers is food insecure, meaning they have a limited or uncertain food supply. In fact, just yesterday the Portland Press Herald reported on the growing lines at our food banks, with many of those patrons earning too much to qualify for food stamps, yet not earning enough for groceries. In the greatest country in the world, it is unacceptable for anyone to go hungry.

And we all know, it costs money to ship food across the country or across the world. As fuel prices go up, so does the cost of food.

While we struggle with this food crisis, we have farmland ready for production and a labor force ready to work. With 1.3M acres of arable farmland and a world-class fisheries system, we have the opportunity to not only feed every person in our state, but to become the breadbasket of New England.

Quite simply, we have within our power to produce much more food in Maine, and feed many more Maine people.

Now, I’m not the first person to think of this, and there has been great work done across the state to address some of these problems. With this legislation, we have the ability to bring these groups together and provide them the support they need.

In addition to the grant system laid out in my bill, I have an amendment to make the initiative more comprehensive and long-term.

First, the bill as amended would establish a 15-member board called the Board on Statewide Food Sustainability. The board would be made up of two Senators, two Representatives, the Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry, the Commissioner of Marine Resources, and nine public members, all with varying expertise in agriculture, aquaculture, and feeding people.
The board’s first task will be to develop both a statewide food scarcity plan, and a statewide food sustainability plan. The board will seek the expertise of the great work already being done by Maine Farmland Trust, the City of Portland, the Maine Food Strategy Initiative, and many other groups working on producing more food in Maine and feeding the people in our state.
In addition, the board will be tasked with administering the distribution of grants $1.1M annually to support municipalities and other groups working towards the goal of a sustainable food system. There are a number of innovative projects across the state already underway, and projects that are simply ideas waiting to get off the ground. If we don’t provide the support they need, these projects will never become the working models we need.

It is important to note that this bill is intended to serve as a starting point. There are several bills the Committee will work with, that aim, in one way or another, to grow more food in Maine and increase access to food for Mainers. I defer to the Committee and stakeholders as to the best way to move forward on a strong policy for sustainable food in Maine, and look forward to working with the Committee to that end.

I’d like to thank the committee for your time, and I am happy to answer any questions you may have.

In Support Of
L.D. 1066, “An Act To Increase Access to Health Coverage and Qualify Maine for Federal Funding”

Senator Craven, Representative Farnsworth and esteemed members of the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services. My name is Justin Alfond. I am a resident of Portland, and I am proud to serve as President of the Maine Senate and honored to represent Senate District 8 which includes most of Portland and the islands of Peaks, Cliff and Great Diamond. Today, I am pleased to appear before you as a co-sponsor of L.D. 1066, “An Act To Increase Access to Health Coverage and Qualify Maine for Federal Funding”

I will be brief with my remarks because there are many people here that will be speaking to the details of Maine’s role in accepting federal dollars for health care coverage. However, I want to make two points.

First, accepting federal dollars for the people of Maine is the right thing to do. Right now, we have a unique opportunity to provide health insurance–at no cost–to more than 50,000 of our friends and neighbors. Think about the immediate impact that will have. Perhaps most importantly, is the impact this will have on people’s lives. Folks can get the health care they need based on medical and health decisions, not whether or not they can afford it.

Tens of thousands of Mainers that rely on the emergency room or free clinics for care will be covered. Tens of thousands of Mainers who delay getting the treatment they need because they don’t have insurance will be covered. And tens of thousands of our neighbors that don’t have access to affordable basic care when they need it will now be covered.

We can do this today. We can’t turn our backs on our neighbors–and what it will mean to their daily lives, their health, their well-being.

Second, let’s talk numbers. The deal that the federal government is offering Maine is sound. And, it will help our state’s financial situation. At first glance, the numbers are staggering: The $256 million in new health health care spending will generate more than $350 million in economic activity.

But again, accessing federal funds makes financial sense. It’s a good deal because, at no cost to our state, more Mainers will have health insurance, it will drive down our overall health care costs and benefit our hospitals by lowering the amount of charity care they provide without reimbursement.

If we don’t accept federal dollars for this year, we will have lost an amazing opportunity to expand access to healthcare for more than 50,000 Mainers at no cost to the state for an entire year. We have a responsibility to them–and to our state’s coffers to accept this.

I encourage the committee to complete your analysis and make sure this makes financial sense for Maine. I believe it does. I am also encouraged by the Chief Executive pursuing the strongest deal for our state.

The choice before us is simple and clear: we can fundamentally change the lives of tens of thousands of our friends and neighbors, or we can look the other way AND deny them the care they need. Today, I could not more strongly urge this committee to unanimously approve this measure and help our neighbors thrive and be healthy. Thank you.

A Maine Voices column by Sen. Justin Alfond and House Speaker Mark Eves (“Democrats: GOP shutdown threats no way to open budget talks,” March 4) addressed the shifting of state governmental expenses from the income tax to the regressive, local property tax.

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Click here to read more from Portland Press Herald.

Maine lawmakers are in the thick of the session, grappling with budget questions and other sticky policy matters. Senate President Justin Alfond and Senate Minority Leader Mike Thibodeau go In The Arena with Pat Callaghan.

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Click here to read more from WCSH Portland.

AUGUSTA — State lawmakers will take up a bill sponsored by Senate President Justin Alfond that would limit the capacity of ammunition magazines.

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Click here to read more from Portland Press Herald.

Democrats identified closing the “skills gap” as a priority when they reclaimed control of the Legislature in 2012. Monday’s public hearing on LD 90, a bill sponsored by Senate President Justin Alfond, D-Portland, will offer the first look at how they propose to achieve that goal.

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Click here to read more from The Bangor Daily News.

AUGUSTA, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — During their hearing Monday morning, Senate President Justin Alfond mentioned that democrats have always made it a priority to pay down the $1.5 billion debt owed to Maine hospitals.

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Click here to read more from WLBZ Bangor.

The Legislature has been at work two months, but it seems it’s just getting started. When I sat down with Senate President Justin Alfond last Tuesday, he acknowledged the slow pace, and had a two-word explanation: term limits.

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Click here to read more from Sun Journal.

Already this session, Democrats and Republicans have proven we can work together, even when we have strong differences. We overwhelmingly passed a supplemental budget in the Maine Senate and House after extensive negotiations. It’s time for us to rise to the occasion again and do what is best for all Maine people.