Munjoy Hill Observer - July 2009
July 1, 2009 -
At 2:16 am on Saturday, June 13th, the first session of the 124th legislature adjourned, and my first six months of hard work came to an end. I'd like to take this opportunity to reflect on my first session. I will focus on the highlights from the session for both the State and for Portland. I will also share some personal accomplishments, and end by sharing some inside lessons that I learned.
If I told you last fall that during the first legislative session we would pass a tax reform package that lowers almost everyone's income tax by 2%, pass the first-in-the-nation marriage equality bill to be signed by the Governor, pass the state's largest single investment in affordable housing in our history - a $30 million bond - and pass an energy bill that consolidates every agency under one roof and creates the energy efficiency and workforce development plan for the future, would you have believed me? Be honest! We made all of these things happen, and it was a remarkable first session in Augusta. In addition, Maine received close to $1 billion in stimulus money through the American Recovery Reinvestment Act and cut $500 million from our State's Biennial Budget.
This session saw several initiatives passed that will directly help Portland. We passed a law that expands Pine Tree Zones to the entire state. This new law will create an even playing field for Portland to attract new businesses and provide tax benefits for new businesses that provide certain kinds of jobs, income levels and employee benefits. Next, a wonderful new transportation tax increment financing bill will promote more alternative modes of transportation for the purpose of promoting sustainable economic development, energy efficiency, transportation cost reduction, open space preservation and greenhouse gas reduction. Finally, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute will be eligible to receive $1.5 million in funding through a bond package to fix the former Naval Reserve Pier. By fixing the condemned pier, it would allow the Gulf of Maine Research Institute to expand up to another 250,000 square feet of buildings for new jobs and research.
Personally, the first term saw some real successes and provided many learning experiences. I introduced several bills that became law, including: a bill that will aid and encourage more online classes in K-12 schools; a bill that will assist families who have children aged 0-5 with developmental disabilities get professional services more quickly; and a bill that will give school districts the ability to create fuel stabilization funds to assist with fluctuating heating fuel prices. For larger municipalities, I passed a bill that will transfer the campaign finance reporting for local candidates and ballot initiatives from City and Town Clerks to the Maine Ethics Commission. This will save our muncipalities money, time and preserve campaign finance reports. For economic development, we also passed my bill to modernize captive insurance, a move that could translate into new businesses and higher-paying jobs across the state. Finally, we passed my bill that defines the term "homeless youth" and dictates that agencies must provide particular evidence-based programs in order to receive funds meant to help these youth.
Let me try to give you a sense of what it was like to be a freshman Senator chairing a committee (Education and Cultural Affairs) that accounts for 40% of the State's budget. It was intimidating at first! I still remember my first training days in Augusta in early January. I was at a meeting listening to department heads share information about running a committee and what to expect. While the information was helpful, I still felt that my heart hammered louder than my gavel the first day that the Education Committee met. But, over time, I learned a lot, and every day I learned more from on-the-job experience.
As a new legislator, there are three or four major learning curves that one encounters. First, you must build relationships with your colleagues to get stuff done. Relationships are everything, and the more time you spend with people, the more trust you can build. Second, you have to learn about the policy in your committee. In Education and Cultural Affairs, I spent hours with my policy analyst learning about Maine Learning Results, the school reorganization law, the funding formula, and more. Third, you must learn to navigate the lobbyists in Augusta. Almost every lobbyist I met was respectful and good to work with, even those with wildly different views than mine. Everywhere you go, a lobbyist is bound to find you and work you on a bill. I also had to learn how to pick my battles. Every constituent email, every phone call, every document and public hearing brought a new issue to my attention. As much as I wanted to, I could not work on every issue, and I had to learn how to focus on two or three things at once. To be as effective as possible, I could not take on anything new until one of my projects had been completed. It was a great lesson to learn.
Now that the session's over, I want to share what I will be up to. I will keep sending out email updates, return emails and phone calls, and go to events in the district. I will also reach out to businesses and non-profits to learn how I can be helpful, and I will spend time in Augusta learning more about different agencies. Finally, I will be serving on at least one education study committee that will look into redefining the role of the State Board of Education.
As always, please contact me any time and check out my website for updates and news: www.justinalfond.com. Happy summer, Munjoy Hill! I am happy to be back in Portland!
