As public hearings and committee work begins to draw to a close this legislative session, Beacon has a roundup of how progressive priorities fared this week in Augusta during initial floor votes by the legislature.

The Maine House passed 77-54 a measure by Rep. Genevieve McDonald (D-Stonington) that would rescind a policy known as one-for-one exchange , which requires providers to get back a used syringe from a person in order to provide them a clean one, and empower the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to determine the number of needles that may be provided. 

Three House Republicans — Reps. Patrick Corey of Windham, Jennifer Poirier of Skowhegan and Will Tuell of East Machias — broke with their party to vote to raise what harm reduction advocates say is an arbitrary cap that prevents providers from adhering to best practices for public health.

“2021 was the deadliest year in Maine’s opioid epidemic,” McDonald said after the vote. “This crisis requires a sharper focus on harm reduction and treatment. We can and must do better, for the people struggling with addiction, for their families, children and the people who love them, and for our state and communities. Expanding access to sterile supplies through syringe service programs will save taxpayer dollars, prevent needless suffering and ultimately save lives.”

During a public hearing on McDonald’s bill last month, supporters and directly impacted people explained to the committee that even when people don’t have a clean needle, they continue to use drugs. So rather than deter drug use, existing policy just worsens the spread of infection and disease.

McDonald’s bill will next go to the Maine Senate.

Banning big box tax dodging

On Wednesday, the House also passed 77-55 a bill by Rep. Ann Matlack (D-St. George) that addresses big box stores that challenge local assessments to get dramatic reductions to their property tax bills. 

Large chain stores try to exploit a “dark store” tax scheme by arguing their retail properties should be valued the same as abandoned shopping centers that have lost economic value. 

A 2019 report by the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP) found that of the 25 Maine towns with the highest retail sales, 17 had big box stores appeal their property tax valuations. The analysis further found that valuations were requested to be reduced by 34% on average. 

Matlack’s bill mandates that retail properties be assessed the same as other open retail facilities.

“This is a matter of fairness,” said Sarah Austin, MECEP’s director of policy and research, on the need for the bill. “The services, infrastructure, and amenities funded by property taxes increase our quality of life and help businesses succeed. But large, multi-national big-box retailers increasingly turn to dark store theory to get out of paying what they should.”

Rep. Meldon Carmichael of Greenbush was the only Republican to support the tax avoidance ban. The bill will next go to the Senate.

Voting down vax ban and fee on vacation homes

Another noteworthy development was a 17-13 vote in the Senate to kill a bill by Republican Rep. Tracy Quint of Hodgdon that would have prohibited mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for five years.

Sen. Dave Miramant of Knox County was the only Democrat to support the anti-vaccine measure.

The House also killed a bill sponsored by Rep. Chris Kessler (D-South Portland) and supported by affordable housing advocates that would have  allowed municipalities to  levy a fee on residential property that isn’t occupied on a permanent basis, using the money generated on initiatives to ease the housing crunch.  

Kessler’s bill was voted down 53-76 on Wednesday.  House Speaker Ryan Fecteau (D-Biddeford) and 16 other Democrats voted against the bill.

Photo: Maine State House | Dan Neumann, Beacon

Dan studied journalism at Colorado State University before beginning his career as a community newspaper reporter in Denver. He reported on the Global North's interventions in Africa, including documentaries on climate change, international asylum policy and U.S. militarization on the continent before returning to his home state of Illinois to teach community journalism on Chicago's West Side. He now lives in Portland. Dan can be reached at dan(at)mainebeacon.com.

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