132nd Legislative Session Bill Tracker
The first half of the 132nd Maine Legislature is underway and we’re tracking a number of priority bills related to MYCJ’s core principles. Our Bill Tracker has details on those bills and actions you can take to advocate with us. Check out the legislative toolkit for information on how to submit testimony, contact your legislators, and more.
Our Legislative Priorities
Legislative Toolkit
LR 808, An Act to Expand the Green Schools Network
Sponsor: Sen. Joe Rafferty (D-York)
Maine Youth for Climate Justice supports this bill.
SUMMARY
LR 808 would establish an expansive Green Schools Network that includes an engaging support system among educators regarding environmental literacy and the active support of school districts in their desire to increase efficiencies and reduce carbon emissions. This network would consist of pertinent representatives from across the state. Awaiting full bill text.
STATUS
LR 808 has not yet been scheduled for a public hearing.
LR 2359, An Act to Establish a Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program to Impose Penalties on Climate Polluters
Sponsor: Sen. Stacy Brenner (D-Cumberland)
Maine Youth for Climate Justice supports this bill.
SUMMARY
Awaiting full bill text.
STATUS
LR 2359 has not yet been scheduled for a public hearing.
LD 1138, An Act to Reduce Pollution Associated with Transportation in Alignment with the State's Climate Action Plan
Sponsor: Sen. Stacy Brenner (D-Cumberland)
Maine Youth for Climate Justice supports this bill.
SUMMARY
Read the complete bill text.
STATUS
LR 1886 has not yet been scheduled for a public hearing.
LD 785, An Act to Enact the Remaining Recommendations of the Task Force on Changes to the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Implementing Act
Sponsor: Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Cumberland)
Maine Youth for Climate Justice supports this bill.
SUMMARY
Read the complete bill text.
STATUS
LR 1886 has not yet been scheduled for a public hearing.
LR 2159, An Act to Protect Energy Customers from Unfair and Unsafe Corporate Practices and Disconnection Policies
Sponsor: Sen. Anne Carney (D-Cumberland)
Maine Youth for Climate Justice supports this bill.
SUMMARY
Awaiting full bill text.
STATUS
LR 2159 has not yet been scheduled for a public hearing.
Our Defensive Priorities
LD 32, An Act to Repeal the Laws Regarding Net Energy Billing
Sponsor: Sen. Stacey Guerin (R-Penobscot)
Maine Youth for Climate Justice opposes this bill.
SUMMARY
This bill repeals the laws that authorize the Public Utilities Commission to adopt rules 24 governing net energy billing and that direct the commission to establish a net energy billing 25 program for commercial and institutional customers of investor-owned transmission and 26 distribution utilities. It prohibits the commission from adopting rules that require a 27 transmission and distribution utility to allow a customer to participate in net energy billing. 28 The bill also amends the laws that reference the net energy billing programs repealed by 29 this bill, including repealing the provisions of law that provide for real estate and personal 30 property tax exemptions for solar energy equipment used in connection with net energy 31 billing customers. Read the complete bill text.
STATUS
The Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Technology had a public hearing on Thursday, February 27th at 9 am.
LD 257, An Act to Eliminate the Practice of Net Energy Billing
Sponsor: Sen. Trey Stewart (R-Penobscot)
Maine Youth for Climate Justice opposes this bill.
SUMMARY
This bill repeals the laws that authorize the Public Utilities Commission to adopt rules governing net energy billing and that direct the commission to establish a net energy billing program for commercial and institutional customers of investor-owned transmission and distribution utilities. It prohibits the commission from adopting rules that require a transmission and distribution utility to allow a customer to participate in net energy billing. The bill also amends the laws that reference the net energy billing programs repealed by this bill, including repealing the provisions of law that provide for real estate and personal property tax exemptions for solar energy equipment used in connection with net energy billing customers. Read the complete bill text.
STATUS
The Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Technology had a public hearing on Thursday, February 27th at 9 am.
LD 450, An Act to Lower Electricity Costs by Repealing the Laws Governing Net Energy Billing
Sponsor: Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn)
Maine Youth for Climate Justice opposes this bill.
SUMMARY
This bill repeals the laws that authorize the Public Utilities Commission to adopt rules governing net energy billing and that direct the commission to establish a net energy billing program for commercial and institutional customers of investor-owned transmission and distribution utilities. It prohibits the commission from adopting rules that require a transmission and distribution utility to allow a customer to participate in net energy billing. The bill also amends the laws that reference the net energy billing programs repealed by this bill, including repealing the provisions of law that provide for real estate and personal property tax exemptions for solar energy equipment used in connection with net energy billing customers. Read the complete bill text.
STATUS
The Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Technology had a public hearing on Thursday, February 27th at 9 am.
LD 69, An Act to Repeal the Law Restricting the Use of Certain Plastic, Paper and Single-use Bags
Sponsor: Rep. Barbara Bagshaw (R-Windham)
Maine Youth for Climate Justice opposes this bill.
SUMMARY
Awaiting full bill text.
STATUS
LD 69 has been scheduled for a public hearing by the Environment and Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday, March 26th at 10 am.
LD 138, An Act to Exempt Airports from Certain State Endangered and Threatened Species Habitat Protections
Sponsor: Sen. Rick Bennett (R-Oxford)
Maine Youth for Climate Justice opposes this bill.
SUMMARY
This bill exempts the property of an airport from protections for state endangered and threatened species that may require special management considerations or protection guidelines and from restrictions on state and municipal approval of projects that may significantly impact state endangered and threatened species habitats. Read the complete bill text.
STATUS
LD 138 had a public hearing in front of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
LD 236, An Act to Provide Legislative Oversight of the Rule-making Petition Process
Sponsor: Rep. Richard Campbell (R-Orrington)
Maine Youth for Climate Justice opposes this bill.
SUMMARY
This bill amends the law governing petition-based rulemaking by an agency to provide that a rule-making proceeding initiated by an agency based on a petition to adopt or modify a rule submitted by 150 or more registered voters of the State must be conducted by the agency through major substantive rulemaking in accordance with the requirements of the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. Read the complete bill text.
STATUS
The Committee on State & Local Government had a public hearing on Wednesday, February 12th at 10 am.
LD 515, An Act to Reverse Recent Changes Made to the Law Governing Net Energy Billing and Distributed Generation
Sponsor: Rep. Michael Soboleski (R-Phillips)
Maine Youth for Climate Justice opposes this bill.
SUMMARY
This bill repeals the provisions of law enacted by Public Law 2019, chapter 478 related to net energy billing and distributed generation. It directs the Public Utilities Commission to initiate rulemaking to amend its rule regarding net energy billing to be substantially similar to that in effect on March 29, 2017. The bill also repeals or amends provisions of law in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 35-A that rely on provisions that were enacted by Public Law 2019, chapter 478 and are repealed by this bill. Read the complete bill text.
STATUS
The Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Technology had a public hearing for Thursday, February 27th at 9 am.
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Not sure who your legislators are? Find a list of all your state and federal elected officials HERE. Or visit the Legislature website to find a full list of all Maine Senators and Maine Representatives.
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You can find a bill using this search tool. This website tracks all the latest legislative actions and updates.
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All bills and state agency commissioner nominees are assigned to one of 19 standing joint committees and receive a public hearing. Members of the public can offer testimony in support or opposition to a bill in person or via Zoom during the public hearing or in writing. If you want to testify during the hearing via Zoom, you must register at least 30 minutes before the hearing begins. You do not need to register to testify in person.
To register for Zoom or to submit your testimony in writing, follow these steps:
Visit the legislative testimony page HERE.
Select Public hearing
Select the committee that is hearing the bill
Select the date and time of the hearing
Select the appropriate bill number
To register for Zoom, select “I would like to testify electronically over Zoom.”
To submit written testimony, upload your file or enter the testimony in the field.
If you plan to testify in person, you are asked to bring 20 copies of your testimony to distribute to committee members.
You can find committee assignments and public hearing dates and times on the bill’s website. While you can submit testimony at any time and it will be shared with committee members and become part of the public record, only testimony submitted online by midnight on the day of the bill’s public hearing will be included on the bill’s web page.
People with special needs who require accommodations to participate in a hearing should contact the Legislative Information Office as soon as possible by phone (207) 287-1692 or email lio@legislature.maine.gov.
LD 297, An Act Regarding the Management of Oversized Bulky Waste from Wastewater Treatment Plants
Sponsor: Rep. William "Bill" Bridgeo (D-Augusta)
Maine Youth for Climate Justice opposes this bill.
SUMMARY
This bill amends Public Law 2023, chapter 283, section 2, which provides that for the period ending July 1, 2025, if in any 12-month period the total weight of the residue generated by a solid waste processing facility and disposed of or otherwise placed in a solid waste landfill exceeds the total weight of the solid waste initially generated within the State that was processed by the facility in that 12-month period, such excess residue, not to exceed 25,000 tons in that 12-month period, is deemed to be waste generated within the State as long as that excess residue is composed of oversized bulky waste and is disposed of or otherwise placed in a state-owned solid waste landfill. Any other excess residue generated by the facility in that 12-month period is deemed not to be waste generated within the State. The bill amends Public Law 2023, chapter 283, section 2 in the following ways. It removes the provision that any other excess residue generated by the facility in 11 that 12-month period is deemed not to be waste generated within the State. It provides that the excess residue associated with the processing of oversized bulky waste that is used as alternative daily cover is deemed to be waste generated within the State. It changes the end date of the period that the law is applicable to July 1, 2028. It makes the changes retroactive to June 23, 2023. Read the complete bill text.
STATUS
LD 297 has not yet been scheduled for a public hearing by the Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
Additional Wabanaki Sovereignty Bills We Support
LD 14, An Act to Provide Indigenous Peoples Free Access to State Parks
Sen. Craig Hickman (D-Kennebec)
Maine Youth for Climate Justice supports this bill.
SUMMARY
This bill provides that a member of a federally recognized Indian nation, tribe or band 13 in Maine is not required to pay a fee for admission to any state-owned park, historic site, 14 camping area or beach managed by the State. Read the complete bill text.
STATUS
The public hearing for this bill has been carried over to 2026.
LR 212, An Act to Restore Access to Federal Laws Beneficial to the Wabanaki Nations
Sponsor: Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Cumberland)
Maine Youth for Climate Justice supports this bill.
SUMMARY
Awaiting full bill text.
STATUS
The public hearing for this bill has been carried over to 2026.