Dear Neighbor,

Summer is here and that means we’re approaching the home stretch of this legislative session. So far, we’ve enacted more than 350 bills that are now law, which includes legislation that improves access to children’s behavioral health services, conserves our working waterfronts and increases protections for children and families that are exposed to lead hazards in their homes.

I have really enjoyed working on the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee (IFW) and the Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee (HCIFS), where we have passed some great bipartisan legislation that I’m incredibly proud of. Some of the measures the committees passed include:

• Our IFW Committee passed a law to protect our inland waters from invasive species. This program, informally known as Clean Drain Dry, began as an educational campaign to inform boaters on the proper technique for boat cleaning when transferring a boat from one body of water to another. After several years of public education, our committee felt that it was finally time to make it law, and the rest of the legislature and Gov. Mills agreed! Our lakes are such a valuable resource, and I was honored to be able to vote to protect them. More information on this program can be found below!

• My greatest personal success this session came from working with Republican Senator Eric Brakey, my seatmate on the HCIFS Committee, to expand access to birth control by allowing it to be prescribed by pharmacists. Sen. Brakey sponsored the original bill, LD 351, and allowed me to amend it to ensure it meets the needs of as many people, with as few barriers, as possible. Allowing women to choose if and when they get pregnant is a win not just for those individuals, but for society as a whole. When women get to decide when to get pregnant, they have more educational and economic opportunities, they and their children require less support from social services, and cycles of poverty are broken.

While I’m proud of all we’ve accomplished so far, there’s still a lot of work to be done. One of the most significant tasks ahead of us will be passing the second part of the biennial budget. Over the next few days, my colleagues and I will discuss new initiatives to ensure we are meeting the needs of all Maine families, including investing in affordable housing and expanding our child care infrastructure. I look forward to engaging in this work.

As always, I enjoy hearing directly from you, my constituents. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any ideas, questions or concerns.

Sincerely,