Bills would fund Boat School and help keep clam flats open

Local legislators have submitted bills to provide funding to keep the Boat School in Eastport, to help keep clam flats open as much as possible during periods of red tide, and to implement recommendations of the Washington County Economic Development Task Force, among other measures.
State Senator Kevin Raye of Perry has submitted a bill that would provide $433,877 to keep the school running for the coming year. That amount is based on a report done by Washington County Community College President William Cassidy, which projected the additional funding needed for operating a sustainable boatbuilding program in Eastport. The funding would include the cost for a director for the Marine Technology Center and for two full-time boatbuilding instructors. The center has not had a director since 2001. Cassidy's report also estimated that an alternative of moving the program to the Calais campus would need $100,000 in additional funding.
Raye notes that most of the other members of the Washington County legislative delegation are cosponsors of the bill, along with three members of the Marine Resources Committee, Senator Dennis Damon, Senator Mary Andrews and Rep. Jeff Kaelin. He adds that WCCC President Cassidy has indicated that the bill will have the support of the Maine Community College System.
The bill will be considered by the Appropriations Committee, but a hearing date has not yet been scheduled. He notes that it will have to be explained to legislators that the Boat School "has been nickel and dimed," and it will be important to have representation from the Maine marine trades industry at the hearing. "We can't allow the Appropriations Committee to think it's something that's a parochial concern."
"My bill is to inject money into the Boat School, to ensure it has the level of funding to reach its potential," says Raye. "I feel it's important enough not only to Washington County and Eastport but to the entire Maine marine trades industry. The boatbuilding industry is the only growth industry in the Maine manufacturing sector. If we can't support that, I don't know what the community college system is all about."

Red tide monitoring
Rep. Ian Emery of Cutler and Rep. Anne Perry of Calais have both submitted bills to increase water-quality testing during periods of red tide. Senator Kevin Raye also submitted a bill concerning red-tide testing, but, since the other two were already submitted, his bill was not approved by the Legislative Council.

During the red-tide outbreak this past summer C the worst in 30 years C concerns were raised that a shortage of Department of Marine Resources staff to conduct the water-quality tests resulted in closures of some clam flats being longer than necessary. With more frequent testing, the flats could have been opened sooner.

Rep. Emery's bill would provide for an additional water-quality monitor for Washington County, funded by a 25 cent surcharge on every bushel of clams. Emery notes, "There's not a lot of excess money around the state," so the diggers would be willing to pay for the position. A hearing was held on Rep. Emery's bill on Wednesday, January 11, by the Marine Resources Committee.

Rep. Perry's bill would provide for two interns to help with water-quality testing on a temporary basis. Her bill will be considered by the Appropriations Committee, but a hearing has not yet been scheduled. Perry expects the two bills will be combined into one.
Economic task force

Raye has also submitted a concept bill that would allow for the implementation of recommendations by the Washington County Economic Development Task Force. Noting that the task force has not taken any positions yet, he is hopeful that at the next couple of meetings recommendations will be made that could then be included in legislation, if necessary. They could in part be based on recommendations from the economic development strategy report that was released in November and was prepared by David Flanagan, Governor John Baldacci's special representative to Washington County.

Abolishing MITSC
Among the bills that were carried over from the last legislative session is one that would abolish the Maine Indian Tribal State Commission (MITSC). The legislation, which is sponsored by Rep. Fred Moore III of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, proposes the creation of a new panel, possibly a joint select committee of the legislature, to consider tribal-state issues.
Moore believes the commission has been ineffective, and both the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot members of the commission had withdrawn following the defeat of the casino referendum in November 2003. The commission then did not meet for two years but did begin meeting again in January 2005. Moore notes that his proposal has generated "a certain amount of attention and concern from settlement act proponents. It's brought the issue of MITSC to the forefront." The commission has now appointed its first Native chairman, Paul Bisulca, a former Penobscot Nation representative to the legislature. "That's seen as a positive development by people who wish to adhere to that process," notes Moore. "We'll seek to turn this bill into a study of the effectiveness of the MITSC process."

"If the election of a Native American as a chair turns out to be nothing more than musical chairs on the Titanic, then you'll see another bill like this again," comments Moore.

Moose hunting
Moore's bill to have the state recognize tribal sustenance hunting permits on lands where moose hunting is permitted during the state's annual moose hunt was also carried over. Discussions about the measure are continuing with the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the legislature's Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee. Moore expects an agreement on the issue will be reached during this session.

Cooper and Drew deorganization
Two bills allowing for the deorganization of towns in eastern Maine will be considered during this session of legislature. One bill submitted by Raye would authorize the deorganization of Drew Plantation, which is located in Penobscot County but is still in Raye's senate district.

A bill that Raye submitted last year to allow for the deorganization of Cooper was amended by the State and Local Government Committee, with a resolve directing the Department of Transportation to discuss issues concerning the high cost of winter road maintenance with the town. Raye says the meeting with the DOT and town officials was not a successful effort. "The DOT didn't bring anything to the table," he says.

"I think the deorganization effort will be revisited," Raye says, noting that the legislative committee can decide in this session to allow a town vote on deorganizing. A two-thirds vote by the town is required for deorganization to be approved. "I believe the town should be able to make that determination," says Raye.

Bill requests not approved
A number of bill requests that were submitted by area legislators were not approved by the Legislative Council to be introduced into this session as emergency legislation.
Rep. Emery had requested a bill entitled "An Act To Allow Sea Urchin Harvesters To Make Up Fishing Days Lost To Inclement Weather." During the last session a bill he had submitted to add more days to the urchin season was not approved by the legislature. Emery feels that if fishermen are being allowed to fish 45 days, they should be able to get in all of those days, by being allowed to make up for days lost because of the weather, since the season has been cut back so much.

Emery also requested a bill to establish a uniform scale for teacher salaries throughout the state. The idea, developed by Union 102 Superintendent Scott Porter, would be to help make the distribution of state school subsidies more equitable, particularly in rural areas, by having all teachers start with the same salary. The bill request was not accepted, though, since it might challenge the present Essential Programs and Services school funding formula, Emery notes.

Another bill request, to provide funds to the Machias wastewater treatment plant, would have sought to upgrade the plant, but it was also not accepted. Emery says that 780 acres of intertidal area are closed to clamming and no significant commercial development can occur in Machias until the plant's capacity is upgraded
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Bill requests submitted by Rep. Perry that were not accepted include one that would require a written agreement regarding the responsibility for property taxes be filed with a municipality upon the transfer of ownership of that property. A similar bill was also submitted, so Perry agreed to co-sponsor that bill. Her request for a bill to address the problems created by substance abuse in Maine was not accepted. Another bill to clarify the accountability of advanced practice registered nurses was approved, but she plans to withdraw it since the issue is being resolved without legislation. Perry has also sponsored bills prepared by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation concerning credit union personnel and the training of security agents. Another bill would allow Canadian nurses to work in Maine if they take the national exam.