The Maine Legislature has a web site where you may access a tremendous amount of information, including the current status of a bill, the text of the bill and any amendments, roll calls, and related information. Your legislator will be pleased to help you track down legislation and provide you with copies of any bills. The Legislature’s main web site contains links to the House and Senate, as well as other Legislative Offices. Maine newspapers, radio and TV all report on important legislation and most education, health and environmental organizations have monthly newsletters. Many also have advocates in the State House with access to up-to-date information.

Find your Representative and Senator in alphabatized order by your city or town. You can also write or call Legislative Information, 100 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0100, telephone (207) 287-1692 or 1-800-301-3178. Individual copies of any bill, (LD) are available free of charge by contacting the Legislative Document Room, 2 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0002, telephone: (207) 287-1408.

There are official legislative publications available in public libraries and at town offices, as well as on line. Your legislator has access to them and can help you obtain information:

(House – Senate)
The agenda of each chamber, which is printed daily during the session and is also referred to as the “Advance Journal and Calendar.”

(Weekly Report)
A weekly publication that lists by LD #, H.P. # or S.P. # all bills printed, including the full title of the LD and the sponsor. It also lists all bills that have been enacted.

(Schedule)
The Public Hearing Schedule, a.k.a. Advance Notice of Public Hearing (ANPH), lists all bills scheduled for public hearings by legislative committees during the legislative session and is published weekly. If you have a question regarding the time or place of a public hearing you may call Legislative Information at (207) 287-1692. Once the legislature has convened, committees have been formed and bills have been referred, public hearings are held. This is the procedure whereby interested members of the public are invited to come forward with testimony on a LD.

(Calendar)
This publication lists meetings and hearings of departments, commissions, boards, and task forces, as well as meetings of legislative committees when the legislature is not in session.

Letters are extremely effective. Address them to “House of Representatives, 2 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0002,” to reach your Representative and “Senate of Maine, 3 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0003,” to reach your Senator. Please include your name and address so that the legislator can respond. Personal visits are also valuable. Personal postcards, phone calls and well written letters all help. Be sure to tell your legislator why you support or oppose a measure. Representatives can be reached toll free at 1-800-423-2900 and Senators at 1-800-423-6900. We do also have e-mail addresses for those Representatives and Senators who have them on the Legislature’s web site, but it is sometimes hard for Legislators to check their e-mail while the Legislature is in session, so phone messages are usually faster.

Each bill (LD) is referred to one of the Legislature’s Joint Standing Committees (for example: Education and Cultural Affairs, Health and Human Services, Taxation, etc.) which holds an advertised public hearing which you may attend. In addition, each bill (LD) in most instances appears on the floor of the House and Senate a total of at least six days before final passage by the Legislature. There is ample time to let your legislators know your feelings, but the sooner the better.

Requires a majority vote by each branch of the Legislature and approval by the Governor, becomes a law 90 days after the Legislature adjourns without day.

Requires 101 votes in the House and 24 votes in the Senate and become law upon signature of the Governor.

Amending the Constitution requires 2/3 votes of each branch of the Legislature and a vote by the people.