Laws championed by Sen. Stacy Brenner take effect
AUGUSTA — A series of non-emergency laws sponsored and championed by Sen. Stacy Brenner, D-Scarborough, that support Maine children, seniors, families and small businesses, went into effect on Monday, Oct. 18. In her first legislative session, Sen. Brenner established the groundbreaking Maine Healthy Soils Program, which will support Maine farmers and ensure this heritage industry can continue to power Maine’s economy for years to come.
“Despite the extraordinary circumstances we faced during my first legislative session, I’m extremely proud of all we were able to accomplish,” said Sen. Brenner. “From helping small businesses and workers bounce back from the pandemic, to tackling the climate change crisis, we made substantial progress in addressing the most pressing issues facing our state. I can’t wait to keep working toward our future when we reconvene in Augusta this January.”
As chair of the Legislature’s Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, Sen. Brenner spent much of this session working to pass new laws that address climate change and mitigate its effects; passing a law to save recycling programs across the state by shifting the cost of paying for them off property taxpayers and on to large, national corporations; and passing laws for the remediation of PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, and to limit the spread of these chemicals in Maine going forward. Sen. Brenner also serves on the Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee, where she backed laws to create an emergency insulin safety-net program, make prescription drug pricing more transparent, and expand access to lifesaving HIV prevention medication.
This year, lawmakers also made good on longstanding commitments to Maine people and municipalities. Lawmakers funded K-12 education at 55 percent for the first time since Maine voters mandated at the ballot box in 2004 and signed off on a plan to fully restore revenue sharing by 2023. Maine lawmakers also voted to send $300 as a “hazard bonus” to eligible Maine workers who worked throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. All non-emergency laws take effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourns sine die unless otherwise specified.
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