Maine lawmakers urged to limit bills

AUGUSTA – With prospects of major revenue shortfalls looming over the state, legislative leaders plan to extend the deadline for filing bills to mid-January, a month later than usual, in hopes of limiting the volume of formal proposals and saving the state money.

The bill deadline, or cloture, in the past has fallen in mid-December at the start of two-year sessions. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, who will be elected speaker next week, said Friday that she and other leaders hope delaying the deadline to Jan. 16 will reduce the usual volume that can exceed 2,000 bills in three ways.

Pingree, a North Haven Democrat, acknowledged the approach is experimental, but a tactic that must be taken as the economic downturn heralds an estimated shortfall of more than $500 million for the next two-year budget cycle.

Legislative leaders from both parties are expected to formally adopt the new cloture date after the newly elected Legislature is sworn in next Wednesday, Pingree said.

Leaders believe the delay will give legislators, especially the more than 50 freshmen who are new to the process, more time to communicate with their colleagues and committees and see if others are introducing similar if not identical bills. Pingree plans to make committee assignments in mid-December.

The extra opportunity to share ideas should cut out redundancy, especially in areas of major concern such as school consolidation and energy, Pingree said. It also will give lawmakers more time to merge similar ideas into a single piece of legislation, which will save the time and expense of hearings, committee reviews and bill drafting and research.

The Jan. 16 date also falls after Gov. John Baldacci will submit a two-year state budget, which Pingree says will reflect how little money the state has to spend on new proposals.

“We hope that will reduce bills that cost money,” she said.

Finally, the delay will give members, especially the new ones, more time to consult with leaders over whether proposed bills are redundant, too costly or should be pulled or set aside for another reason.

Messages left with Republican legislative leaders Friday were not returned immediately, but the minority party supported Baldacci’s curtailment order earlier this month to address a $140 million shortfall in the current budget, and offered to work in a bipartisan manner to achieve further cuts.

The party repeatedly has taken a position of calling for spending restraints. At its state convention last May, the GOP adopted a platform that calls for no spending increases without a two-thirds majority vote of the Legislature.

Pingree said she cannot vouch for the estimated cost per bill, which runs from more than $300 into the thousands of dollars.

“The cost is certainly a concern. That’s one of the things I will remind members of as presiding officer,” said Pingree. “But there is also a cost of time.”