BANGOR, Maine — Proposed legislation that aims to allow Maine law enforcement officers to donate money in support of their own received a unanimous ought-to-pass vote this week from members of the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.
Sponsored by Rep. Andre Cushing, R-Hampden, LD 1900 — An Act to Support Members of the Law Enforcement Community as a Result of Medical Need or Unusual Hardship — was the subject of a public hearing and a workshop Wednesday during which the bill was amended.
Cushing said Thursday that after some discussion, committee members decided to limit the bill’s scope to fundraising for medical hardships to facilitate the bill’s passage. In addition, the definition of “general public” was amended to include officers from other agencies.
If enacted, the proposed legislation would allow law enforcement officers to donate to fundraising efforts for fellow officers or their family members facing medical problems — including those outside their own departments.
As it stands, law enforcement can raise funds for an officer or an immediate family member who is suffering from a catastrophic illness as long as certain conditions, established beforehand by the Maine attorney general’s office, are met. They also may solicit the general public for charitable causes.
Cushing said he decided to submit legislation to that end after after learning of a problem that Penobscot County law enforcement officials encountered recently.
The Penobscot County Law Enforcement Association, a lodge — or union local — of the Fraternal Order of Police, had to return all donations it collected recently from other law enforcement officers during a fundraising effort to benefit the cancer-stricken wife of a Penobscot County sheriff’s deputy.
Word of the fundraiser spread by email, reaching departments outside the Penobscot County Law Enforcement Association, and donations flowed in from many of those departments.
Cushing said the matter came to the attention of the Maine attorney general’s office after the law enforcement association self-reported it.
Brenda Kielty, a special assistant in the attorney general’s office, said last week that when the person in charge of the fundraising effort emailed law enforcement officers outside of the department, he or she violated state law.
“Nobody liked that finding,” Cushing said, adding that Attorney General William Schneider issued the ruling “reluctantly.”
Cushing said that he met with Schneider last Friday and that by Monday Schneider had come up with a legislative solution.
He said the bill, which was submitted with an emergency preamble, could go before the Maine House of Representatives and the Maine Senate as early as Friday or early next week.
Among those who testified during a brief public hearing that preceded the committee’s 10-0 ought-to-pass vote was Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Morris, who spoke in support of the bill, Cushing said.
Maine’s police solicitations law prohibits a law enforcement agency, association or officer from soliciting from the general public — which includes people outside the department and their families — if the money raised benefits the agency, association or an officer.
“I believe this law needs to be changed to give the law enforcement community the right to take care of each other,” Cushing said last week in an interview shortly after he introduced the bill.
“My bill would not allow them to solicit money for police dogs or flak jackets and things like that, but only for cases of extreme personal hardship and serious medical problems.”
Co-sponsors of Cushing’s bill are House Speaker Robert Nutting; Sen. Nichi Farnham, R-Bangor; Sen. Deborah Plowman, R-Hampden; Sen. Barry Hobbins, D-Saco; Sen. Garrett Mason, R-Livermore Falls; Rep. David Burns R-Whiting; Rep. Rep. Michael Clarke, D-Bath; Rep Philip Curtis, R-Madison; and Rep. Anne Haskell, D-Portland.
BDN writer Nick McCrea contributed to this report.
This may seem reasonable but it might be much less than that. Small businesses are often solicited by 3rd parties–with or without the approval of local or state police–to sponsor ads on (primarily) radio fostering some pubic service message promoting the police or a specific police activity. There is no inherent benefit to law enforcement in these campaigns; the solicitors take in more money than needed to place the ads and keep the difference. Many small businesses hear the pitch and understand the insinuation that they will be negatively viewed if they do not participate. Sadly, the same may happen here. I am quite sure it is not the intention of the lawmakers but it is poorly thought through. I have read the law and it will be misused as written.
So right now, the police can’t legally help you or your family in times of crisis, but can’t help one of their own and you’re ok with that? They just want to be able to ask each other, not the public for help and you can’t support it?
So if Officer Smith’s wife is dying of cancer and his co-workers want to pass a hat around to other officers, NOT the public, you’re against it. Wow, talk about prejudice
If it were simply that, helping each other in time of crisis, I would have no qualms. Please read the bill. The version I saw was not simply that. By the way, prejudice is judgment without knowledge, which you may be practicing. Looking for the bill this AM results in a 404 error; perhaps there were mistakes in the posted version; the draft summary looks inocuous.
In the old days there was this thing called Insurance , You paid them a premium and they paid all your medical bills !
Interesting concept!
Has nothing to due with insurance at all. You missed the boat on this one. Came up due to the Penobscot County Sheriff deputy’s wife who had cancer and died, funds were being collected to help the family with incidental expenses. Maybe you could point out for us a policy the covers incidental expenses.
I dislike this idea. It reminds me of the phone call I get every year from the fire department begging me for money. And the thought in the back of my mind, after I tell them no, that the fire truck may drive a bit more slowly to my house because of my refusal.
I don’t want police calling me begging for money.
Did you just skip over the article and then just post this? Seriously, talk about missing the point. If you actually take the time and read this, you’ll find that it talks about police being able to ask other police officers for help in times of critical need. There is nothing about soliciting the public or the police calling you and “begging for money”.
The way the law is right now, an officer from one dept can’t legally ask an officer from another agency for financial help for he or his family in times of need. All this law does is allows them to do so.
I’ve got an extra pair of reading glasses if you need them !
Yes, Yes, Yes. It’s about time fairness can be extended to family’s in need. Insurance does not cover all the other associated expenses with family hardships. These people are working class like many others and need the support of family and friends like everyone else. Do unto others like you would have them do for you.
The charitable cause clause to be able to solicit the public is of some concern.
Wanna buy a cop? Just another opening for fraud and payoffs.
As it stands, law enforcement can raise funds for an officer or an
immediate family member who is suffering from a catastrophic illness as
long as certain conditions, established beforehand by the Maine attorney
general’s office, are met. They also may solicit the general public for
charitable causes.
This would not be necessary if we had universal health care coverage.