Solar bill must move forward
The solar bill, LD 1649, that is currently in front of the Legislature represents Maine at its very best and its very worst.
The Maine Public Utilities Commission-led stakeholder process that led to this first-in-the-nation compromise on solar policy was truly Maine at its very best. The process was thoughtful, respectful and inclusive and the diverse stakeholders were able to develop and present the Legislature with a policy proposal that is truly win-win. The proposal is supported by solar advocates, the state’s major utilities, the public advocate, environmental groups and municipalities, among many others. It is a policy that is good for solar and ratepayers.
Since that consensus proposal landed in Augusta, we’ve also had the opportunity to see Maine at its worst. Instead of considering the proposal on its merits, partisans in Augusta have done what is easiest and retreated to their partisan corners. The governor and his allies have lobbied aggressively against the bill, spreading misinformation among lawmakers and even personally attacking his own appointee, the public advocate, for having the courage to stand up for what is good for ratepayers.
Now some are cynically calling for the Legislature to do nothing at all and instead leaving the future of the state’s solar policy in the hands of the unelected political appointees at the Public Utilities Commission.
LD 1649 represents an opportunity for lawmakers to show independence and leadership, to put aside partisanship and work collaboratively on solutions to benefit Maine. I hope that they seize this opportunity.
Fortunat Mueller
North Yarmouth
End criminalization of mental illness
It’s hard to keep track of all of the different amendments that have been proposed to LD 440. The bill had been amended many times to propose several solutions to the issues addressed, yet none of them have been sufficient to gain support from both sides of the Legislature and advocacy groups across Maine. As of its most recent amendment, LD 440 included the sentencing of patients found by to be not criminally responsible or incapable to stand trial due to mental illness to a “secure mental health unit” staffed and operated by the Department of Corrections. Up until now, these patients have been referred to the Riverview Psychiatric Recovery Center, where lack of staffing is a prevailing issue.
By placing such patients in a correctional facility, the historic criminalization of mental illness is continued. While the Department of Corrections may be well intentioned, those with mental illness need treatment –—not behavior management, which is the focus of the corrections department.
The introduction of LD 1577, a bill from Gov. Paul LePage to move some Riverview patients to prison, led to an ought not to pass decision for LD 440, due to similarity of the issues in the two bills. LD 1577 presented remarkably similar suggestions for the criminalization of not criminally responsible and incapable to stand trial patients as LD 440. LD 1577 has undergone a committee rewrite authorizing the continuation of services for patients not criminally responsible and incapable to stand trial at Riverview, in addition to an out-of-state transfer if their needs cannot be met there.
This is the best solution presented up until this point, and merits our full support while working to repair staffing challenges at Riverview.
Keren Copperman
Old Town
Help instead of criminalization
There are different ways of thinking about our criminal justice system. One is the idea that the entire purpose of the system is to punish criminals. The other thought process is the idea that the purpose of our criminal justice system is to keep the public safe.
These two ideas not only don’t go hand in hand, but they actually contradict each other. For instance, if a kid goes to college and experiments with drugs, the worst thing we can do is send that kid to prison. Rather than a college graduate working, paying taxes and contributing to the community, you’ll have a criminal, who will be denied work, housing and an education, harming the rest of his or her life. That kid’s only options, since he or she won’t be able to get a job and won’t be able to get welfare, will be to seek an income from illegal sources. Punishing that kid, ultimately, makes our communities less safe.
That’s why we need to reprioritize. Let’s send people suffering from addictions to rehab, not prison. Let’s get people mental health counseling, rather than putting them in criminal environments. Let’s give people homes, rather than criminalizing homelessness. Let’s ensure people have food, rather than criminalizing panhandling. Let’s give people the opportunity to work legal jobs, rather than forcing them into the shadows, and let’s invest in people’s futures, rather than condemning them.
Let’s have a system that lifts all boats, rather than hurting some and hoping against hope that it helps the rest of us.
Edward Cote
Bangor
TANF helps children
Preparing Maine for a prosperous future begins with recognizing that our youngest residents must get what they need today to become the adults who will strengthen our communities and build our economy.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families prevents our children living in deep poverty from going without such basics as stable housing. When we see the numbers of children in extreme poverty increasing, as Sam Adolphsen noted in his April 4 BDN OpEd, it is a very large concern when we also see an enormous drop in children receiving TANF. That tells us that the children who need it most might not be getting the support they need to reach their full potential.
While we don’t suggest causal relationships between distinct Kids Count indicators, our important data paint a picture of the overall health and well-being of Maine children. What do we know? More children are in extreme poverty today, and fewer children (a drop of two-thirds of the caseload in a single year) are receiving TANF. The decrease is due to a strict adherence to rules and sanctions rather than a decrease in economic need. That is cause for concern.
Because children’s health and well-being are compromised when families face challenges in providing for their needs, good economic policy is good child policy.
Claire Berkowitz
Executive director
Maine Children’s Alliance
Bath