What is one new policy that the state should embrace to make housing easier to build and afford?
Housing availability and pricing is not a localized issue as nationwide market forces have a significant effect on Maine’s housing stock and affordability. That being said, Maine’s government should find ways to ease the market pressures driving prices up by looking to eliminate unnecessary state and local regulations that make it harder to build new homes or add unnecessary costs and delays. We should also work closely with Maine businesses and colleges to find cheaper locally sourced building materials made right here in Maine. Most importantly, we need to find ways to encourage municipalities to welcome new housing, like last session when we gave municipalities with expiring TIF agreements the ability to extend their tax benefits if they create large scale affordable housing.
Transmission lines, solar incentives and offshore wind development have been controversial over the past several years. What steps should Maine take to meet growing demand for electricity?
I would like to see Maine’s electricity prices less tied to volatile natural gas prices so we can have stable and predictable prices. Renewable energy can help us achieve this; however, we need to review all of our energy policies to ensure they do not increase costs, especially for low income, and elderly individuals as well as small business. I will work to make sure that we support the most cost effective and affordable policies for electricity, while also maintaining our commitment to renewable energy production. Additionally, we need to keep passing creative bills like LD 1591 that place solar on PFAS contaminated land to make sure we are not expanding renewable energy at the expense of our heritage industries or natural beauty.

Should the state make changes to its tax laws? If so, outline your priorities.
A glaring omission in state tax policy is the lack of any meaningful tax on mining. We need to pass a fair tax on lithium and other metallic mineral mining. I have resubmitted LD 2251, a bipartisan bill that would establish a 5% tax on metallic mineral mining and place 75% of that revenue into a constitutionally protected fund used only for natural resource protection and cleanup.

I am excited for my work to add a pass-through entity tax status that will allow small businesses to deduct state and local taxes from their federal return, saving potentially hundreds or even thousands of dollars for Maine businesses without reducing Maine’s revenue stream.

We need to give towns a way to generate revenue from something other than property taxes and give a Childcare tax credit.

We are closing in on the one-year anniversary of the Lewiston mass shooting. Are further legislative responses required around guns, mental health, supporting victims and families or other policy areas?
Unfortunately, there will always be more work to be done to end violence in Maine. The historic investments in mental health services, funding crisis intervention centers, establishing 24/7 crisis receiving centers and creating the office of violence prevention, was a great first step, but until every person who needs help is receiving help we will have more work to do. We must do a better job at training law enforcement to recognize the signs of crisis and when intervention is necessary. We also must improve communication across local, state and federal agencies. Finally, we need to be open minded and listen to all viewpoints. We can both reduce violence and uphold the rights of responsible gun owners.

Describe a unique attribute or area of focus that you will bring to the Legislature.
Over the past four years I have become known as a strong advocate for legislative efforts to protect Maine lakes against milfoil. I’ve succeeded in passing numerous bills on the subject and am hopeful that these successes will grow. Additionally, I spearheaded a plan to make Maine Freight lines safer and more accountable so that our first responders know what the trains are carrying and how to react to an accident. As the former Chair of the Commission to implement universal Pre-k, and having a Pre-ker of my own, I hope to see a statewide system where all aspiring 4 year olds can attend a qualified pre-k program. Finally, my training as an attorney is invaluable. Having a comprehension of the legal process and how laws are interpreted is invaluable when crafting new laws for Maine.