House Republican News

Statement on  Maine Democrats Blocking Republican Candidate Ballot Access in 2024

September 2, 2023

“Secretary of State Bellows and Attorney General Frey are conspiring to make a decision on keeping a Republican presidential candidate elected by the people of the United States off the Republican primary ballot in Maine. What is ironic about this is that both Bellows and Frey themselves were not chosen by the people of Maine […]

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DEP to Hold Hearing on Adopting California Rules Limiting Gas-Powered Cars and Trucks

August 14, 2023

Rules move toward elimination of gas-powered cars and trucks through forced electric vehicle purchases AUGUSTA – The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will hold a public hearing at the Augusta Civic Center August 17 at 9 a.m. to take public comment on a proposed rule that would move toward the elimination of gas-powered vehicles. […]

Read More

Legislative Republicans respond to DHHS’s recommendation to lift the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for health care workers

July 11, 2023

Republicans said early on that the requirement would worsen an already bad health care and EMS worker shortage   AUGUSTA – Legislative Republicans today issued the following statement regarding the announcement that the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Department of Public Safety have filed a proposed rule change to lift the COVID-19 vaccination […]

Read More

Bipartisan Legislators call on Maine Consumers to Speak Up to Reduce Net Energy Billing Costs

June 30, 2023

Senator Nicole Grohoski (D-Ellsworth) and Representative Steven Foster (R-Dexter) have joined together to call on Maine consumers to contact their state senators to urge support for the amended version of LD 1347, which will provide meaningful cost savings for consumers by reducing the costs of Maine’s Net Energy Billing (NEB) program. The two legislators support […]

Read More

Maine Lobstermen win huge victory in Federal court!

June 17, 2023

Federal government get’s smacked down for “egregious” misuse of power against lobster industry. Maine House Republicans are pleased to report that the Maine Lobster Industry has won a huge victory in Federal Court. The U.S. Court of Appeals D.C. Circuit’s ruling vacates NOAA’s biology-based opinion. This is the opinion off which the agency was imposing […]

Read More

House Republicans Celebrate Long-term Solution to Highway Funding

June 16, 2023

Republican Amendment Adopted to Fund Transportation Infrastructure is Historic AUGUSTA – Maine House Republicans are pleased that their long-term solution to some of the funding issues plaguing Maine’s roads, bridges and transportation infrastructure has been signed by Governor Mills. The signing of LD 259, with a key Republican funding amendment, follows overwhelming support from Maine’s […]

Read More

House Republicans Welcome Representative-Elect Simmons

June 13, 2023

Republicans win first contested special election since 2015! Republicans rebuild and change course towards a winning path! AUGUSTA – Maine House Republicans are pleased to welcome Representative-Elect Abden Simmons to the House Republican Caucus. Simmons has won the special election in House District 45, the towns of Waldoboro, Bremen, Friendship, and Washington. “Abden’s victory tonight […]

Read More

Late term abortion bill being rammed through Work Session in the dead of night

June 8, 2023

*******UPDATE – Bill has been tabled following Republican objections in committee and on the House floor******* Judiciary Republicans are being denied the ability to ask doctors questions about proposed amendments   STATE HOUSE – Republicans on the Judiciary Committee have issued a sharply worded statement after being denied the ability to ask questions on new […]

Read More

JOINT STATEMENT BY LEGISLATIVE REPUBLICANS ON GOVERNOR”S PART 2 BUDGET

May 10, 2023

Republicans respond to unveiling of Governor’s Part 2 budget change package AUGUSTA – The Maine Revenue Forecasting Committee expects State Government to take in nearly $10.8 billion in revenue over the next two years. Upon learning the details of the Governor’s Part 2 budget change package, Legislative Republicans issued the following joint statement: “We don’t find the […]

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Republicans propose $400 million in tax relief for Maine taxpayers, focused toward low- to middle-income earners 

April 28, 2023

A two-year current services budget was already passed, leaving more than enough money to provide relief to Maine taxpayers without cutting any services or existing programs. Joint Statement by Legislative Republicans AUGUSTA – Following news from Maine’s Revenue Forecasting Committee today, Legislative Republicans renewed their call for meaningful tax relief, especially for low- and middle-income earners […]

Read More

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www.centralmaine.com/2023/09/21/rep-randall-greenwood-respect-maine-lawsuit-aims-to-hold-governor...

When I began serving in the Legislature, I never imagined I would be part of a lawsuit against a sitting governor, speaker of the House, and president of the Maine Senate. I want people to know why. It is a story of back-door dealings, lies and a phony adjournment.

Last March Republicans were shut out of the Appropriations discussions because they wanted to lower taxes, especially for low- to middle-income earners. Democrats hold the majority in both the House and Senate; their intent was to spend taxpayer money without lowering taxes.

On March 30, the Legislature voted on a Democrat-only budget, then shut down the Legislature three months early. The “unreasonable” Republicans were proposing cutting taxes on some of the most economically vulnerable Mainers. Not a single Republican representative or senator voted for that budget.

The Democrats pretended the Legislature’s work was done rather than pass the traditional bipartisan budget that needs a negotiated two-thirds “super majority” vote to pass by June 21. That is how it’s laid out in the Maine Constitution.

According to the Legislators’ Handbook, adjourning sine die “is the final adjournment of the legislative session when legislative business has been completed.” Passing their simple-majority budget should have put the rest of the legislative agenda on hold until the next session of the Legislature.

Our work was not complete. Several hundred bills remained to be acted on in order to address pressing issues facing Mainers. More than a fourth of all proposed legislation (including L.D. 1619, the governor’s signature abortion bill) had not even been printed by the Revisor of Statutes office.

Every Democrat still present in the legislative chambers voted to adjourn sine die. It was a lie. The intention was a pretend adjournment.

The following day, just hours later, Gov. Mills declared that an adjourned Legislature was an “extraordinary occasion” threatening the “public health, safety and welfare.” She ordered the Legislature to reconvene.

I personally hand delivered a letter to the governor asking specifically what occurred during those few hours for her to order us into a special session. She never responded. There was no emergency. There wasn’t even anything extraordinary. It was blatant collusion by the governor and the presiding officers to subvert the Constitution, disrespect the legislative process, and put their political agenda ahead of the people of Maine.

This decision was costly. Maine families are now going to absorb higher living costs and another tax hike despite Gov. Mills’ promise that she wouldn’t raise taxes. Democrats stripped the fiscal notes from countless bills before gaveling them into law, creating hundreds of millions of dollars in unfunded obligations waiting for the next budget.

We should never have enacted much of the atrocious legislation the resulting Special Session brought forth. In the face of historic involvement of constituents from all over the state, Democrats rallied around the most radical abortion bill in the country. The Democrats assaulted Maine families with legislation stripping parental rights, and a bill endorsing the mutilation of pubescent children in the name of “gender-affirming care.”

I chose to become a plaintiff in Clardy v. Jackson because I was unable to do the job that I was elected to do, for the people of Maine. I couldn’t protect my constituents from this unconstitutional special session. My questions went unanswered. My objections went unheeded. Democrat leadership must be held accountable for their political games. My fellow plaintiffs and I are up for that challenge. All of the lawsuit information can be found on Respect Maine’s website at www.respect-maine.org.

I’ll close with an admonition to my Democrat colleagues. One day, your actions will hit Maine hard. You will not be able to say, “OK for thee, but not for me.” Your decisions to strip the rights of the Maine people will come to roost. Whenever that day comes for you, remember that you chose loyalty and obedience to a party over doing what was right for the Maine people. Party over principle is never the way to lead and serve.

As I pursue this lawsuit with my fellow plaintiffs, we’re fighting to roll back the legislative injustices and the Unconstitutional actions committed against the Maine people.

If our lawsuit prevails, my esteemed colleagues will never have to truly deal with the consequences of their actions. That may be a blessing they do not want, but it’s the outcome that the people of Maine need.
... See MoreSee Less

House Republican News

Statement on  Maine Democrats Blocking Republican Candidate Ballot Access in 2024

September 2, 2023

“Secretary of State Bellows and Attorney General Frey are conspiring to make a decision on keeping a Republican presidential candidate elected by the people of the United States off the Republican primary ballot in Maine. What is ironic about this is that both Bellows and Frey themselves were not chosen by the people of Maine […]

Read More

DEP to Hold Hearing on Adopting California Rules Limiting Gas-Powered Cars and Trucks

August 14, 2023

Rules move toward elimination of gas-powered cars and trucks through forced electric vehicle purchases AUGUSTA – The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will hold a public hearing at the Augusta Civic Center August 17 at 9 a.m. to take public comment on a proposed rule that would move toward the elimination of gas-powered vehicles. […]

Read More

Legislative Republicans respond to DHHS’s recommendation to lift the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for health care workers

July 11, 2023

Republicans said early on that the requirement would worsen an already bad health care and EMS worker shortage   AUGUSTA – Legislative Republicans today issued the following statement regarding the announcement that the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Department of Public Safety have filed a proposed rule change to lift the COVID-19 vaccination […]

Read More

Bipartisan Legislators call on Maine Consumers to Speak Up to Reduce Net Energy Billing Costs

June 30, 2023

Senator Nicole Grohoski (D-Ellsworth) and Representative Steven Foster (R-Dexter) have joined together to call on Maine consumers to contact their state senators to urge support for the amended version of LD 1347, which will provide meaningful cost savings for consumers by reducing the costs of Maine’s Net Energy Billing (NEB) program. The two legislators support […]

Read More

Maine Lobstermen win huge victory in Federal court!

June 17, 2023

Federal government get’s smacked down for “egregious” misuse of power against lobster industry. Maine House Republicans are pleased to report that the Maine Lobster Industry has won a huge victory in Federal Court. The U.S. Court of Appeals D.C. Circuit’s ruling vacates NOAA’s biology-based opinion. This is the opinion off which the agency was imposing […]

Read More

House Republicans Celebrate Long-term Solution to Highway Funding

June 16, 2023

Republican Amendment Adopted to Fund Transportation Infrastructure is Historic AUGUSTA – Maine House Republicans are pleased that their long-term solution to some of the funding issues plaguing Maine’s roads, bridges and transportation infrastructure has been signed by Governor Mills. The signing of LD 259, with a key Republican funding amendment, follows overwhelming support from Maine’s […]

Read More

House Republicans Welcome Representative-Elect Simmons

June 13, 2023

Republicans win first contested special election since 2015! Republicans rebuild and change course towards a winning path! AUGUSTA – Maine House Republicans are pleased to welcome Representative-Elect Abden Simmons to the House Republican Caucus. Simmons has won the special election in House District 45, the towns of Waldoboro, Bremen, Friendship, and Washington. “Abden’s victory tonight […]

Read More

Late term abortion bill being rammed through Work Session in the dead of night

June 8, 2023

*******UPDATE – Bill has been tabled following Republican objections in committee and on the House floor******* Judiciary Republicans are being denied the ability to ask doctors questions about proposed amendments   STATE HOUSE – Republicans on the Judiciary Committee have issued a sharply worded statement after being denied the ability to ask questions on new […]

Read More

JOINT STATEMENT BY LEGISLATIVE REPUBLICANS ON GOVERNOR”S PART 2 BUDGET

May 10, 2023

Republicans respond to unveiling of Governor’s Part 2 budget change package AUGUSTA – The Maine Revenue Forecasting Committee expects State Government to take in nearly $10.8 billion in revenue over the next two years. Upon learning the details of the Governor’s Part 2 budget change package, Legislative Republicans issued the following joint statement: “We don’t find the […]

Read More

Republicans propose $400 million in tax relief for Maine taxpayers, focused toward low- to middle-income earners 

April 28, 2023

A two-year current services budget was already passed, leaving more than enough money to provide relief to Maine taxpayers without cutting any services or existing programs. Joint Statement by Legislative Republicans AUGUSTA – Following news from Maine’s Revenue Forecasting Committee today, Legislative Republicans renewed their call for meaningful tax relief, especially for low- and middle-income earners […]

Read More

Facebook

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

www.centralmaine.com/2023/09/21/rep-randall-greenwood-respect-maine-lawsuit-aims-to-hold-governor...

When I began serving in the Legislature, I never imagined I would be part of a lawsuit against a sitting governor, speaker of the House, and president of the Maine Senate. I want people to know why. It is a story of back-door dealings, lies and a phony adjournment.

Last March Republicans were shut out of the Appropriations discussions because they wanted to lower taxes, especially for low- to middle-income earners. Democrats hold the majority in both the House and Senate; their intent was to spend taxpayer money without lowering taxes.

On March 30, the Legislature voted on a Democrat-only budget, then shut down the Legislature three months early. The “unreasonable” Republicans were proposing cutting taxes on some of the most economically vulnerable Mainers. Not a single Republican representative or senator voted for that budget.

The Democrats pretended the Legislature’s work was done rather than pass the traditional bipartisan budget that needs a negotiated two-thirds “super majority” vote to pass by June 21. That is how it’s laid out in the Maine Constitution.

According to the Legislators’ Handbook, adjourning sine die “is the final adjournment of the legislative session when legislative business has been completed.” Passing their simple-majority budget should have put the rest of the legislative agenda on hold until the next session of the Legislature.

Our work was not complete. Several hundred bills remained to be acted on in order to address pressing issues facing Mainers. More than a fourth of all proposed legislation (including L.D. 1619, the governor’s signature abortion bill) had not even been printed by the Revisor of Statutes office.

Every Democrat still present in the legislative chambers voted to adjourn sine die. It was a lie. The intention was a pretend adjournment.

The following day, just hours later, Gov. Mills declared that an adjourned Legislature was an “extraordinary occasion” threatening the “public health, safety and welfare.” She ordered the Legislature to reconvene.

I personally hand delivered a letter to the governor asking specifically what occurred during those few hours for her to order us into a special session. She never responded. There was no emergency. There wasn’t even anything extraordinary. It was blatant collusion by the governor and the presiding officers to subvert the Constitution, disrespect the legislative process, and put their political agenda ahead of the people of Maine.

This decision was costly. Maine families are now going to absorb higher living costs and another tax hike despite Gov. Mills’ promise that she wouldn’t raise taxes. Democrats stripped the fiscal notes from countless bills before gaveling them into law, creating hundreds of millions of dollars in unfunded obligations waiting for the next budget.

We should never have enacted much of the atrocious legislation the resulting Special Session brought forth. In the face of historic involvement of constituents from all over the state, Democrats rallied around the most radical abortion bill in the country. The Democrats assaulted Maine families with legislation stripping parental rights, and a bill endorsing the mutilation of pubescent children in the name of “gender-affirming care.”

I chose to become a plaintiff in Clardy v. Jackson because I was unable to do the job that I was elected to do, for the people of Maine. I couldn’t protect my constituents from this unconstitutional special session. My questions went unanswered. My objections went unheeded. Democrat leadership must be held accountable for their political games. My fellow plaintiffs and I are up for that challenge. All of the lawsuit information can be found on Respect Maine’s website at www.respect-maine.org.

I’ll close with an admonition to my Democrat colleagues. One day, your actions will hit Maine hard. You will not be able to say, “OK for thee, but not for me.” Your decisions to strip the rights of the Maine people will come to roost. Whenever that day comes for you, remember that you chose loyalty and obedience to a party over doing what was right for the Maine people. Party over principle is never the way to lead and serve.

As I pursue this lawsuit with my fellow plaintiffs, we’re fighting to roll back the legislative injustices and the Unconstitutional actions committed against the Maine people.

If our lawsuit prevails, my esteemed colleagues will never have to truly deal with the consequences of their actions. That may be a blessing they do not want, but it’s the outcome that the people of Maine need.
... See MoreSee Less

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