Maine’s 132nd legislature is in session. Thirty-five members of the Senate and 151 of 152 members of the House returned to Augusta this month to begin deliberating over a slate of wide-ranging bills dealing with issues. (There are 151 house districts plus one tribal representative this session. House District 24 is vacant until a special election Feb. 25; reelected Rep. Joe Perry vacated the seat to become state treasurer.)
More than 250 bills have already been introduced (you can see the full list and get details on each at The Monitor’s Statehouse Hub).
Lawmakers were required to have their bills filed by January 10, a deadline known as cloture, although there are a number of exceptions that allow for later filing.
The Legislative session
Maine’s legislature operates on a biennial schedule, with each legislative session lasting two years, beginning on an odd-numbered year. Each legislative session is split into two parts: the first regular session and the second regular session
This session, the first regular, convened on Dec. 4, 2024. By law, the first regular session must adjourn no later than the third Wednesday in June, while the second regular session can adjourn no later than the third Wednesday in April.
During the second regular session, the Constitution limits the legislature to consideration of budgetary matters, the Governor’s legislation, legislation of an emergency nature approved by the Legislative Council, legislation submitted pursuant to authorized studies, and legislation submitted by direct initiative petition of the electors.
The statute allows for limited extensions, including a one-day “Veto Day” for the Legislature to deal with any bills the Governor may have vetoed after the Legislature has completed its work.
The Legislature can also be called into special session to consider certain issues. There are no statutory time limits on how long a special session can last, according to a handbook for lawmakers published last session.
The bill process
Idea developed
An idea for a bill can originate from a number of places, including legislators, committees, study groups, lobbyists, public interest groups, municipal officials, the Governor, state agencies and individual citizens, according to the Maine Legislature website.
A bill may have up to ten sponsors, according to a handbook for legislators, including one primary sponsor, a lead sponsor from the other chamber and eight cosponsors. The more cosponsors, the better a bill’s chance of passing is, particularly when cosponsors include members of both houses, members of both political parties or members of key committees.
Bill drafted
Most of the time, bill language is drafted by legislative staff and then processed and prepared for introduction. Before a bill is formally introduced, its language is reviewed by the Office of the Revisor of Statutes, which then either drafts or edits it to conform to proper form, style and usage.
Once a bill has been officially printed, it is assigned a Legislative Document number and given to the Clerk of the House of Representatives or the Secretary of the Senate, depending on which chamber the lead sponsor hails from.
Bill referred to committee
Maine’s legislature has 17 joint standing committees focused on different policy areas, each of which has 13 members — 3 from the Senate and 10 from the House of Representatives.
There are also a number of committees specific to each chamber, as well as committees to handle rules and oversight of the legislature. Lawmakers are assigned to committees by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House. (Find out which committees your lawmaker serves by searching for your district through our statehouse hub.)
After a bill has been drafted it is sent to committee. This is the first vote taken by lawmakers on a bill. Usually it’s a matter of form, although occasionally there will be debates on which committee should consider a piece of legislation. If the House and the Senate cannot agree on which committee will hear the bill, the bill can go no further in the process.
After a bill has been referred to committee, the committee typically holds both a public hearing and a work session on it. Work sessions allow committee members to discuss bills thoroughly and to vote on one or more recommendations (known as “reports”) to the Legislature. Some bills require several work sessions before a vote. Work sessions are open to the public.
Committee report
A committee’s report on a bill is often the most important influence on its passage or defeat. Committee members have several options, including ought to pass; ought to pass as amended; ought to pass in new draft; ought not to pass; refer to another committee; and leave to withdraw.
A report on a bill can be “unanimous” or divided, if committee members disagree. A divided report typically includes a “majority” and “minority” report on the bill (e.g., a majority “ought not to pass” report and a minority “ought to pass as amended” report).
It’s rare, but there can also be more than two reports coming out of committee (e.g. two lawmakers voted for option A, three for option B, five for option C, and so on.)
If a unanimous “ought not to pass” report is voted by a committee, no further action can be taken on it unless an order recalling it is approved by two-thirds of the members voting in both chambers.
If a bill is recalled from the file, it is reconsidered and may be committed to committee for further deliberation or other action may be taken on the floor.
First and second readings
Once a bill is reported out by a committee, it is returned to the chamber in which it originated. To be enacted, bills must pass through at least four steps on the floor of both the House and Senate: first reading, second reading, engrossment and enactment.
Lawmakers can delay any step of the process — if they need more information, for instance — by moving to “table” the bill.
Bills can be debated at several points in the process. Lawmakers can also offer amendments and call for a vote.
Engrossing and Enacting
After bills have been debated on the floor and amendments have been adopted, each chamber takes a vote to pass the measure to be engrossed, which simply means having the bill and all of the adopted amendments printed into a single document.
Once a bill has been engrossed, it must be considered for final passage or enactment, with votes in the House and in the Senate.
Usually an enactment vote requires just a simple majority, but there are some important exceptions, including for emergency bills and constitutional amendments, which require a two-thirds vote of those members present. Bills that fail to be enacted in both chambers go no further in the process.
Presentation to the Governor
Once a bill has been passed by both the Senate and the House, it is presented to the Governor for signature, who can either sign a bill into law, veto it, or let it become law without their signature.
The governor has ten days to sign or veto a bill once they receive it.
Bill becomes a law
Unless it’s declared an emergency by a two-thirds vote of the legislature, a bill takes effect 90 days after the end of the legislative session in which it was passed.
