Sportsman's Alliance of Maine
205 Church Hill Road, Suite 1, Augusta, ME 04330
Revised with committee member contact informatio
SAM ALERT
Important SAM Bill Coming Up for Public Hearing
LD 176, An Act To Amend the Law Governing the Gathering of Signatures for Direct Initiatives and People's Veto Referenda
Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs
See list of Committee members below
State House Room 437
February 25, 2015 10am
LD 176 is a SAM bill to address the serious abuse of our petition gathering process by the Washington D.C. based Humane Society of the United States. This bill will stop non-residents from violating our State Constitution's ban on the use of non-residents to collect signatures during Maine referendums. Below are excerpts from an expose written by SAM Executive Director detailing the abuse. Please forward to as many people as possible and come to the hearing if possible. To read the whole expose, go to: http://www.sportsmansallianceofmaine.info/PDF/HSUS_Exposed_Final.pdf
BILL SUMMARY
This bill prohibits persons who are not residents of the State from collecting
signatures on a petition for the direct initiative of legislation or a people's veto referendum and from handling such a petition in any manner. The bill permits persons who are not residents to provide others with information about a petition. The bill requires a person employed by a petition organization to register with the Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices and to disclose to the commission information regarding the person's place of residence, employment history, compensation, +number of signatures gathered in a month and petitions circulated and to wear an identification badge when collecting signatures. The bill requires a petition organization to post a $2,000 bond on a circulator receiving over $2,500 in compensation. The bill makes a violation of any of these provisions a Class E crime.
HSUS Expose Excerpts
"Yet, fully two-thirds (2/3) of the signatures approved for the bear referendum, and probably thousands more, were bought and paid for by PCI Consulting, a professional petition signature collection firm from California."
Some interesting facts:
"According to Maine Ethics Commission reports, on November 30, 2013, HSUS kicked off
their Maine bear referendum petition signature-gathering efforts by reporting a $50,000 check paid for "signature gathering support"."
"Total paid for signature gathering management - $228,574.00."
PCI Consulting and HSUS
"PCI Consulting is a professional petition signature collection firm, with a long history of referendum campaigns all over the United States, and with a wide array of wealthy, politically connected clients, ranging from the likes of anti-gun rights billionaire George
Soros to organizations advocating the legalization of marijuana. PCI Consulting has worked extensively with HSUS for more than a decade, collecting and managing signature-gathering efforts on other state ballot initiatives."
Who did PCI Consulting and HSUS hire to collect petition signatures in Maine?
"According to documents supplied by the Secretary of State, and Internet ads paid for by PCI
Consulting contractors, PCI and HSUS paid for the signature collection services of several separate groups,"
The Lewiston Team
"Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting and PCI Consulting hired Auburn resident John Michael, a 7-term, ex-State Legislator, to manage the hiring and daily operations of paid signature collectors."
The Green Party Connection
"State Representative Ben Chipman, Green Party, Portland, is also a professional signature collector and campaign organizer who was deeply involved the effort to collect bear referendum signatures. Chipman collected signatures, and acted as a Notary for petitions. In
what can only be described as a potential conflict of interest, he also served in the Legislature when the referendum bill was heard."
Why did HSUS hire professional out-of-state petitioners?
"Because the bear referendum was not a home grown effort. It was concocted completely in Washington D.C, by HSUS."
Who Is Blake?
"There is a common name and phone number in the HSUS and Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting ads that solicit non-resident petitioners. That name is Blake, which is his first name; he does not reveal his last name. Using his cell phone number and information collected from the Internet, he can be connected to referendums in Utah (ballot access), and Washington
State (universal gun sales background checks). He appears to be a contractor or middleman for PCI Consulting."
David Trahan can be reached at: david.trahan@sportsmansallianceofmaine.org
We encourage you to send a message to the committee members encourage their supporting for LD 176. If you go to the committee hearing with testimony, please bring 15 copies to be distributed amongst the committee members.
Members & Staff
Senator Scott Cyrway, of Kennebec, Chair
R, Senate District 16
363 Albion Road
Benton, ME 04901
Phone: , e-mail: Scott.Cyrway@legislature.maine.gov
Senator Ronald Collins, of York, Chair
R, Senate District 34
401 Harriseckett Road
WELLS, ME 04090
Phone: 2079852495, e-mail: Ronald.Collins@legislature.maine.gov
Senator John Patrick, of Oxford, Chair
D, Senate District 18
206 Strafford Avenue
RUMFORD, ME 04276
Phone: 207-364-7666, e-mail: John.Patrick@legislature.maine.gov
Representative Louis Luchini, of Ellsworth, Chair
D, House District 132
PO Box 1311
ELLSWORTH, ME 04605
Phone: 207-664-4699, e-mail: Louis.Luchini@legislature.maine.gov
Representative Henry Bear, of Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Chair
UND, House District 202
41 Elm Street
Houlton, ME 04730
Phone: , e-mail: Henry.Bear@legislature.maine.gov
Representative Kathleen Dillingham, of Oxford, Chair
R, House District 72
PO Box 164
Oxford, ME 04270
Phone: , e-mail: Kathleen.Dillingham@legislature.maine.gov
Representative Jared Golden, of Lewiston, Chair
D, House District 60
47 Nichols Street, Apt. 5
Lewiston, ME 04240
Phone: , e-mail: Jared.Golden@legislature.maine.gov
Representative Sheldon Hanington, of Lincoln, Chair
R, House District 142
475 Enfield Road
Lincoln, ME 04457
Phone: , e-mail: Sheldon.Hanington@legislature.maine.gov
Representative Jonathan Kinney, of Limington, Chair
R, House District 22
179 Beaver Berry Road
Limington, ME 04049
Phone: , e-mail: Jonathan.Kinney@legislature.maine.gov
Representative Thomas Longstaff, of Waterville, Chair
D, House District 109
39 Pleasant Street
WATERVILLE, ME 04901
Phone: 207-872-6617, e-mail: Thomas.Longstaff@legislature.maine.gov
Representative Kimberly Monaghan, of Cape Elizabeth, Chair
D, House District 30
6 Russet Lane
CAPE ELIZABETH, ME 04107
Phone: 207-749-9443, e-mail: Kimberly.Monaghan@legislature.maine.gov
Representative Robert Saucier, of Presque Isle, Chair
D, House District 147
117 Lombard Street
Presque Isle, ME 04769
Phone: , e-mail: Bob.Saucier@legislature.maine.gov
Representative John Schneck, of Bangor, Chair
D, House District 126
2078 Ohio Street
Bangor, ME 04401
Phone: , e-mail: John.Schneck@legislature.maine.gov
Representative Beth Turner, of Burlington, Chair
R, House District 141
PO Box 65
BURLINGTON, ME 04417
Phone: 207-732-4625, e-mail: Beth.Turner@legislature.maine.gov
Johannah Oberg, , Chair Committee Clerk
Legislative Information Office
100 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
Phone: 287-1310, e-mail: johannah.oberg@legislature.maine.gov
Sportsman's Alliance of Maine | 205 Church Hill Road, Suite 1 | Augusta | ME | 04330