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Hounds of Maine

    important Bill

    HOLLABACK
    HOLLABACK


    Male Posts : 3081
    Join date : 2010-09-12
    Age : 53
    Location : Baileyville Maine
    Job/hobbies : Guide/Carpenter

    important Bill Empty important Bill

    Post  HOLLABACK Sat Feb 21, 2015 7:32 am

      
    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

    HOLLABACK
    HOLLABACK


    Male Posts : 3081
    Join date : 2010-09-12
    Age : 53
    Location : Baileyville Maine
    Job/hobbies : Guide/Carpenter

    important Bill Empty Re: important Bill

    Post  HOLLABACK Thu Feb 26, 2015 5:26 pm

    Several important bills coming forward this session.....please contact your rep, and let them know the importance of where you stand....I'll try and keep you posted on workshop sessions and timelines..... Just yesterday the bill to ban hound/trapping of bear was set forth.....plus several other game bills.....

      Current date/time is Fri Mar 29, 2024 11:11 am