131st Legislature appoints committees

AUGUSTA, Maine — The 131st legislature is ready to get to work, now that Speaker of the House Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, and Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, announced its Joint Standing Committees, each consisting of 13 members.

Agricultural, Conservation and Forestry

• Rep. William Pluecker, Chair (I-Warren)
• Rep. Allison Hepler (D-Woolwich)
• Rep. Laurie Osher (D-Orono)
• Rep. Rebecca L. Jauch (D-Topsham)
• Rep. Kathleen Shaw (D-Auburn)
• Rep. Randall Hall (R-Wilton)
• Rep Danny Edward Costain (R-Plymouth)
• Rep. Dean Cray (R-Palmyra)
• Rep. Timothy Guerrette (R-Caribou)
• Rep. Caldwell Jackson (R-Oxford)
• Sen. Henry Ingwersen, Chair (D-York)
• Sen. Craig Hickman (D-Kennebec)
• Sen. Russell Black (R-Franklin)

Appropriations and Financial Affairs

• Rep. Melanie Sachs, Chair (D-Freeport)
• Rep. Jessica Fay (D-Raymond)
• Rep. Benjamin Collings (D-Portland)
• Rep. Ann Higgins Matlack (D-St. George)
• Rep. Rebecca Millett (D-Cape Elizabeth)
• Rep. Drew Gattine (D-Westbrook)
• Rep. H. Sawin Millett (R-Waterford)
• Rep. John Ducharme (R-Madison)
• Rep. Mark John Blier (R-Buxton)
• Rep. Nathan Carlow (R-Buxton)
• Sen. Peggy Rotundo, Chair (D-Androscoggin)
• Sen. Jill Duson (D-Cumberland)
• Sen. Richard Bennett (R-Oxford)

Rotundo and Gattine are among lawmakers who have served on the appropriations committee before as the committee's chair. Bennett is a former senate president, and Millett is the Legislature's budget expert.

Criminal Justice and Public Safety

• Rep. Travis Rock Hasenfus, Chair (D-Readfield)
• Rep. Grayson Lookner (D-Portland)
• Rep. Suzanne Salisbury(D-Westbrook)
• Rep. Kristi Michele Mathleson (D-Kittery)
• Rep. Michel Lajoie (D-Lewiston)
• Rep. Nina Azella Millken (D-Blue Hill)
• Rep. Robert Nutting (R-Oakland)
• Rep. Daniel Newman (R-Belgrade)
• Rep. Donald Ardell (R-Monticello)
• Rep. Chad Richard Perkins (R-Dover-Foxcroft)
• Sen. Pinny Beebe-Center, Chair (D-Knox)
• Sen. David LaFountain (D-Kennebec)
• Sen. Matthew Harrington (R-York)

There is a bit of experience in this committee, too. Harrington is a former Sanford police officer, and Nutting is a former speaker of the house.

Education and Cultural Affairs

• Rep. Michael Brennan, Chair (D-Portland)
• Rep. Janice Dodge (D-Belfast)
• Rep. Rebecca Millett (D-Cape Elizabeth)
• Rep. Holly Sargent (D-York)
• Rep. Kelly Noonan Murphy (D-Scarborough)
• Rep. James Mark Worth (D-Ellsworth)
• Rep. Heidi Sampson (R-Alferd)
• Rep. Sheila Lyman (R-Livermore Falls)
• Rep. Edward Polewarczyk (R-Wiscasset)
• Rep. Barbara Bagshaw (R-Windham)
• Sen. Joe Rafferty, Chair (D-York)
• Sen. Teresa Pierce (D-Cumberland)
• Sen. James Libby (R-Cumberland)

Energy, Utilities and Technology

• Rep. Stanley Paige Zeigler Jr., Chair (D-Montville)
• Rep. Christoper Kessler (D-South Portland)
• Rep. Valli Geiger (D-Rockland)
• Rep. James Boyle (D-Gorham)
• Rep. Sophia Warren (D-Scarborough)
• Rep. Walter Gerard Runte (D-York)
• Rep. Steven Foster (R-Dexter)
• Rep. Mark Michael Babin (R-Fort Fairfield)
• Rep. Larry Dunphy (R-Embden)
• Rep. Reagan Paul (R-Winterport)
• Sen. Mark Lawrence, Chair (D-York)
• Sen. Nicole Grohoski (D-Hancock)
• Sen. Matthew Harrington (R-York)

Environment and Natural Resources

• Rep. Lori Gramlich, Chair (D-Old Orchard Beach)
• Rep. Margaret O'Neil (D-Saco)
• Rep. Arthur Bell (D-Yarmouth)
• Rep. Victoria Doudera (D-Camden)
• Rep. William Bridgeo (D-Augusta)
• Rep. Daniel Hobbs (D-Wells)
• Reb. Daniel Ankeles (D-Brunswick)
• Rep. Richard Campbell (R-Orrington)
• Rep. Tammy Schmersal-Burgess (R-Mexico)
• Rep. Gregory Lewis Swallow (R-Houlton)
• Sen. Stacy Brenner, Chair (D-Cumberland)
• Sen. Anne Carney (D-Cumberland)
• Sen. Peter Lyford (R-Penobscot)

Health and Human Services

• Rep. Michele Meyer, Chair (D-Elliot)
• Rep. Colleen Madigan (D-Waterville)
• Rep. Margaret Craven (D-Lewiston)
• Rep. Samuel Lewis Zager (D-Portland)
• Rep. Daniel Joseph Shagoury (D-Hallowell)
• Rep. Anne Graham (D-North Yarmouth)
• Rep. Kathy Irene Javner (R-Chester)
• Rep. Abigail Griffin (R-Levant)
• Rep. Michael Lemelin (R-Chelsea)
• Rep. Ann Fredericks (R-Sanford)
• Sen. Joseph Baldacci, Chair (D-Penobscot)
• Sen. Henry Ingwersen (D-York)
• Sen. Marianne Moore (R-Washington)

Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services

• Rep. Anne Perry, Chair (Calais)
• Rep. Poppy Arford (D-Brunswick)
• Rep. Kristi Michele Mathieson (D-Kittery)
• Rep. Anne-Marie Mastraccio (D-Sanford)
• Rep. Jane Pringle (D-Windham)
• Rep. Sally Jeane Cluchey (D-Bowdoinham)
• Rep. Joshua Morris (R-Turner)
• Rep. Robert Nutting (R-Oakland)
• Rep. Scott Wynn Cyrway (R-Albion)
• Rep. David Woodsome (R-Waterboro)
• Sen. Donna Bailey, Chair (D-York)
• Sen. Cameron Reny (D-Lincoln)
• Sen. Eric Brakey (R-Androscoggin)

Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

• Rep. H. Scott Landry, Chair (D-Farmington)
• Rep. James Dill (D-Old Town)
• Rep. Sally Jeane Cluchey (D-Bowdoinham)
• Rep. Clinton Collamore (D-Waldoboro)
• Rep. Cheryl A. Golek (D-Harpswell)
• Rep. Richard Mason (R-Lisbon)
• Rep. Stephen Wood (R-Sabattus)
• Rep. Gary Drinkwater (R-Milford)
• Rep. David Woodsome (R-Waterboro)
• Rep. James Thorne (R-Carmel)
• Sen. David LaFountain, Chair (D-Kennebec)
• Sen. Glenn Curry (D-Waldo)
• Sen. Russell Black (R-Franklin)

Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business 

• Rep. Tiffany Roberts, Chair (D-South Berwick)
• Rep. Raegan French LaRochelle (D-Augusta)
• Rep. Bruce White (D-Waterville)
• Rep. W. Edward Crockett (D-Portland)
• Rep. Daniel Sayre (D-Kennebunk)
• Rep. Amanda Collamore (R-Pittsfield)
• Rep. Mark Walker (R-Naples)
• Rep. Katrina Smith (R-Palermo)
• Rep. Caleb Joseph Ness (R-Fryeburg)
• Rep. Lucas John Lanigan (R-Sanford)
• Sen. Glenn Curry, Chair (D-Waldo)
• Sen. Joe Rafferty (D-York)
• Sen. Stacey Guerin (R-Penobscot)

Judiciary

• Rep. Matt Moonen, Chair (D-Portland)
• Rep. Lois Galgay Reckitt (D-South Portland)
• Rep. Stephen Moriarty (D-Cumberland)
• Rep. Erin Sheehan (D-Biddeford)
• Rep. Adam Lee (D-Auburn)
• Rep. Amy Kuhn (D-Falmouth)
• Rep. Jennifer Poirier (R-Skowhegan)
• Rep. John Andrews (R-Paris)
• Rep. David Haggan (R-Hampden)
• Rep. Rachel Ann Henderson (R-Rumford)
• Rep. Aaron Dana (Passamaquoddy Tribe)
• Sen. Anne Carney, Chair (D-Cumberland)
• Sen. Donna Bailey (D-York)
• Sen. Peter Lyford (R-Penobscot)

Labor and Housing

• Rep. Amy Roeder, Chair (D-Bangor)
• Rep. Traci Gere (D-Kennebunkport)
• Rep. Valli Geiger (D-Rockland)
• Rep. Ronald Russell (D-Verona Island)
• Rep. Marc Malon (D-Biddeford)
• Rep. Charles Skold (D-Portland)
• Rep. Richard Bradstreet (R-Vassalboro)
• Rep. Gary Drinkwater (R-Milford)
• Rep. Joseph Galletta (R-Durham)
• Rep. Michael Soboleski (R-Phillips)
• Sen. Mike Tipping, Chair (D-Penobscot)
• Sen. Mattie Daughtry (D-Cumberland)
• Sen. Matthew Pouliot (R-Kennebec)

Tipping, though new to the legislature, is a former lead spokesperson for the Maine People's Alliance, so he is experienced with labor and union issues. Pouliot is a real estate developer in the Augusta area.

Marine Resources

• Rep. Allison Hepler, Chair (D-Woolwich)
• Rep. H. Scott Landry (D-Farmington)
• Rep. Morgan Rielly (D-Westbrook)
• Rep. Lydia Crafts (D-Newcastle)
• Rep. James Dill (D-Old Town)
• Rep. Vicki Doudera (D-Campden)
• Rep. James Thorne (R-Carmel)
• Rep. Tiffany Strout (R-Harrington)
• Rep. Irene Gifford (R-Lincoln)
• Rep. Kenneth Ralph Davis (R-East Machias)
• Sen. Cameron Reny, Chair (D-Lincoln)
• Sen. Pinny Beebe-Center (D-Knox)
• Sen. Marianne Moore (R-Washington)

State and Local Government

• Rep. Holly Stover, Chair (D-Boothbay)
• Rep. Sean Paulhus (D-Bath)
• Rep. Lynn Copeland (D-Saco)
• Rep. Deqa Dhalac (D-South Portland)
• Rep. Mana Abdi (D-Lewiston)
• Rep. Randall Adam Greenwood (R-Wales)
• Rep. Jeffrey Sean Adams (R-Lebanon)
• Rep. Kimberly Pomerleau (R-Standish)
• Rep. Joseph Underwood (R-Presque Isle)
• Rep. Walter Riseman (I-Harrison)
• Sen. Tim Nangle, Chair (D-Cumberland)
• Sen. Joe Baldacci (D-Penobscot)
• Sen. Eric Brakey (R-Androscoggin)

Taxation

• Rep. Joseph Perry, Chair (D-Bangor)
• Rep. W. Edward Crockett (D-Portland)
• Rep. Ann Higgins Matlack (D-St. George)
• Rep. Ambureen Rana (D-Bangor)
• Rep. Suzanne Salisbury (D-Westbrook)
• Rep. Meldon Carmichael (R-Greenbush)
• Rep. Thomas Lavigne (R-Berwick)
• Rep. Tracy Quint (R-Hodgdon)
• Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn)
• Rep. Shelley Rudnicki (R-Fairfield)
• Sen. Nicole Grohoski, Chair (D-Hancock)
• Sen. Ben Chipman (D-Cumberland)
• Sen. James Libby (R-Cumberland)

Transportation 

• Rep. Lynne Williams, Chair (D-Bar Harbor)
• Rep. Bruce White (D-Waterville)
• Rep. Kevin O'Connell (D-Brewer)
• Rep. Holly Rae Eaton (D-Deer Isle)
• Rep. Lydia Crafts (D-Newcastle)
• Rep. Wayne Parry (R-Arundel)
• Rep. Roger Clarence Albert (R-Madawaska)
• Rep. James Lee White (R-Guilford)
• Rep. Austin Theriault (R-Fort Kent)
• Rep. Richard Mason (R-Lisbon)
• Sen. Benjamin Chipman, Chair (D-Cumberland)
• Sen. Tim Nangle (D-Cumberland)
• Sen. Bradlee Farrin (R-Somerset)

Veterans and Legal Affairs

• Rep. Laura Supica, Chair (D-Bangor)
• Rep. Morgan Rielly (D-Westbrook)
• Rep. Benjamin Collings (D-Portland)
• Rep. Marc Malon (D-Biddeford)
• Rep. Karen Montell (D-Gardiner)
• Rep. John Andrews (R-Paris)
• Rep. David Boyer (R-Poland)
• Rep. Benjamin Hymes (R-Waldo)
• Rep. Shelley Rudnicki (R-Fairfield)
• Rep. Walter Riseman (I-Harrison)
• Sen. Craig Hickman, Chair (D-Kennebec)
• Sen. Stacy Brenner (D-Cumberland)
• Sen. Jeff Timberlake (R-Androscoggin)

Government Oversight

• Rep. Jessica Fay, Chair (D-Raymond)
• Rep. Margaret O'Neil (D-Saco)
• Rep. Anne-Marie Mastraccio (D-Sanford)
• Rep. H. Sawin Millett (R-Waterford)
• Rep. Amy Bradstreet Arata (R-New Gloucester)
• Rep. Mark John Blier (R-Buxton)
• Sen. Craig Hickman, Chair (D-Kennebec)
• Sen. Jill Duson (D-Cumberland)
• Sen. Mike Tipping (D-Penobscot)
• Sen. Lisa Keim (R-Oxford)
• Sen. Jeff Timberlake (R-Androscoggin)
• Sen. Richard Bennett (R-Oxford)

Housing

• Rep. Traci Gere, Chair (D-Kennebunkport)
• Rep. Holly Stover (D-Boothbay)
• Rep. Grayson Lookner (D-Portland)
• Rep. Drew Gattine (D-Westbrook)
• Rep. Ambureen Rana (D-Bangor)
• Rep. Cheryl Golek (D-Harpswell)
• Rep. Richard Bradstreet (R-Vassalboro)
• Rep. Joshua Morris (R-Turner)
• Rep. Richard Campbell (R-Orrington)
• Rep. Mark John Blier (R-Buxton)
• Sen. Teresa Pierce, Chair (D-Cumberland)
• Sen. Eloise Vitelli (D-Sagadahoc)
• Sen. Matt Pouliot (R-Kennebec)

This is a new committee. According to the Office of the Senate President, it will be a two-year temporary committee and came from Senate President Jackson and Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross, proving affordable housing is a top issue for the 131st Maine Legislature.

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