My Work

The priorities of our community are at the heart of my work. Ensuring community safety, protecting our environment, supporting our working families, and providing access to justice in Maine courts are urgent issues in Senate District 29 and throughout our state. As your Senator, I sponsor legislation and serve in a leadership role to address these issues for the benefit of you and all Mainers.

 

My co-chair, Rep. Matt Moonen, and I listening to testimony in the Judiciary Committee.

 

As your State Senator, I serve as Senate Chair of the Judiciary Committee and am a member of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. I am the Senate Chair of the Gun Safety Caucus as well as a member of the Children’s Caucus. Senate Democrats support each other and work together, and I’m proud and grateful to be part of this team of hardworking and impactful legislators.



Environment

“If we destroy our environment, nothing else matters.”

These stark words guide my work in the Legislature. I’m committed to the hard work ahead to address climate change and reduce pollution of our air, water and soil. Through bills I sponsored and my work as a member of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, I’ve helped Maine take significant steps forward:

  • Ensuring that communities near oil terminal facilities have clean air to breathe, Maine has a new law and DEP regulations imposing tighter restrictions and testing on emissions from oil tank farms

  • Responding to PFAS contamination, we have prohibited the spread of wastewater sludge and compost made from sludge on farmland and are phasing out sale of products containing PFAS in Maine by 2030

  • Investing in our bottle recycling program, we have updated and improved Maine’s bottle return law to ensure that our redemption centers have the resources they need to continue operating and our state maintains an effective and efficient recycling program

  • Preventing Maine from falling victim to petroleum industry scams, we enacted a law that regulates so-called Advanced Recycling facilities under solid waste disposal regulations instead of recycling plant rules, given that most of what is produced by these facilities is simply burned

Community Safety

Keeping our communities, schools, streets, and homes safe is extremely important. Here are some of the bills I have promoted to make sure we all feel secure where we live, work, learn, and play:

  • Implemented a 72-hour waiting period for most firearm purchases in an effort to reduce suicide and homicide deaths by firearms

  • Prohibited the sale or transfer of guns to people who are not legally allowed to possess firearms

  • Increased penalties for hoax school shooting reports and updated laws surrounding fake emergency reports

  • Worked to combat domestic violence by including dating partner abuse in Maine’s domestic violence laws and by strengthening and clarifying Maine’s stalking laws

  • Updated Maine’s definition of prohibited machine guns to include modifications to legally acquired guns that enable them to function as automatic weapons*

  • Passed a law requiring destruction of guns forfeited because they were used in crimes in order to prevent them from being used to harm someone in the future*

*Sadly, these public safety measures were vetoed. I am continuing to work on these issues.

Working Families

Working families are the heart of our communities and our state, and I am dedicated to providing them with the support they need and deserve.

  • Banned retaliatory evictions when tenants point out illegal actions by their landlord

  • Expanded protections for Maine workers if they face retaliation from their employers for asserting their rights

  • Safeguarded fundamental rights of Mainers to speak out on workplace harassment and matters of public concern by strengthening protections against frivolous lawsuits designed to suppress public debate and deter people from speaking out on important issues

Access to Justice

Our country was built on the promise that our legal system will be fair to everyone and be accessible to all. I’ve been working hard to ensure that Maine upholds our obligations.

  • Secured additional funding to continue providing essential services to victims of violent crimes, including domestic and sexual abuse survivors

  • Established a new public defender system to fulfill all Mainers’ right to a lawyer and Sixth Amendment rights. This system is currently being developed according to areas of greatest need. 

  • Increased funding for civil legal aid to ensure that older Mainers, people with disabilities, and others without the means to afford civil legal services have access to representation in matters that significantly impact their lives