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Annie Graham represents District 105, and Holly Eaton represents District 15 in the Maine House of Representatives.
If you kept up with the news about this year’s legislative session in Augusta, you’re probably already familiar with the contentious issues that came before the Legislature — and there were many of them. But while these intense debates and moments of deep division received a significant amount of attention from the press and the public, they represent only a small fraction of the collective work that we accomplished for Maine people before adjourning in June.
This year, the Legislature enacted more than 650 bills that are now law, and the vast majority of them actually passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. Many were unanimous. They were the result of hard work in policy committees from both Democrats and Republicans that often happens outside of the spotlight — the product of thoughtful collaboration, respectful dialogue and a strong desire to find common ground that typically goes overlooked.
From increasing access to child care and better addressing the needs of our rural communities to improving our transportation infrastructure, the Legislature passed many bipartisan pieces of legislation this year that will move our state forward and help solve the real challenges facing Maine people.
We experienced this in our own committee work firsthand. For example, the Health and Human Services Committee, which Rep. Graham serves on, worked to find consensus on a number of important issues, including increasing support for Maine caregivers and expanding access to Narcan to reduce fatal overdoses. We also unanimously passed a bill from Sen. Marianne Moore, our Republican colleague from Washington County, that will reduce barriers to child care — particularly in rural areas — by easing existing restrictions on family care providers.
The Marine Resources Committee and the Transportation Committee, which Rep. Eaton serves on, were also able to find common ground on many issues. This includes legislation from Rep. Eaton, who represents a large coastal and island district, to support Maine’s emerging aquaculture industry by creating a pilot program to conduct biotoxin testing of certain scallops. We also passed bipartisan bills to strengthen Maine’s working waterfronts and improve the regulation of aquaculture leases.
Additionally, we delivered on one of our core responsibilities to Mainers by passing a two-year Highway Fund budget unanimously, which will provide important funding to repair infrastructure like state roads, maintain and replace bridges, support public transit, and clear roads of snow and ice in the winter. These investments will improve the safety and quality of life of all Maine people.
Unfortunately, these bills received little — if any — attention as they moved through the legislative process. But policies like these will have a meaningful and positive impact on people across our state, and they’re good examples of what state government can accomplish for Maine families and communities.
Of course, there were plenty of moments of disagreement. In a democracy, it’s inevitable — and that’s a good thing. But those moments can frequently be the exception, not the rule, despite how it can often seem. Most of the time, the members of the Legislature are working across the aisle to solve real problems, even if we don’t always agree on every detail.
We’re proud of the good work we’ve done together this year with colleagues from all political backgrounds. Our state motto, “Dirigo,” means “I lead.” Leadership means showing up, doing the hard work, and finding solutions to the most pressing challenges our state is facing right now — because that’s the best way to move Maine forward, even if it’s not always grabbing the headlines.
