Maine House of Representatives
Maine House of Representatives | |
|---|---|
| Maine State Legislature | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | 4 Terms (8 years) |
| History | |
New session started | December 7, 2016 |
| Leadership | |
Majority Leader | |
Minority Leader | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 151 |
 | |
Political groups | Majority
Minority
|
Length of term | 2 years |
| Authority | Article IV, Part First, Maine Constitution |
| Salary | Session 1: $13,526/year Session 2: $9,661/year + per diem |
| Elections | |
Last election | November 8, 2016 (151 seats) |
Next election | November 6, 2018 (151 seats) |
| Redistricting | Legislative Control |
| Meeting place | |
| House of Representatives Chamber Maine State House Augusta, Maine | |
| Website | |
| Maine House of Representatives | |
The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 members (excluding three nonvoting members) representing an equal amount of districts across the state. Each voting member of the House represents around 8,800 citizens of the state. Because it is a part-time position, members of the Maine House of Representatives usually have outside employment as well. Members are limited to four consecutive terms of two years each, but may run again after two years.
The House meets at the Maine State House in Augusta.
Leadership of the House
The Speaker of the House presides over the House of Representatives. The Speaker is elected by the majority party caucus followed by confirmation of the full House through the passage of a House Resolution. In addition to presiding over the body, the Speaker is also the chief leadership position, and controls the flow of legislation and committee assignments. Other House leaders, such as the majority and minority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses relative to their party's strength in the chamber.
Composition of the 128th Maine House of Representatives
- 128th Legislature - 2017-2018
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)
|
Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color" | | style="background-color:Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color" | | style="background-color:Template:Independent Party (United States)/meta/color" | | |||
| Republican | Democratic | Ind | Vacant | ||
| Begin | 58 | 89 | 4 | 151 | 0 |
| End of 126th Legislature | 57 | 150 | 1 | ||
| Begin 127th Legislature | 68 | 79 | 4 | 151 | 0 |
| January 11, 2015[1] | 78 | 151 | 1 | ||
| March 10, 2015[2] | 79 | 151 | 0 | ||
| April 6, 2015[3] | 78 | 5 | |||
| July 15, 2015[4] | 77 | 150 | 1 | ||
| July 22, 2015[5] | 67 | 6 | |||
| August 21, 2015[6] | 76 | 149 | 2 | ||
| September 4, 2015[7] | 77 | 5 | |||
| September 25, 2015[8] | 78 | 4 | |||
| November 3, 2015[9] | 69 | 4 | 151 | 0 | |
| End of 127th Legislature | |||||
| Begin 128th Legislature | 72 | 77 | 2 | 151 | 0 |
| January 4, 2017[10] | 71 | 77 | 3 | 151 | 0 |
| Latest voting share | 47.02% | 50.99% | 1.99% | ||
| Non-voting members | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
Nonvoting members of the House
The three nonvoting members within the House represent the Penobscot Nation, the Passamaquoddy Tribe and the Maliseet Tribe. The special Representatives can sponsor legislation relating specifically to the Tribes or in relation to Tribal - State land claims, as well as co-sponsor any other legislation brought before the House, but do not cast a legislative vote due to their unique tribal status representing their tribal members only. The Penobscot, Passamaquoddy and Maliseet tribal representatives are also entitled to sit as members of joint standing committees during hearings and deliberations, where they do cast votes, which can be very important with respect to specific legislative proposals.
Starting with the 126th Legislature, the Houlton Band of Maliseets was given a legislative seat in the House of Representatives. The first elected occupant of the seat is Henry John Bear. After being sworn in by Governor Paul LePage, Bear stated he would introduce legislation to give the Micmac people of Maine a nonvoting seat.[11]
The Passamaquoddy and Penobscots announced at a State House rally on May 26, 2015 that they would withdraw their representatives from the Legislature, citing disputes over tribal fishing rights, jurisdictional issues, and a lack of respect for tribal sovereignty. They further cited an executive order by Governor Paul LePage that rescinded a prior order requiring consultation with the tribes on state issues that affected them as a reason for their decision. Subsequently, Matthew Dana II of the Passamaquoddy and Wayne Mitchell of the Penobscot left the legislature leaving Henry John Bear of the Maliseet the only non-voting tribal representative. In response, Speaker Eves said that the tribal representatives, are always welcome in the House.[12]
Independents and other parties
Due to the independent political tradition in the state, the Maine House of Representatives has been an entry ground for several of the state's prominent Independent politicians. From 2002 to 2006, Representative John Eder of Portland (District 118), of the Maine Green Independent Party, served in the Legislature and as the highest elected Green politician in U.S. politics. Eder secured recognition as a one-member Green Party caucus in the House, receiving a dedicated staff person assigned to him, something individual legislators in the Maine House do not have. In the 2006 elections, Eder lost his seat to a Democratic challenger.
Officers
| Position | Name[13] | Party | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speaker of the House | Sara Gideon | Democratic | Freeport |
| Majority Leader | Erin Herbig | Democratic | Belfast |
| Majority Whip | Jared Golden | Democratic | Lewiston |
| Minority Leader | Kenneth Fredette | Republican | Newport |
| Minority Whip | Eleanor Espling | Republican | New Gloucester |
Members of the Maine House of Representatives
Districts are currently numbered starting with 1 from south to north. This is reversed after each decennial redistricting, which will next occur in 2021 and will go into effect beginning with the 2022 primary and general elections. The current district lines, which were drawn in 2013 and were first used in the 2014 primary and general elections, will only be in effect for 8 years rather than the usual 10 as Maine adjusts its legislative redistricting cycle to conform with most other states.
Non-Voting Members
| Representing | Representative | Party | Residence | Term-limited |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passamaquoddy Tribe | Matthew Dana II | N/A | Princeton | 2022 |
| Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians | Henry John Bear | N/A | Houlton | 2018 |
See also
References
- ^ Democrat Elizabeth Dickerson (District 93 resigned after moving out of state. [1]
- ^ Democrat Anne Beebe-Carter wins special election to succeed Dickerson
- ^ Stanley Short (District 106) switched parties from Democratic to Independent. [2]
- ^ Democrat Bill Noon (District 19) passed away
- ^ Larry Dunphy (District 118) switched parties from Republican to Independent. [3]
- ^ Democrat Mike Shaw resigned to move out of the district
- ^ Independent Ben Chipman joined the Democratic Party
- ^ Independent Stanley Short rejoined the Democratic Party
- ^ Republicans Matthew Harrington and Lester Ordway won special elections to fill two vacancies.[4]
- ^ Republican Kevin Battle became an independent [5]
- ^ Bayly, Julia (January 26, 2012). "Houlton Maliseet, first elected tribal representative to Maine House, looking forward to session". Bangor Daily News.
- ^ Moretto, Mario (May 26, 2015). "Passamaquoddy, Penobscot tribes withdraw from Maine Legislature". Bangor Daily News.
- ^ House Leadership Links
- ^ Representatives
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
