Rep. Josh Morris

Maddy summaryLD 406 repeals Maine's paid family and medical leave program and requires the state to refund all contributions collected from employers and employees since January 1, 2025. The bill stops future contributions and mandates immediate refunds to taxpayers to address economic harm to businesses and workers. As an emergency measure, it bypasses Maine's standard 90-day legislative waiting period for immediate effect. This directly affects Maine employers and employees who had begun paying into the program in 2025.

Maddy summaryLD 277 would repeal Maine's current law prohibiting most businesses from opening on Sundays and certain holidays. This change would allow retail stores, restaurants, and other commercial establishments to operate freely on those days without legal restrictions. The bill directly affects businesses currently barred from Sunday and holiday operations under existing law. It removes the prohibition by repealing two specific sections of Maine law (17 MRSA §3202 and §3204) that enforced the ban.

Maddy summaryLD 490 requires that most Maine state agency rules finalized after January 1, 2026, automatically expire five years later. Agencies can request renewal by submitting a cost-benefit analysis and a formal request 1-2 years before expiration, allowing the Legislature to extend the rule for up to five additional years. The Secretary of State must notify agencies of the expiration date at least 18 months in advance. This applies to all agency rules meeting the criteria, ensuring regular review without automatic continuation.

Maddy summaryLD 1573 requires Maine's Governor to obtain legislative approval before reissuing, renewing, or issuing a substantially similar emergency proclamation after one has expired or been terminated by the Legislature. This bill directly affects the Governor's emergency powers, limiting their ability to extend emergency declarations without consent from the state legislature. The key provision prohibits the Governor from continuing emergency measures without explicit legislative authorization. This change aims to strengthen legislative oversight of emergency powers during crises.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows Maine homeowners to keep chickens on private residential property by prohibiting counties or municipalities from banning chicken-keeping entirely. It sets a maximum of 36 chickens (or a higher limit set by local regulations), requires coops to be predator-proof, located at least 15 feet from property lines, and provide 4 square feet of indoor space per chicken. Owners must also provide 10 square feet of secure outdoor space per chicken and take steps to prevent noise, odor, trespassing, or attracting predators. These rules ensure chicken-keeping is permitted while addressing neighbor concerns about nuisance or safety.

Maddy summaryLD 671 would eliminate Maine's state income tax for tax years beginning January 1, 2026, removing this tax from residents and businesses. It requires the state to review and update laws referencing income tax and establish a new budgeting system for state agencies. Under this system, agencies must justify their entire budget from scratch every eight years (zero-based budgeting) and during other years, submit proposals for 5% and 10% funding reductions. The Department of Administrative and Financial Services must report on necessary legal changes by the 2026 legislative session to implement these provisions.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits wildlife relocation programs from moving common loons from bodies of water that are 500 acres or less in Maine. It directly affects wildlife management programs operating in smaller lakes and ponds, preventing them from removing loons for relocation purposes. The key provision amends state law to explicitly ban such removals, applying only to water bodies of 500 acres or smaller. The law does not restrict relocation efforts from larger bodies of water.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Maine law to merge the Department of Environmental Protection and the Maine Land Use Planning Commission into a single unified agency. It repeals and revises specific statutes to adjust the commission's structure, including renaming it and creating an Executive Director role for the consolidated entity. The bill updates administrative procedures, such as budgeting requirements and reporting protocols, to align with the new agency structure. This change would streamline environmental and land use regulation under one department, affecting how state agencies manage permits, resources, and compliance.

Maddy summaryLD 278 eliminates the tobacco products tax on items containing nicotine but not tobacco, such as certain nicotine-only e-liquids or nicotine salts. The bill amends Maine's tax code by revising the definition of "tobacco products" to exclude products that contain nicotine without tobacco, while maintaining taxes on traditional tobacco products and nicotine-containing e-cigarettes. This change directly affects manufacturers and retailers selling nicotine products without tobacco, removing their tax obligation under current law. The bill does not alter existing taxes on products like cigars, snus, or e-cigarettes that contain nicotine. (Bill: LD 278, Maine Legislature 2025)

Maddy summaryThis bill allows Maine political parties to choose their own method for selecting nominees in primary elections, instead of being required to use ranked-choice voting. Parties can decide at their state convention (held between March 1 and August 1 during general election years) whether to use ranked-choice voting or an alternate method, and must include this choice in their party rules. If a party selects an alternate method, it must notify the Secretary of State by October 1st of the year before the primary election. The bill applies to all parties holding primary elections for the general election, changing the default process without mandating a specific voting system.