Mr. Speaker, women and men of the House. I rise in opposition to the pending motion on LD 475, An Act To Increase Food Sovereignty in Local Communities.
Concerning the most important bill that I have presented to the first regular session of the 126th Legislature, I find myself in the minority report. I guess you could call that poetry.
As former Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, once said, “Control oil and you control nations; control food and you control the people.”
::
Her name was Mrs. Meeks. Well, that was the only name I ever heard her called. I was in her kitchen only once. She, like us, lived on the North Side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, smack dab in the middle of factories that made big things and paid good wages. I couldn’t tell you if Mrs. Meeks worked in one of them or not, or even if she worked outside her home at all. All I knew is that she hailed from rural Alabama and she made a mean coconut cake. So mean it was the only cake my parents ever bought for a special occasion.
We didn’t have much. We were on food stamps, in fact.
But when we splurged, for a special occasion, we turned to our neighbor. And Mrs. Meeks made the best cakes you’d ever want to buy. She made them all in her kitchen, a place that felt like the hearth in her home that it was. Her reputation preceded her. So much so that when I began teaching myself how to bake a good cake, way back in the fourth grade, Mrs. Meeks was the cake maker I wanted to emulate. Why?
Because in every single bite of Mrs. Meeks cakes, you could taste the love.
Just as you could taste the love in Aunt Fannie’s famous seafood gumbo. Originally from rural Louisiana, Aunt Fannie migrated to Milwaukee after World War II, her expertise in creole cuisine in tow. Nobody we knew who wanted gumbo for Christmas ever made their own. They bought some of hers. Or, if they were really lucky, she invited them over to her house, sat them down right her kitchen table, and served that spectacular ambrosia fresh out of that giant pot. We were among the lucky ones. Still, if we took any of her gumbo home with us, my father reached into his wallet and gave her a little something. She needed it to help her family make ends meet while caring for a son, challenged in so many ways.
Now what on earth do Mrs. Meeks and Aunt Fannie have to do with food sovereignty?
Well, everything—pretty much.
And even though they both lived in cities by the time I was able to partake of their culinary wizardry, their values were shaped in the rural communities from which they hailed. So were my parents’ values. Which is why my father shared some of his hunt with our neighbors whenever they needed it. Why my mother fed and bathed countless throwaway girls who knocked on our door, no questions asked.
Now, I live in a rural community. A community of people who share my values. After all, they sent me here.
::
I believe locally produced food is national security. I believe that access to wholesome food is a right for every citizen. When one in four children among us goes to bed hungry every night, we can do better. We must. We cannot allow a single one of us to go hungry for a single day. Maine has all the natural resources and the hard-working, independent-spirited people to grow, catch, trap, forage, process, prepare, and distribute enough food to feed our people and strengthen our local economies. Let us stop importing more food per capita than any other state in the contiguous 48.
I believe the best way to achieve more food self-sufficiency and security in Maine is to allow our neighbors—many of whom are small-scale farmers and/or small-scale food producers, like Aunt Fannie and Mrs. Meeks—to advertise, sell, and feed us the food we want to eat.
If you control the food, you control the people.
“People,” said Woodrow Wilson, “may now be dominated and governed only by their own consent. Self-determination is not a mere phrase; it is an imperative principle of action. . . . "
An imperative principle of action.
Food sovereignty equals self-determination.
Who gets to decide the rules and regulations about our local food supply? Who do you trust? The multinational biotech companies that so desperately want to control our food supply by genetically engineering seeds and patenting those same seeds and then influencing the FDA and the USDA to create policies that serve to drive small food producers out of business?
Do you trust a food system that allows chickens to be slaughtered at a rate of 175 per minute, with minimal human oversight, the carcasses dipped in bleach and chemical brines in order to make them fit for human consumption? A food system that allows for hamburger filler to be washed in ammonia, also known as pink slime, in order to kill E. coli and make that meat fit for human consumption?
Or, do you trust the person in your neighborhood or community who produces food with wholesome ingredients and a heaping bowl of love?
If you control food, you control the people.
I’m a farmer who still works the land by hand. Mr. Speaker, I've never been more committed to anything in my life. Never been happier. There is simply nothing like living off the land and nothing simpler. Knowing exactly where your food comes from because you produce it yourself. I am truly blessed. My customers appreciate every bag of spinach, jar of granola, or crown of broccoli they get from the farm. And I appreciate them. Their concerns and requests, their own gardening triumphs and failures. Our exchange of ideas and recipes and tricks. I never would have imagined I would become such an integral part of a local food chain. Never would have imagined I could sell thousands of dollars of organic produce and homemade foods in a single season directly to patrons without vending at a farmer’s market or supplying a restaurant. Never would have imagined folks would stop by simply to thank me for doing what I do even though they buy their produce at another local farm. I think now of Michael Pollan's words from his must-read book In Defense Of Food, “In a short food chain… [f]ood reclaims its story, and some of its nobility, when the person who grew it hands it to you.”
Think about that.
I’m going to say it again: In a short food chain food reclaims its story, and some of its nobility, when the person who grew it hands it to you.
Mr. Speaker, in 2009 the people of Maine demanded an expanded medical marijuana law, even though marijuana is illegal at the federal level. Have the feds shut it down?
If the people of the Maine, through their representatives, make a firm stand on who has the right to make the rules for their own food, then how can we go wrong? The threat of the FDA or the USDA coming in and taking over everything or shutting down all Maine food producers is a fear-based argument that simply doesn’t hold water.
Food sovereignty is Home Rule for food.
Food sovereignty means local control.
Food sovereignty is rural economic development.
Food sovereignty means farmers and fishers have first rights to local and regional markets.
Food sovereignty means empowered communities all over the State working together to advance local food systems that ensure health and dignity for all Maine people.
Food sovereignty means that all people will have access to healthy, wholesome, locally produced and delicious food.
Food sovereignty means that farmers, farm workers, ranchers, and fishers will have control over their lands, water, seeds, and livelihoods.
The people in 9 towns in the state of Maine voted to enact Local Food and Community Self-Governance Ordinances. What the Legislature can do today is uphold these ordinances, grant them a bit of teeth, if you will, and relieve the state of Maine from using taxpayer dollars to file suit against a one-cow farmer who feeds the people in his community the food they want to eat
LD 475 as amended states, “Pursuant to the home rule authority granted to municipalities by Title 30 and by the Constitution of Maine, Article VIII, Part Second, and notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, local government may regulate food systems by local ordinance.”
Do we really want to turn that down because we’re afraid of the federal government?
We invoke Home Rule frequently when discussing local education systems. Why can’t we apply that same principle to local food systems?
Think about that.
Think about that.
If you control food, you control the people.
Food is life. Food is life.
We the People must have control over our own lives.
We the People insist.
Food is life.
I humbly ask that you vote against the pending motion and affirm the right of local communities to govern their own food systems as they see fit.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Testimony: Deregulating Face-To-Face Food Transactions
Testimony
of Representative Craig Hickman for LD 1287: An
Act To Deregulate Face-to-face Transactions Between the People and Small Farms
and Small Food Producers Before
the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, May 7,
2013
Senator Jackson,
Representative Dill and other distinguished members of the Joint Standing
Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. I am Craig Hickman,
representing District 82, Winthrop and Readfield and I stand before you today
to present LD 1287, “An Act To Deregulate Face-to-face Transactions between the
People and Small Farms and Small Food Producers.”
I’d like to tell you the story of why I became a farmer.
I hope my story makes it clear why I’m presenting this bill and how important
it will be to vote to pass it later today. The story is entitled “Collard
Greens” and I wrote it in November of 2009 in preparation of my 20th
college reunion.
::
::
FOR TWO years, they didn't have garden-fresh collard
greens.
For all of my childhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, my father grew a small garden in our back yard that yielded incredible produce. We didn't call it organic gardening back then. There was no need for such a description. It was what it was: gardening. No chemical fertilizers, no pesticides.
Well. Almost. One year—I can't remember how old I was but I was in elementary school—the insects were so bad, my father chose to shake garden dust over all his yet-to-fruit tomato plants, which were being devoured by hornworms. He cried. He was afraid he would poison his family. Afraid that we would starve if we didn't have any tomatoes to eat fresh or can for later so he chose drastic action. But he left alone the collards and other leafy greens. "I can't shake no dust on those. They go directly into our mouths, so we're going to have to pick the bugs off with our fingers."
For all of my childhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, my father grew a small garden in our back yard that yielded incredible produce. We didn't call it organic gardening back then. There was no need for such a description. It was what it was: gardening. No chemical fertilizers, no pesticides.
Well. Almost. One year—I can't remember how old I was but I was in elementary school—the insects were so bad, my father chose to shake garden dust over all his yet-to-fruit tomato plants, which were being devoured by hornworms. He cried. He was afraid he would poison his family. Afraid that we would starve if we didn't have any tomatoes to eat fresh or can for later so he chose drastic action. But he left alone the collards and other leafy greens. "I can't shake no dust on those. They go directly into our mouths, so we're going to have to pick the bugs off with our fingers."
::
Summer 2009, I stood amidst my collards in one of
the many gardens on our 25-acre organic farm in central Maine talking to my
pregnant sister on the phone. I told Gina that my collards weren't growing as
well as I'd like. That because of the unceasing rain the insects were winning.
That's when she told me.
In the last two years of our father's life, when the pancreatic cancer made him too weak to tend his garden, she and my mother had no fresh collards. The rose chafers, Japanese beetles, cabbage worms and whatever else loves this bittersweet brassica had devoured the leaves down to skeletons.
"He simply had no energy, Craig. And we couldn't help because it would have been an admission that we knew he was sick, and since he never told us, we couldn't let him know that we knew."
I simply could not fathom my family back home in Milwaukee went two years without Daddy's collards. Could not fathom why my sister had never told me about it till just then. Could not fathom why my mother had never told me about it at all.
I stood amidst my insect-infested collards and wept.
Losing my father on March 14, 2007, a month to the day after he turned 87, began the most transformative right of passage in my life to date. The man who taught me about discipline, respect, honor, dignity; about how to rise up after being knocked down; how to dream great dreams; how to love; how to live had left this world and left a hole in my soul as big as the lake on which my farm sits.
Two years later, in early spring, when I finally came up from under, I saw my father walk from the side of the road right up the gravel driveway and into our house. I don’t know if I was sleeping or awake, but I saw him nonetheless. Later that day, I stood before the unquilted stretch of land and told my beloved of my plans to become a bona fide farmer. He thought I was crazy. Said it was too much. That I'd never keep to it.
Love a challenge. If you tell me I can't do something, I'm determined to prove you wrong.
Five months later, I opened a farm stand on the side of the road right in front of our house and began selling the succulent vegetables our land offered up.
Now, I'm addicted to growing things. I've turned a mere half-acre of our farm into a sweep of organic gardens. Composted manure from around the barnyard, a small tiller for cultivation, a few farm hands, a garden rake, hoe and pitchfork, a mosquito net as necessary, and as many daylight hours as the sun above can muster is all we count on to produce our harvest.
Now, I can't stop opening a new patch of earth to plant some new variety of heirloom tomatoes to round out the cornucopia from Annabessacook Farm: arugula, beets, Belgian endive, collards, kale, mesclun, mustard greens, romaine, Swiss chard, spinach, turnips, corn (the sweetest in the area, say my customers), carrots, celery, fennel, golden beets, radish, basil, chives, cilantro, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme, leeks, onions, scallions, blackeye peas, okra, green beans, soybeans, sugar peas, several varieties of peppers, summer squash, winter squash, gourds, pumpkins, cucumbers, eggplant, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, wild black raspberries, cantaloupe, honey dew, watermelon, and anything else I can trick to grow in this northern climate. Can't stop. As though all the energy my father didn't have at the end of his life has fueled me to work from sun up to sundown, planting, weeding, hauling, turning, picking, packaging, selling. Eating.
I'm even making fresh cheese and yogurt and ice cream from the goat milk my beloved massages out of our goat every evening after healing patients all day at MaineGeneral. Baking breads and quiches and pies and cakes and hearty cereals. Preparing meals for B&B guests, private dinner banquets for neighbors and friends.
And we’ve got two new greenhouses. Can't wait to see what they can produce in winter. Before long, we’ll be growing our own wheat, making our own honey, slaughtering our own meat.
::
That's when she told me.
In the last two years of our father's life, when the pancreatic cancer made him too weak to tend his garden, she and my mother had no fresh collards. The rose chafers, Japanese beetles, cabbage worms and whatever else loves this bittersweet brassica had devoured the leaves down to skeletons.
"He simply had no energy, Craig. And we couldn't help because it would have been an admission that we knew he was sick, and since he never told us, we couldn't let him know that we knew."
I simply could not fathom my family back home in Milwaukee went two years without Daddy's collards. Could not fathom why my sister had never told me about it till just then. Could not fathom why my mother had never told me about it at all.
I stood amidst my insect-infested collards and wept.
Losing my father on March 14, 2007, a month to the day after he turned 87, began the most transformative right of passage in my life to date. The man who taught me about discipline, respect, honor, dignity; about how to rise up after being knocked down; how to dream great dreams; how to love; how to live had left this world and left a hole in my soul as big as the lake on which my farm sits.
Two years later, in early spring, when I finally came up from under, I saw my father walk from the side of the road right up the gravel driveway and into our house. I don’t know if I was sleeping or awake, but I saw him nonetheless. Later that day, I stood before the unquilted stretch of land and told my beloved of my plans to become a bona fide farmer. He thought I was crazy. Said it was too much. That I'd never keep to it.
Love a challenge. If you tell me I can't do something, I'm determined to prove you wrong.
Five months later, I opened a farm stand on the side of the road right in front of our house and began selling the succulent vegetables our land offered up.
Now, I'm addicted to growing things. I've turned a mere half-acre of our farm into a sweep of organic gardens. Composted manure from around the barnyard, a small tiller for cultivation, a few farm hands, a garden rake, hoe and pitchfork, a mosquito net as necessary, and as many daylight hours as the sun above can muster is all we count on to produce our harvest.
Now, I can't stop opening a new patch of earth to plant some new variety of heirloom tomatoes to round out the cornucopia from Annabessacook Farm: arugula, beets, Belgian endive, collards, kale, mesclun, mustard greens, romaine, Swiss chard, spinach, turnips, corn (the sweetest in the area, say my customers), carrots, celery, fennel, golden beets, radish, basil, chives, cilantro, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme, leeks, onions, scallions, blackeye peas, okra, green beans, soybeans, sugar peas, several varieties of peppers, summer squash, winter squash, gourds, pumpkins, cucumbers, eggplant, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, wild black raspberries, cantaloupe, honey dew, watermelon, and anything else I can trick to grow in this northern climate. Can't stop. As though all the energy my father didn't have at the end of his life has fueled me to work from sun up to sundown, planting, weeding, hauling, turning, picking, packaging, selling. Eating.
I'm even making fresh cheese and yogurt and ice cream from the goat milk my beloved massages out of our goat every evening after healing patients all day at MaineGeneral. Baking breads and quiches and pies and cakes and hearty cereals. Preparing meals for B&B guests, private dinner banquets for neighbors and friends.
And we’ve got two new greenhouses. Can't wait to see what they can produce in winter. Before long, we’ll be growing our own wheat, making our own honey, slaughtering our own meat.
::
I stand on my father's shoulders. He whispers music over mine as I open the
earth, loving her—tenderly, deeply, desperately—and whisks mosquitoes away from
my ears so I can hear his music more clearly.
He shows me the way.
I've never been more committed to anything in my life. Never been happier. There is simply nothing like living off the land and nothing simpler. Knowing exactly where your food comes from because you produce it yourself.
My customers appreciate every bag of spinach, jar of granola, or crown of broccoli they get from the farm. And I appreciate them. Their concerns and requests, their own gardening triumphs and failures. Our exchange of ideas and recipes and tricks. I never would have imagined I would become such an integral part of a local food chain. Never would have imagined I could sell thousands of dollars of organic produce and homemade foods in a single season directly to patrons without vending at a farmer’s market or supplying a restaurant. Never would have imagined folks would stop by simply to thank me for doing what I do even though they buy their produce at another local farm. I think now of Michael Pollan's words from his must-read book In Defense Of Food, “In a short food chain… [f]ood reclaims its story, and some of its nobility, when the person who grew it hands it to you.”
He shows me the way.
I've never been more committed to anything in my life. Never been happier. There is simply nothing like living off the land and nothing simpler. Knowing exactly where your food comes from because you produce it yourself.
My customers appreciate every bag of spinach, jar of granola, or crown of broccoli they get from the farm. And I appreciate them. Their concerns and requests, their own gardening triumphs and failures. Our exchange of ideas and recipes and tricks. I never would have imagined I would become such an integral part of a local food chain. Never would have imagined I could sell thousands of dollars of organic produce and homemade foods in a single season directly to patrons without vending at a farmer’s market or supplying a restaurant. Never would have imagined folks would stop by simply to thank me for doing what I do even though they buy their produce at another local farm. I think now of Michael Pollan's words from his must-read book In Defense Of Food, “In a short food chain… [f]ood reclaims its story, and some of its nobility, when the person who grew it hands it to you.”
Think about that.
I’m going to say it again: In a short food chain
food reclaims its story, and some of its nobility, when the person who grew it
hands it to you.
Face-to-face.
And so it was that when I told one of our regular
customers the story of my father's collards, my sister's recent heartbreaking
confession, we all shared a moment of spontaneous silence in his memory. And I
swear to God, within a week, my collards were on their way to the biggest,
sweetest, greenest collards I'd ever grown.
Friday, May 3, 2013
State News Update
Maine’s Departments of Environmental Protection and Agriculture,
Conservation and Forestry are helping farmers who want to do their part
to protect water quality by releasing $3 million for agriculture
improvements loans.
The two State departments, in partnership with the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) and the Maine Municipal Bond Bank, have expanded the Nutrient Management Loan Program, developed to fund construction of containment and handling facilities for milk room and manure waste. Since its inception in 1999, that program has made 14 loans totaling $1.3 million.
The DEP-administered Clean Water State Revolving Fund will provide up to $3 million for FAME to finance the loans with farmers able to borrow up to $450,000 at a fixed interest rate of 2 percent for up to 20 years.
“Agriculture is a $1.5 billion industry in Maine, and the thousands of people who work in it have the important responsibility of stewarding 1.25 million acres,” said Governor Paul R. LePage. “I thank these two agencies for coming together with FAME and the bond bank to increase the sustainability of Maine farms and our state. This expanded loan program is good news for our natural resources and for our economy.”
Loans will fund agricultural projects that mitigate nonpoint source pollution by reducing or treating agricultural runoff and improving or maintaining water quality through irrigation system improvements and the use of irrigation reservoirs to maintain in-stream flows and water levels.
Eligible improvement projects include repairs to or installation of roof runoff structures, water and sediment control basins, composting facilities, anaerobic digesters and irrigation system water conservation. DACF will review the proposed projects for eligibility and to ensure they are completed in accordance with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Services design criteria.
“Maine’s farmers know firsthand the great value of clean water and the importance of minimizing agricultural runoff,” said DEP Commissioner Patricia W. Aho. “Thanks to our increased funding commitment, these important partners in protection will be able to better steward the land and water they depend on for their livelihood while investing in the future of the farms that feed Maine people and our economy.”
“These loan opportunities will lead to investments in agricultural infrastructure,” added DACF Commissioner Walt Whitcomb. “Long-term agricultural viability protects Maine water resources.”
Since 1989, the Maine Clean Water State Revolving Fund has provided over $650 million in low-interest loans for projects that improve water quality and protect environmental and public health, largely to publicly owned wastewater treatment facilities.
Maine Greenhouse and Nursery Day is May 4
Greenhouses, nurseries and garden centers statewide will be celebrating on Saturday, May 4 as the industry kicks off Maine Greenhouse and Nursery Day.
For the fourth year, several dozen family-owned businesses will hold special events to highlight the fun and joy of gardening in Maine. Planned activities for the events include giveaways, door prizes, raffles, plants and balloons for children, container-planting demonstrations, personal tours, expert speakers and mini workshops. Participating greenhouses and nurseries also will preview spring introductions and share their expertise by offering gardening tips, information on plant varieties and ideas for window box and landscape design.
The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry licenses and inspects more than 1,307 businesses selling plants in Maine. The Department also certifies plant exports, regulates imported plants and assists growers with plant pest problems.
For more information about Maine Greenhouse and Nursery Day, click HERE
For more information, contact Mary Lou Hoskins at (207) 848-5453, email: greenc@gwi.net
The two State departments, in partnership with the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) and the Maine Municipal Bond Bank, have expanded the Nutrient Management Loan Program, developed to fund construction of containment and handling facilities for milk room and manure waste. Since its inception in 1999, that program has made 14 loans totaling $1.3 million.
The DEP-administered Clean Water State Revolving Fund will provide up to $3 million for FAME to finance the loans with farmers able to borrow up to $450,000 at a fixed interest rate of 2 percent for up to 20 years.
“Agriculture is a $1.5 billion industry in Maine, and the thousands of people who work in it have the important responsibility of stewarding 1.25 million acres,” said Governor Paul R. LePage. “I thank these two agencies for coming together with FAME and the bond bank to increase the sustainability of Maine farms and our state. This expanded loan program is good news for our natural resources and for our economy.”
Loans will fund agricultural projects that mitigate nonpoint source pollution by reducing or treating agricultural runoff and improving or maintaining water quality through irrigation system improvements and the use of irrigation reservoirs to maintain in-stream flows and water levels.
Eligible improvement projects include repairs to or installation of roof runoff structures, water and sediment control basins, composting facilities, anaerobic digesters and irrigation system water conservation. DACF will review the proposed projects for eligibility and to ensure they are completed in accordance with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Services design criteria.
“Maine’s farmers know firsthand the great value of clean water and the importance of minimizing agricultural runoff,” said DEP Commissioner Patricia W. Aho. “Thanks to our increased funding commitment, these important partners in protection will be able to better steward the land and water they depend on for their livelihood while investing in the future of the farms that feed Maine people and our economy.”
“These loan opportunities will lead to investments in agricultural infrastructure,” added DACF Commissioner Walt Whitcomb. “Long-term agricultural viability protects Maine water resources.”
Since 1989, the Maine Clean Water State Revolving Fund has provided over $650 million in low-interest loans for projects that improve water quality and protect environmental and public health, largely to publicly owned wastewater treatment facilities.
Maine Greenhouse and Nursery Day is May 4
Greenhouses, nurseries and garden centers statewide will be celebrating on Saturday, May 4 as the industry kicks off Maine Greenhouse and Nursery Day.
For the fourth year, several dozen family-owned businesses will hold special events to highlight the fun and joy of gardening in Maine. Planned activities for the events include giveaways, door prizes, raffles, plants and balloons for children, container-planting demonstrations, personal tours, expert speakers and mini workshops. Participating greenhouses and nurseries also will preview spring introductions and share their expertise by offering gardening tips, information on plant varieties and ideas for window box and landscape design.
The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry licenses and inspects more than 1,307 businesses selling plants in Maine. The Department also certifies plant exports, regulates imported plants and assists growers with plant pest problems.
For more information about Maine Greenhouse and Nursery Day, click HERE
For more information, contact Mary Lou Hoskins at (207) 848-5453, email: greenc@gwi.net
Monday, April 29, 2013
Testimony: An Act To Arm Forest Rangers
Testimony
of Representative Craig Hickman for LD 297: An
Act To Require Forest Rangers To be Trained in Order To Allow Them To Carry
Firearms, Before
the Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety
April
24, 2013
Good afternoon Senator Gerzofsky, Representative Dion and other distinguished members of the Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety. My name is Craig Hickman, I represent District 82, Winthrop and Readfield, and I stand before you today in full support of LD 297, “An Act To Require Forest Rangers To be Trained in Order To Allow Them To Carry Firearms.”
On February 17, 2013, I
received an email from Mr. Al Godfrey, a constituent of mine. He wrote as follows:
“As you are aware I
spend many months each year up in the unorganized territories and encounter the
Forest Rangers on a regular basis. Up in the big woods we have very limited law
enforcement and arming them would be a major step in the right direction. It
makes no sense that I am licensed to carry a firearm via my hunting license and
concealed weapon permit and yet they trying to enforce laws aren't allowed to
be protected. On a number of occasions I have discussed with them coming upon
an illegal bonfire where large amounts of alcohol and illicit drugs are being
consumed and they are defenseless to do anything. Also confronting timber theft
or breaking and entering private property. They, and us residents up there,
deserve this protection. Thanking you in advance for your kind consideration in
this regard, I remain...”
I wrote back asking him
for a bit of history, and he replied:
“From my recollection
the Forest Rangers were allowed to carry protective weapons up until 15 +
years ago and the Commissioner of Conservation at that time decided that he
didn't want them to do so any longer and had the statute changed. Today's
activities in the forest land have changed immensely since then and as I stated
in my first email those of us up in the big woods have very little protection
and this would help everyone as well as the rangers trying to do the job. Hope
this helps.”
So I’m scratching my
head wondering what happened. Mr. Godfrey
is a well-respected member of my community who’s been around a long time, and
this was the first time he contacted me directly about anything. When he asks
you to get to the bottom of something, you get to the bottom of it. I was determined to research the issue and gather
information, though I wasn’t exactly sure where to begin.
Within days, as though
a prayer was being answered, I received an email from a Forest Ranger who
believed this legislation would be coming before the Joint Standing Committee
on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, on which I serve, and so he told me
his story. A story which led to extensive conversations. Conversations which led to more stories from
other dedicated and hard-working Forest Rangers. A collection of compelling stories that
ultimately revealed to me a troubling reality: Forest Rangers, past and present, have had
little to no voice in the biggest issues that affect their mission on the
ground.
One of our colleagues
here in the Maine House said, on microphone during a work session, mind you,
that state employees—which, by the way, we all are, whether elected or not—would
simply do what we told them to do. That we have no duty as elected public
servants to listen to them.
Well, I beg to differ.
When I ran for office,
I pledged to be a voice for those who cry in the dark. Imagine my surprise,
then, when I became painfully aware that a group of law enforcement officials
who protect one of our most valuable resources and face some of the most dangerous situations in the line of duty are among those who cry in the dark.
The Forest Protection Unit is understaffed (as of this writing, up to eight candidates
who have passed background checks, lie detector tests and other rigorous
screenings and training are waiting anxiously to fill the unfilled
positions for which the department already has the money), many Forest Rangers
feel underappreciated and undervalued and still they
absolutely love their work and take great pride in it.
Today, you will hear
their voices, loud and clear.
This is Maine. God’s country. Gun country, as some call it.
This is Maine. Our law enforcement
officials—all of them—need to be armed
in order to ensure their safety so they can perform their duties most
effectively.
I humbly ask that you
vote ought to pass—unanimously—on LD 297. Thank you.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Testimony: An Act To Increase Consumption of Maine Foods in All State Institutions
Testimony
of Representative Craig Hickman, LD
1254: An Act To Increase Consumption of Maine Foods in All State Institutions Before
the Joint Standing Committee on State and Local Government, April 22, 2013
Good
afternoon Senator Lachowicz, Representative Graham and other distinguished
members of the Joint Standing Committee on State and Local Government. My name is Craig Hickman. I represent District
82, Winthrop and Readfield, and I stand before you today to present LD 1254,
“An Act To Increase Consumption of Maine Foods in All State Institutions.”
Pursuant to Title 7 of the Maine Revised
Statutes, Chapter 8-A: Food and Food Policy, Subchapter 1: Purchase of
Foodstuffs from Maine, which is attached to this testimony, “It is the policy
of the State to encourage food self-sufficiency for the State. State
institutions and school districts in the State shall purchase food produced by
Maine farmers or fishermen, provided that food is available in adequate
quantity and meets acceptable quality standards, and is priced competitively.”
What a great concept. In 2005, the
Legislature removed from the implementation section of the same subchapter the
amounts to be expended by institutional facilities and school districts. This
bill inserts benchmarks that institutions and public schools adhere to for the
amount of food purchased from Maine food producers: at least 15% for the 10
years beginning in 2014; at least 25% for the next ten years; and at least 35% beginning
in 2034.
As presented, I did not suggest an
amendment to strike the words “excluding milk and eggs” from the implementation
language. Milk and eggs were excluded when this section of statute was created
in 1983 because institutions and schools were already purchasing most of their
milk and eggs from Maine farms. If the committee sees fit to amend the statute
further and include Maine milk and eggs with an understanding that you would
have to amend the entire subchapter and not just section 213, then I believe
the proposed baseline percentages should be increased significantly.
The remainder of Chapter 8-A, Subchapter
1 outlines how these purchases shall be coordinated. It states:
“The commissioner shall designate an
employee of the department to serve as a food purchasing coordinator to assist
in the development of connections between state and school purchasers, Maine
food producers and brokers and wholesales of food.
“The food purchasing coordinator shall
cause to be held an annual meeting that brings together producers, wholesalers,
buyers and food service professionals to enhance opportunities for cooperation
and expand the purchase of local foodstuffs by institutions and public schools.
“The commissioner shall establish an
advisory committee to discuss possibilities and review proposals for expanding
purchases of local foodstuffs. The commissioner shall invite one or more
representatives from each of the following agencies to serve on the advisory
committee: the Department of Education; the Department of Marine Resources; the
Department of Corrections; the Department of Administrative and Financial
Services, Bureau of Purchases; the Department of Health and Human Services; the
University of Maine System; and the Maine Community College System.”
In short, our state government is
charged by statute to collaborate across departments to coordinate the purchase
of foods from Maine food producers in all state institutions. If we’re spending
taxpayer dollars feeding people who work at or attend our colleges and public
schools, who work at or serve time in our correctional facilities, or who work
at or receive care in our hospitals, then why not spend as much of our money as
we can on food grown, harvested, caught, or produced in our great state?
We will increase markets for Maine
farmers, fishermen, and other small businesses that produce and process food,
create Maine jobs, reduce the amount of food we import, and take a giant step
towards food self-sufficiency, which remains the policy of the State.
Now, then, there’s nothing to it but to
do it.
I humbly ask that you vote unanimously ought
to pass on LD 1254. Thank you.
Friday, April 19, 2013
State News Update
Governor Orders Flags to be Lowered in Respect for Victims in Boston Marathon Explosions
By taking these precautions, homeowners are more likely to prevent conflicts that could pose a danger to human life or require corrective action such as moving or killing a bear.
For more information, visit www.mefishwildlife.com.
Maine History Corner
The name ‘Blaine’ is most often invoked now in conjunction with the Maine Governors’ residence. The namesake of the residence, and its former owner, James G. Blaine, is a storied figure not only in Maine’s history but also nationally. Blaine served in the Maine House of Representatives, the United States House of Representatives, and the United States Senate. He served as Speaker of the U.S. House from 1869-1875, and as U.S. Secretary of State on two separate occasions. He also ran for President in 1884, but lost to Grover Cleveland. Ironically, one position he never held was that of Governor of Maine.
You can view photos and read more about this prominent Mainer HERE .
Governor Paul LePage
ordered the flags of the United States and State of Maine be flown at
half-staff effective immediately through sunset on Saturday, April 20,
2013 in accordance with a Presidential proclamation. On Tuesday,
President Obama issued a proclamation as a mark of respect for the
victims of Monday’s tragic events in Boston, Massachusetts.
The two bomb explosions have resulted in 3 deaths and more than 170 injured.
After learning of the explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, Governor LePage immediately released the following statement:
“It is a very sad Patriot’s Day in Boston. Ann and I send our thoughts and prayers to the families and friends of those who were killed and injured in today’s horrific act of violence. For the many Mainers who are in Boston today we hope you are safe.”
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Tom Menino have announced the formation of The One Fund Boston, Inc. to help the people most affected by the tragic events. Find out more about the charity, or donate HERE.
Lawyers in Libraries: Law Day 2013
Lawyers across the state will spend time in local libraries on Law Day, Wednesday, May 1, to provide resources and assistance to people in need, talk about statewide legal issues and meet with library patrons. Lawyers in Libraries: Law Day 2013 is a free event that is open to the public. It will take place in libraries statewide from noon-2:00 p.m.
The goal of the day is twofold: to provide Maine citizens with access to legal advice and information and to demonstrate how legal access is critical to a community’s well-being; an entire community suffers when neighbors and friends go through foreclosure, are not safe in their homes, or cannot afford heat or food.
Participants in Lawyers in Libraries: Law Day 2013 will have an opportunity to meet with a lawyer based in their community and receive information about free resources, low-cost legal assistance and legal referrals. In addition, some attendees will have the opportunity for a brief private consultation with an attorney about personal legal matters.
The names and locations of participating libraries, along with the scheduled times for the event, are available at www.lawyersinlibraries.org.
Hazard Mitigation Grant Application Period Open for Communities
The two bomb explosions have resulted in 3 deaths and more than 170 injured.
After learning of the explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, Governor LePage immediately released the following statement:
“It is a very sad Patriot’s Day in Boston. Ann and I send our thoughts and prayers to the families and friends of those who were killed and injured in today’s horrific act of violence. For the many Mainers who are in Boston today we hope you are safe.”
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Tom Menino have announced the formation of The One Fund Boston, Inc. to help the people most affected by the tragic events. Find out more about the charity, or donate HERE.
Lawyers in Libraries: Law Day 2013
Lawyers across the state will spend time in local libraries on Law Day, Wednesday, May 1, to provide resources and assistance to people in need, talk about statewide legal issues and meet with library patrons. Lawyers in Libraries: Law Day 2013 is a free event that is open to the public. It will take place in libraries statewide from noon-2:00 p.m.
The goal of the day is twofold: to provide Maine citizens with access to legal advice and information and to demonstrate how legal access is critical to a community’s well-being; an entire community suffers when neighbors and friends go through foreclosure, are not safe in their homes, or cannot afford heat or food.
Participants in Lawyers in Libraries: Law Day 2013 will have an opportunity to meet with a lawyer based in their community and receive information about free resources, low-cost legal assistance and legal referrals. In addition, some attendees will have the opportunity for a brief private consultation with an attorney about personal legal matters.
The names and locations of participating libraries, along with the scheduled times for the event, are available at www.lawyersinlibraries.org.
As part of the disaster
declaration for the February 2013 blizzard, Maine is receiving
mitigation grant funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) for eligible mitigation projects.
Approximately $450,000 is available in hazard mitigation grant program (HMGP) funds for eligible projects that will help the communities avoid future damages from natural disasters.
Applications must be received by 5:00 pm on June 30, 2013 or September 30, 2013. These are standing deadlines: review sessions to evaluate applications are held following each of these dates.
Communities seeking HMGP funds must be participating in a FEMA-approved Hazard Mitigation plan, compliant with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and their project must be cost beneficial using the FEMA software. That is, the cost of the project must be roughly equal to or less than the historical costs of repairing previous damages at the site.
Communities must provide a 25% cost-share of the total project costs. Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds can be used as cost share. Cost share can also be provided by in-kind resources such as town owned and operated equipment.
Technical assistance is available to help applicants prepare competitive applications. MEMA will be conducting workshops to guide applicants through the process and can also provide one-on-one assistance.
Visit MEMA's Mitigation Grants page for all grant guidance and forms. In particular, please review the YES/NO (HMGP Eligibility Requirements) page to determine if your project meets grant criteria.
Tips on Avoiding Bear Conflicts
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife reminds homeowners that bears may be attracted to bird feeders, garbage cans, dumpsters and grills in their backyards this spring, where food or the odor of food is prevalent.
When bears emerge from their winter dens in April throughout Maine, natural food is not readily available to them. That means bears may be encountered in backyards where bird feeders and garbage containers provide them with easy access to food.
The number of bear conflicts usually diminishes during late summer when berries begin to ripen, making it easier for bears to find natural food.
Last year, which included a premature spring, the Maine Warden Service received 870 bear-related complaints, compared to 395 in 2010 and 436 in 2011.
Approximately $450,000 is available in hazard mitigation grant program (HMGP) funds for eligible projects that will help the communities avoid future damages from natural disasters.
Applications must be received by 5:00 pm on June 30, 2013 or September 30, 2013. These are standing deadlines: review sessions to evaluate applications are held following each of these dates.
Communities seeking HMGP funds must be participating in a FEMA-approved Hazard Mitigation plan, compliant with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and their project must be cost beneficial using the FEMA software. That is, the cost of the project must be roughly equal to or less than the historical costs of repairing previous damages at the site.
Communities must provide a 25% cost-share of the total project costs. Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds can be used as cost share. Cost share can also be provided by in-kind resources such as town owned and operated equipment.
Technical assistance is available to help applicants prepare competitive applications. MEMA will be conducting workshops to guide applicants through the process and can also provide one-on-one assistance.
Visit MEMA's Mitigation Grants page for all grant guidance and forms. In particular, please review the YES/NO (HMGP Eligibility Requirements) page to determine if your project meets grant criteria.
Tips on Avoiding Bear Conflicts
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife reminds homeowners that bears may be attracted to bird feeders, garbage cans, dumpsters and grills in their backyards this spring, where food or the odor of food is prevalent.
When bears emerge from their winter dens in April throughout Maine, natural food is not readily available to them. That means bears may be encountered in backyards where bird feeders and garbage containers provide them with easy access to food.
The number of bear conflicts usually diminishes during late summer when berries begin to ripen, making it easier for bears to find natural food.
Last year, which included a premature spring, the Maine Warden Service received 870 bear-related complaints, compared to 395 in 2010 and 436 in 2011.
To avoid conflicts with black bears, it is imperative that homeowners take these precautions:
Birdfeeders
Birdfeeders
- Take down bird feeders between April 1 and November 1
- Rake up and dispose of bird seed on the ground
- Store remaining bird seed indoors
- Keep garbage cans inside until the morning of trash pickup
- Keep dumpster lids closed and latched
- Never overfill dumpsters
- Dumpsters with plastic lids aren’t bear proof and should be kept in a secure building or protected by fencing
- Remember to burn off any food residue, dispose of wrappers and clean the grilling area after use
- If possible, store grills inside when not in use.
- If you’re having bear problems, stop grilling for one to two weeks so that the bear will move on
- Store pet and livestock foods inside
- Clean up any uneaten feed
By taking these precautions, homeowners are more likely to prevent conflicts that could pose a danger to human life or require corrective action such as moving or killing a bear.
For more information, visit www.mefishwildlife.com.
Maine History Corner
The name ‘Blaine’ is most often invoked now in conjunction with the Maine Governors’ residence. The namesake of the residence, and its former owner, James G. Blaine, is a storied figure not only in Maine’s history but also nationally. Blaine served in the Maine House of Representatives, the United States House of Representatives, and the United States Senate. He served as Speaker of the U.S. House from 1869-1875, and as U.S. Secretary of State on two separate occasions. He also ran for President in 1884, but lost to Grover Cleveland. Ironically, one position he never held was that of Governor of Maine.
You can view photos and read more about this prominent Mainer HERE .
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