Legislative Update & Cloture Deadline

The 126^th ME Legislature convened and the newly elected members were sworn in on Wednesday, December 5, 2012. The 35 member Senate has 19 Democrats, 15 Republicans, and 1 unenrolled, and the 151 member House has 89 Democrats, 58 Republicans, 2 Independents, and 2 unenrolled. There are 16 freshmen Senators and 45 freshmen House Representatives. The Legislature will reconvene in earnest on January 8, 2013.

During the Joint Convention, Matt Dunlap of Old Town was elected Secretary of State, Janet Mills of Farmington was elected Attorney General, and Neria Douglass of Auburn was elected State Treasurer. These three constitutional officers will serve two-year terms and be sworn in on January 4, 2013.

The bill cloture deadline for filing proposed legislative requests will be January 18, 2013. Please let us know if there is any legislation you would like to have drafted and submitted as soon as possible.

For more information, please contact Kate Knox at kknox@bernsteinshur.com. She can be reached at 207 774-1200.