Richard Bennett

This bill expands Maine’s ranked-choice voting scheme to include elections for Governor, State Senator, and State Representative, and makes related election changes that further complicate how votes are counted. This bill entrenches a system that can deny victory to candidates who win the most first-choice votes. CPAC supports clear, straightforward elections where the candidate with the most votes wins and opposed this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-06-18 by a vote of 21-14. The House passed this bill on 2025-06-18 by a vote of 74-73. The bill later became law.

This bill changes Maine’s laws governing the resale of tickets, tightening regulation of how private parties can buy and sell event tickets. This bill invites further government interference in voluntary market transactions. CPAC favors free-market exchanges over state price and resale controls and opposed this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-06-11 by a vote of 21-10. The House passed this bill on 2025-06-12 by a vote of 76-71. The bill later became law.

This bill redefines and limits how state and local law enforcement cooperate with federal immigration authorities under the guise of “protecting workers.” This bill undermines enforcement of federal immigration law and makes Maine friendlier to illegal immigration. CPAC supports robust cooperation with federal immigration officials and opposed this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-06-17 by a vote of 21-14. The House passed this bill on 2025-06-18 by a vote of 75-73. This bill later became law.

This bill creates a separate state minimum hourly wage for agricultural workers, forcing farms to comply with another wage mandate regardless of their economic realities. This bill threatens small farms with higher labor costs and fewer jobs. CPAC opposes minimum wage hikes that kill entry-level jobs and opposed this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-06-02 by a vote of 22-12. The House passed this bill on 2025-06-03 by a vote of 74-72. The bill later became law.

This bill requires serial numbers on firearms and bans undetectable firearms, targeting so-called “ghost guns” and homemade weapons. This bill attacks law-abiding gun owners and hobbyists while doing little to deter criminals. CPAC rejects new gun control measures that burden lawful ownership and opposed this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-06-25 by a vote of 17-16. The House passed this bill on 2025-06-25 by a vote of 73-67. The bill later became law.

This resolve directs funds to the Maine Indian Education School District to develop a Wabanaki-centered curriculum. This bill channels taxpayer money into a specialized, identity-focused curriculum instead of core academic excellence. CPAC opposes carving out race- and group-based curriculum programs with dedicated funding and opposed this bill. The Senate defeated this bill on 2025-06-04 by a vote of 7-26. The House defeated this bill on 2025-05-29 by a vote of 59-83. The bill did not become law.

This resolve directs the Department of Corrections to study how to achieve “gender equality” within the corrections system. This bill sets up a bureaucracy-driven review that can be used to inject gender ideology into prison management and policy. CPAC opposes diverting corrections policy into ideological gender experiments and opposed this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-06-17 by a vote of 20-15. The House passed this bill on 2025-06-17 by a vote of 77-70. The bill later became law.

This bill clarifies procedures for elections decided by ranked-choice voting when a candidate dies, withdraws, or becomes disqualified. This bill patches technical gaps while further entrenching a flawed, confusing voting system. CPAC opposes efforts that normalize and cement ranked-choice voting and opposed this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-06-13 by a vote of 21-13. The House passed this bill on 2025-06-13 by a vote of 74-68. The bill later became law.

This bill revises the definition of prison contraband, updating which items are prohibited within correctional facilities. This bill can strengthen security if narrowly tailored but also risks overreach if used to clamp down on legitimate property or communication. CPAC supports clear contraband rules that enhance security without needless overreach and supported this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-06-12 by a vote of 24-11. The bill later became law.

LD 953 amends the definition of a “machine gun” in Maine’s criminal code to closely align with the established federal standard. By incorporating this definition into state statute, the bill aims to thwart efforts to expand state law beyond federal standards. CPAC believes in safeguarding 2nd Amendment rights and supports this bill. The Maine Senate voted to indefinitely postpone the bill on June 16, 2025, in a 19-15 vote. The Maine House of Representatives accepted a committee report that rejected the bill on June 17, 2025, in a 76-71 vote. The measure is considered dead.

This bill advances transportation policies to reduce emissions in line with the state’s climate action plan, encouraging shifts away from traditional fuels and vehicles. This bill ratchets up environmental regulation and nudges Maine toward costly green mandates. CPAC supports an all-of-the-above energy strategy and opposed this climate-driven regulatory bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-06-11 by a vote of 20-14, and it failed to recede from its position on 2025-06-12 in a vote of 13-22. The House defeated this bill on 2025-06-16 by a vote of 67-75. The bill did not become law.

This bill imposes additional requirements on licensed firearms dealers under the guise of ensuring responsible business practices. This bill singles out lawful gun sellers for special regulation and harassment. CPAC opposes discriminatory regulations aimed at gun dealers and opposed this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-04-29 by a vote of 17-16. The bill did not become law.

This bill allows candidates using Maine Clean Election Act funds to spend taxpayer campaign dollars on caring for their dependents. This bill turns public campaign money into a personal expense account for political candidates. CPAC opposes taxpayer-financed campaigns and mission creep in how those funds are used and opposed this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-06-09 by a vote of 17-14. The House passed this bill on 2025-05-28 by a vote of 67-66. The bill did not become law.