The following is part of a newsletter circulated by House District 95 Representative Bill Pluecker, I-Warren, to his constituents in Appleton, Hope, the eastern portion of Union and Warren. 

Dear friends,

I wanted to write to you to share an update about the work I have been involved in with the State Legislature.

This week in the State & Local Government Committee, we held a confirmation hearing for the State Archivist — Katherine McBrien of Union. Currently, Katherine is the acting State Archivist after serving as the Deputy Secretary of State. McBrien will be serving as the fourth Archivist, but it’s also important to note that she will be the first female State Archivist in Maine’s history.

You can watch her confirmation hearing and remarks. 

In the Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry committee we held confirmation hearings for the Land Use Planning Commission and the Land For Maine’s Future Board, as well as held public hearings on improving the laws governing hemp, improving livestock & poultry preparation, and investing in the stewardship of properties acquired from the Land for Maine’s Future Fund and the Public Access to Maine Waters Fund.

In the Criminal Justice & Public Safety committee we will be hearing bill proposals regarding creating an alert system to notify the public when a person with an intellectual or developmental disability is missing, improving information sharing by criminal justice agencies with government agencies responsible for investigating child or adult abuse, and amending the storage requirements for consumer fireworks. We also heard presentations from the Maine Unitarian Universalist Social Action Network, the Health Equity Alliance, the Maine Recovery Advocacy Project, the Sportsmen’s Alliance of Maine, and the Maine Children’s Cabinet.

If you ever want to follow along with our meetings and other work happening in the Legislature, you may check out the calendar here, or you may watch all of the recordings of our meetings on the Legislature’s YouTube channel.

I hope you’re all healthy and staying warm. Please let me know if you have any questions or need help with a government agency. It’s my honor to represent you in Augusta.

Free Fishing Week

This week has been designated as Free Fishing Week from Saturday, February 13th to Sunday, February 21st. Anyone who is allowed to participate by the Dept of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife may take part without a cost.

Getting outside and staying safe can boost our mental and emotional health - this is more important than ever before. Check out the Department’s Guide To Ice Fishing to help you find a great fishing spot.

Register at www.mefishwildlife.com to get started.

Still Looking for Your Stimulus Checks?

For anyone who still hasn’t received either of their economic impact payments or also called stimulus checks from 2020, do not worry — you can still get this benefit.

When filling out your 2020 Federal tax return, indicate in the section which economic impact payments you have received. This is what they are calling the Recovery Rebate Credit.

The missing stimulus checks you are duly owed will offset what you may need to pay the IRS or add to your return.

For more information, you may find the question on the IRS’ webpage or get in touch with my office.

Stay Updated on COVID-19 Vaccination News

On Tuesday, Maine DHHS Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew announced that 24 Walmart & Sam’s Club pharmacies in Maine would begin administering COVID-19 vaccinations. This is a national effort of over 1,000 Walmart stores in 22 states receiving federal vaccine allocations.

Friday the 12th was the first day for eligible individuals to be vaccinated as determined by Maine’s vaccination plan. To schedule an appointment through Walmart: walmart.com/cp/1228302.

As a reminder, last week, the Maine CDC rolled out a new website where we can go to get all the latest information on the state’s vaccination efforts: maine.gov/covid19/vaccines

This is in place due to high demand and limited supply, and to focus on Maine people who are at higher risk to contract COVID-19 - Maine CDC is implementing a phased-in approach for the statewide vaccination plan.

While scheduling your appointment may be challenging at the moment, keeping communicated with your primary care provider is the best way to be informed on where or when it is possible to get an appointment. The most up-to-date list of current vaccination sites is located here: maine.gov/covid19/vaccines/vaccination-sites