As the 130th Session of the Maine State Legislature kicks off, PenBayPilot.com has reached out to each area state legislator to see what is at the forefront of the minds for each of them.

Representative Stanley Paige Zeigler, D-Montville, is entering his third term as a member of the Maine State Legislature representing the Waldo County towns of Belmont, Liberty, Lincolnville, Montville, Morrill, Palermo and Searsmont as part of House District 96. 

During the recently completed 129th Legislative session, four bills sponsored by Rep. Zeigler were signed into law by Governor Janet Mills including the prohibiting the use of certain disposable food service containers, clarifying conflict of interest requirements for the Board of Environmental Protection, reclassifying certain waters of the State, and providing for legislative review of federally mandated major substantive rules under the Maine Administrative Procedure Act.  

With the 130th Legislative session on the horizon, Rep. Zeigler highlighted in a Jan. 8 email a trio of priorities for the upcoming session: support bills addressing the problems Maine faces because of COVID-19; shepherd his bills through the committee process and seeing them become law; and working with colleagues to pass the biennial budget.

“From our small businesses to our neighbors struggling to make ends meet, we must address the effects this pandemic has had across our state,” said Rep. Zeigler of the work that needs to be done this term. 

Ahead of the December deadline to request bills to be brought before the state legislature, Rep. Zeigler requested four bills be introduced this term, with an additional requested bill forthcoming at the request of the Department of Environmental Protection regarding clean air. 

One of Rep. Zeigler’s requested bills seeks funding for the Maine Length of Service Award Program, legislation Rep. Zeigler has been working to craft with Bill Gillespie, the Town of Liberty’s fire chief. 

“In rural areas, we rely on and benefit from our volunteer fire departments,” said Rep. Zeigler. “These men and women, who put in many hours in order to keep us safe, should be compensated for the extra effort they put into the job.”

Following numerous discussions with his constituents across District 96 about composting of organic materials to prevent the waste from entering the waste stream, Rep. Zeigler has requested a bill addressing this issue with the hope it will save towns money from not disposing of such abundant waste. 

The third bill requested by Rep. Zeigler stems from his personal life and from his time as a member of the Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. 

“Members from [the deaf and hard of hearing] community have shared with me that the term ‘hearing impaired’ is considered derogatory, as it implies that an individual is somehow damaged,” he stated. “I am hard of hearing myself and wear a hearing aid, but I do not feel like I am damaged or less-than because of it. This bill makes changes to official state language to reflect the concerns of the community. Language is a powerful force in a person’s life, and those that are defined by that language should have a say in the words we use.” 

Lastly, Rep. Zeigler is reintroducing his bill for the establishment of a green bank in the state, a bill he has been working to have signed into law for five years. 

“This is a funding mechanism, using federal and private money sources, to loan money to both individuals and businesses so they may invest in renewable, clean power sources and for energy efficiency,” said Rep. Zeigler. “Efficiency Maine would administer the program. We will be working with the federal government on this because there is a bill in Congress to fund these state loan structures. This bill will allow Mainers to be able to control their own power use, and we will see an increase in demand for skilled workers in the energy industry.” 

On a related note, President-Elect Joe Biden is poised to place more emphasis on combatting climate change, an issue Rep. Zeigler has been familiar with since the 1980s when he became aware of climate disruption and changes caused by human activity as a merchant marine working on Natural Science Foundation funded ships dealing with climate studies. 

“I saw the timeline of how quick the climate can change by looking at ocean bottom samples we collected from all over the world,” commented Rep. Zeigler. “We need to work on climate change now. The Maine Climate Council has produced a plan to move forward by bringing together all stakeholders. We need to work on the roadmap they’ve created. My ‘Green Bank’ bill is part of that effort. We need to act on this for our children and grandchildren.” 

This session, Rep. Zeigler will serve on a pair legislative committees: the environment and natural resources committee, Zeigler’s third term on the ENR committee, and the energy, utilities and technology committee, his first term on EUT committee. The former is tasked with protecting the state’s environment to provide Mainers with clean air and water for future generations with oversight of the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, while the latter oversees policy relating to energy resources, efficiency and conservation, natural gas, telecommunications, emergency services and water and sewer utilities, while also ensuring Mainers are treated fairly by utilities across the state. 

“A large part of what [the environment and natural resources] committee has to do is balance the need to protect Maine’s environment with allowing Mainers to use our natural resources wisely as they make a living,” noted Rep. Zeigler. 

Rep. Zeigler is a firm believer of bipartisanship in state government and noted he is fortunate he and his environment and natural resources committee colleagues accomplish a significant amount of bipartisan work. 

“The best way to support bipartisanship is by allowing the interested parties the ability to air their concerns and to treat them with respect,” he stated. “Upon listening, find compromise where comprise can be reached. We do a great deal of bipartisan work in committees as we work through the merits and the language of each bill and what the overall outcome will be. We are lucky in the ENR committee that much of our work is not considered to be partisan issues. We don’t fish Democratic waters or farm Republican fields, and protecting our environment and our natural resources is too critical for the people of Maine to allow partisanship to get in the way.” 

Amid a divided nation, Rep. Zeigler shared his thoughts on how society can strive to narrow the divisions and reunify as a nation. 

“[W]e need all of society to work on this problem of division,” he said. “We need journalists to fact-check opinions offered when reporting on the Legislature. We need voters to respect the compromises the Legislature reaches. You can't ask for bipartisanship and then become upset when we’re able to come together to get things accomplished. It will take all of us working together to prepare the state for the future.” 

As a veteran legislator, Rep. Zeigler shared some general advice for incoming group of legislators, which includes the Midcoast’s Valli Geiger (House District 93; Owls Head and Rockland) and Glenn “Chip” Curry (Senate District 11; Waldo County). 

“What I would offer new legislators is try not to take any negative comments personally,” he shared. “And always remember the 3 C's when you are voting or writing a bill: Constituents, Conscience and Consequences. All three are of equal importance. You must think of your constituents, you must always act in good conscience and you must make sure you consider the consequences of any action.”