2025 ME Legislative Scorecard

LD1868 updates the state’s renewable and clean-energy laws by setting a 2040 goal that 90 percent of retail electricity sales come from renewable resources and 10 percent from “clean resources,” including certain nuclear, hydro, and low-emission generators. The law creates a new “Class III” clean-resource category with a phased-in portfolio requirement for competitive electricity providers (ramping from 1 percent in 2031 to 10 percent by 2040), and authorizes the use and trading of “clean energy credits” alongside existing renewable energy credits. It directs the Department of Environmental Protection and governor’s Energy Office to define and verify which resources qualify as clean, expands long-term contracting and procurement rules to cover clean resources and credits (including regional joint procurements), and refines alternative compliance payment, reporting, and consumer information provisions, so that customers can buy certified renewable and clean-energy products while regulators monitor costs and market impacts.

The Maine State Senate passed LD1868 on June 17, 2025 by a vote of 19 to 16. We have assigned pluses to the nays because this bill entrenches state-directed energy planning and advances the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 goals. Instead of allowing the free market to determine the most efficient and affordable sources of electricity, LD1868 empowers state agencies to dictate what qualifies as acceptable energy, manipulate the market through credits and mandates, and channel taxpayer dollars into politically favored industries. Such central planning mirrors the top-down climate framework promoted by globalist entities, undermining property rights, inflating energy costs, and concentrating power in unelected bureaucracies. Maine should reject this shift toward Agenda 2030-style energy controls and restore a free, competitive energy market.

LD702 designates January 6 as “A Day to Remember.” Each year, the governor must issue a proclamation honoring what the law describes as the “resilience of democracy” during the events of January 6, 2021, and encourage citizens to reflect on "democratic values," "civic responsibility," and "constitutional governance." The law also urges schools, civic groups, and libraries to hold educational discussions and events promoting civic engagement and respect for the rule of law.

The Maine State Senate passed LD702 on May 22, 2025 by a vote of 19 to 14. We have assigned pluses to the nays because this measure enshrines into state law a misleading and politically charged narrative of January 6. Rather than promoting genuine civic understanding, LD702 requires the governor and public institutions to reinforce a storyline that ignores federal involvement, selective media framing, and the serious due-process violations suffered by many defendants. By mandating annual observances that celebrate the “resilience of democracy,” the bill transforms a complex and heavily politicized event into a tool for ideological instruction—particularly in schools and civic groups—while obscuring the constitutional concerns raised by the government’s own actions that day and afterward. Maine should not codify propaganda or compel citizens to affirm a version of events that remains deeply disputed and weaponized for partisan ends.

SP10 submits two formal applications under Article V of the U.S. Constitution asking Congress to call constitutional conventions. The first seeks a convention to propose term limits for members of the U.S. House and Senate. The second seeks a separate convention to propose 18-year staggered term limits for U.S. Supreme Court justices.

The Maine State Senate rejected SP10 on May 22, 2025 by a vote of 18 to 15 (a two-thirds majority of the Senate was required for the bill to pass). We have assigned pluses to the nays because term limits restrict the people’s right to choose their own representatives—and even more concerning is the call for an Article V “convention of the states.” Despite claims of limitation, such a convention could easily become a runaway convention with authority to rewrite or fundamentally alter the U.S. Constitution, endangering the very safeguards that restrain government power. Article V was designed to correct structural flaws, not fix the moral failings of elected officials who disregard their oaths. Rather than risk the Constitution itself, states should use their lawful authority under Article VI to enforce it as written and nullify unconstitutional federal acts. The true remedy for federal overreach is obedience to the Constitution—not revision of it.

LD1666 expands ranked-choice voting (RCV) to Maine’s general and special elections for governor, state senators, and state representatives, replacing traditional plurality voting for those offices. It updates definitions, ballot instructions, and tabulation procedures to reflect RCV, clarifying how rankings, rounds, and eliminated candidates are handled. Wardens will report only first-choice rankings on election returns, and party vote totals are based on first-round rankings. Overall, the bill extends Maine’s RCV system to all statewide and legislative general and special elections.

The Maine State Senate passed LD1666 on June 18, 2025 by a vote of 21 to 14. We have assigned pluses to the nays because RCV undermines election integrity and the electorate’s ability to choose the best candidate. By design, RCV favors moderate-to-leftist candidates who often fail to uphold the Constitution. This complex, multi-round system can result in winners who lack true plurality support, and imposes ballot-marking requirements that may pressure voters to act against their conscience. States should firmly reject all attempts to implement this unconstitutional voting method.

SP173 declares that if Congress does not propose a constitutional amendment by December 31, 2026 to regulate money in politics—including increasing transparency, limiting the buying of political influence, and overturning Citizens United and related rulings—then Maine will formally apply for an Article V convention limited to that purpose. The application may be counted only with other state applications on this same topic and will remain active until two-thirds of states submit matching requests. The resolution also directs that authenticated copies be sent to Congress and every state legislature.

The Maine State Senate voted to uphold a committee recommendation "not to pass" SP173 on March 18, 2025 by a vote of 19 to 16. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because SP173 rightly rejects the push for a federal constitutional amendment that would restrict political speech under the guise of “campaign finance reform.” Efforts to regulate or limit money in politics—whether through contribution caps, mandated disclosures, or overturning Citizens United—amount to government control over how Americans may speak, associate, and spend their own resources to influence elections. Such restrictions violate the First Amendment, and convert political participation into a privilege granted by the state rather than a God-given right. Moreover, empowering Washington to police “transparency” or “corruption” inevitably leads to greater federal surveillance of candidates, citizens, and grassroots organizations. Article I, Section 4 intentionally keeps the regulation of elections primarily at the state level, closer to the people. For the sake of preserving free political expression and resisting unconstitutional federal overreach, states should refuse to advance any Article V Con-Con campaign seeking to curtail Americans’ ability to support the candidates and causes of their choosing.