Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.

2023 Maine legislative session

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
← 2022
2024 →


2023 Maine legislative session
Seal of Maine.svg.png
General information
Session start:    December 7, 2022

Session end:    June 21, 2023

Leadership
Senate President
Troy Dale Jackson

House Speaker
Rachel Ross
Majority Leader
Senate: Eloise Vitelli
House: Maureen Terry
Minority Leader
Senate: Harold Stewart
House: Billy Bob Faulkingham

Elections
Next Election:    November 5, 2024

Last Election:    November 8, 2022

Previous legislative sessions
2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018
Other 2023 legislative sessions


For its 2023 session, the Maine State Legislature was scheduled to convene on December 7, 2022, and adjourn on June 21, 2023.

The legislators serving in this session took office following the 2022 elections. Democrats won a 22-13 majority in the Senate and a 82-67 majority with two independent members in the House. Democrats also controlled the governorship, creating a Democratic state government trifecta. At the start of the 2023 session, Maine was one of 23 state legislatures where neither party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.

At the beginning of the 2023 legislative session:
  • Democrats held a majority in the Maine state House and state Senate.
  • Maine was one of 17 Democratic state government trifectas.
  • Maine's governor was Democrat Janet T. Mills.

    • Leadership in 2023

    Maine State Senate

    Maine House of Representatives

    Partisan control in 2023

    See also: State government trifectas

    Maine was one of 17 Democratic state government trifectas at the start of 2023 legislative sessions. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.

    Maine was also one of 23 state legislatures where neither party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. Veto overrides occur when a legislature votes to reverse a veto issued by an executive such as a governor or the president. If one party has a majority in a state legislature that is large enough to override a gubernatorial veto without any votes from members of the minority party, it is called a veto-proof majority or, sometimes, a supermajority. To read more about veto-proof supermajorities in state legislatures, click here.

    The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the Maine State Legislature in the 2023 legislative session.


    Maine State Senate

    Party As of January 2023
         Democratic Party 22
         Republican Party 13
    Total 35

    Maine House of Representatives

    Party As of January 2023
         Democratic Party 82
         Republican Party 67
         Independent 1
         Independent for Maine Party 1
    Total 151

    Regular session

    The list below shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2023 legislative session that most recently passed both chambers of the legislature, were signed by the governor, or were approved by the legislature in a veto override. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation met these criteria in 2023. This information is provided by BillTrack50.

    Standing legislative committees

    See also: Standing committee and List of committees in Maine state government


    A standing committee of a state legislature is a committee that exists on a more-or-less permanent basis, from legislative session to session, that considers and refines legislative bills that fall under the committee's subject matter.

    At the beginning of the 2023 legislative session, there were 34 standing committees in Maine's state government, including 23 joint legislative committees, five state Senate committees, and six state House committees.

    Joint legislative committees

    • Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee
    • Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee
    • Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee
    • Education and Cultural Affairs Committee
    • Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee
    • Environment and Natural Resources Committee
    • Government Oversight Committee
    • Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee
    • Health and Human Services Committee
    • Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee
    • Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business Committee
    • Insurance and Financial Services Committee
    • Joint Rules Committee
    • Judiciary Committee
    • Labor and Housing Committee
    • Legislative Council
    • Marine Resources Committee
    • Personnel Committee
    • State House Facilities Committee
    • State and Local Government Committee
    • Taxation Committee
    • Transportation Committee
    • Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee

    Senate committees

    • Bills in Second Reading Committee
    • Conduct and Ethics Committee
    • Senate Engrossed Bills Committee
    • Senate Rules Committee
    • Senatorial Vote Committee

    House committees

    • Bills in the Second Reading Committee
    • Elections Committee
    • Ethics Committee
    • House Engrossed Bills Committee
    • Leaves of Absence Committee
    • Rules and Business of the House Committee

    Legislatively referred constitutional amendments

    In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.

    The methods by which the Maine Constitution can be amended:

    See also: Part III of Article IV and Article X of Maine Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in Maine
    687px-Flag of Maine.svg.png

    The Maine Constitution may be amended in two ways—through the legislative process, or a state constitutional convention. Maine residents cannot put a constitutional amendment on the ballot through the power of initiative. Maine does feature the power of initiative for initiated state statutes.

    Legislature

    See also: Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

    A two-thirds majority (66.67%) vote is required during one legislative session for the Maine State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 101 votes in the Maine House of Representatives and 24 votes in the Maine State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

    Convention

    See also: Convention-referred constitutional amendment

    According to Section 15 of Part III of Article IV, the legislature can, by a two-thirds concurrent vote of both branches, call a constitutional convention. Maine has never called such a convention; however, two "constitutional commissions" were impaneled, one in 1876 and one in 1962, but neither led to significant changes.


    Historical partisan control

    The table below depicts the historical trifecta status of Maine.

    Maine Party Control: 1992-2025
    Fifteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  Two years of Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
    Governor R R R I I I I I I I I D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D
    Senate D D D R R D D D D S S D D D D D D D D R R D D R R R R D D D D D D D
    House D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R D D D D D D D D D D D D D

    Historical Senate control

    Between 1992 and 2022, partisan control of the Maine State Senate fluctuated, swinging back and forth between the Democratic and Republican parties. Democrats regained control of the chamber after the 2018 elections. The table below shows the partisan history of the Maine State Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2022. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Maine State Senate election results: 1992-2022

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20 '22
    Democrats 20 16 19 20 17* 18 18 18 20 14 21 15 17 21 22 22
    Republicans 15 18 15 14 17 17 17 17 15 20 13 20 18 14 13 13
    Other 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0

    *Chamber controlled by power-sharing agreement

    After elections from 1992 to 2022, the Democratic and Republican parties both claimed majorities, the largest being after 2020's elections when Democrats had a nine-seat advantage. From 1992 to 2022, neither Democrats nor Republicans held the 24 seats required to override a gubernatorial veto. Following the 2000 elections, the chamber was tied at 17-17 with one independent member. A power-sharing agreement was reached between Democrats and Republicans where Democrats held the top leadership position in 2001 and Republicans held the position in 2002.[1]

    Democrats held the state Senate from 2002 until the 2010 elections when Republicans gained five seats and took control of the chamber. Republicans lost their majority in the 2012 elections but regained control in the 2014 elections. In the 2016 elections, the Republican majority decreased from 20-15 to 18-17, and control of the chamber flipped again in 2018 when Democrats gained four seats, creating a 21-14 majority. Their majority increased to 22-13 following 2020's elections. The Republican gains in 2010 and 2014 were in line with a national trend toward Republican state legislatures during the presidency of Barack Obama (D). From 2009 to 2017, Democrats experienced losses in state legislative elections, totaling 968 seats all together.

    Historical House control

    Between 1992 and 2022, the Maine House of Representatives was controlled by Democrats with the exception of two years when the chamber was controlled by Republicans. The table below shows the partisan history of the Maine House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2022. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Maine House of Representatives election results: 1992-2022

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20 '22
    Democrats 90 77 81 79 88 80 76 89 96 72 86 79 77 89 80 82
    Republicans 61 74 69 71 63 67 73 60 54 78 61 68 72 57 67 67
    Other 0 0 1 1 1 4 2 2 1 1 4 4 2 5 4 2

    Between 1992 and 2022, majority control of the state House changed two times. Democrats held control of the chamber from 1992 to 2010 and have held it since the 2012 elections. During the periods of time that Democrats controlled the chamber, the number of seats that Democrats held fluctuated between 76 and 96 seats. Democrats had their largest majority following the 2008 elections when Democrats held a 42-seat advantage. From 1992 to 2022, neither Democrats or Republicans held more than the 101 seats required to override a gubernatorial veto.

    Republicans won control of the state House from Democrats in the 2010 elections. Republicans gained 23 seats in the election to hold a 78-72 majority with one independent member. Republicans held that majority until the 2012 elections when Democrats regained control of the chamber. Democrats gained 15 seats in the 2012 election to hold an 86-61 majority with four independent members. While Democrats have maintained control since the 2012 elections, Republicans slowly gained seats through 2016. The Republican gains from 2010 to 2016 were in line with a national trend toward Republican state legislatures during the presidency of Barack Obama (D). From 2009 to 2017, Democrats experienced losses in state legislative elections, totaling 968 seats all together.

    Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker

    Election tracker site ad.png


    State election laws are changing. Keeping track of the latest developments in all 50 states can seem like an impossible job.

    Here's the solution: Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker.

    Ballotpedia's Election Administration Tracker sets the industry standard for ease of use, flexibility, and raw power. But that's just the beginning of what it can do:

    • Ballotpedia's election experts provide daily updates on bills and other relevant political developments
    • We translate complex bill text into easy-to-understand summaries written in everyday language
    • And because it's from Ballotpedia, our Tracker is guaranteed to be neutral, unbiased, and nonpartisan

    See also

    Elections Maine State Government State Legislatures State Politics
    Ballotpedia Elections Badge-VOTE-no shadow-Square.jpg
    Maine State Flag-Close Up.jpg
    State Houses-Tile image.png
    State Courts-Tile image.png

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ NCSL, "IN CASE OF A TIE......," accessed February 11, 2021
    v • e
    State legislatures
    Legislatures
    Alabama (H, S) · Alaska (H, S) · Arizona (H, S) · Arkansas (H, S) · California (A, S) · Colorado (H, S) · Connecticut (H, S) · Delaware (H, S) · Florida (H, S) · Georgia (H, S) · Hawaii (H, S) · Idaho (H, S) · Illinois (H, S) · Indiana (H, S) · Iowa (H, S) · Kansas (H, S) · Kentucky (H, S) · Louisiana (H, S) · Maine (H, S) · Maryland (H, S) · Massachusetts (H, S) · Michigan (H, S) · Minnesota (H, S) · Mississippi (H, S) · Missouri (H, S) · Montana (H, S) · Nebraska · Nevada (A, S) · New Hampshire (H, S) · New Jersey (GA, S) · New Mexico (H, S) · New York (A, S) · North Carolina (H, S) · North Dakota (H, S) · Ohio (H, S) · Oklahoma (H, S) · Oregon (H, S) · Pennsylvania (H, S) · Rhode Island (H, S) · South Carolina (H, S) · South Dakota (H, S) · Tennessee (H, S) · Texas (H, S) · Utah (H, S) · Vermont (H, S) · Virginia (H, S) · Washington (H, S) · West Virginia (H, S) · Wisconsin (A, S) · Wyoming (H, S)
    SLP badge.png
    2025
    2024
    2023
    Historical elections
    2022 •  2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 • 2009 • 2008 • 2007 • 2006 • 2005 • 2004 • 2003 • 2002 • 2001 • 2000
    Features of
    state legislatures
    State senates
    State houses
    Leadership positions
    Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=2023_Maine_legislative_session&oldid=9947008"