LEGISLATIVE RECORD - SENATE, WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019 STATE OF MAINE what an honor it is, you know, to serve in this Body and serve with ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE all of you. I may say this often but I honestly very much mean it, FIRST REGULAR SESSION you know, the Legislature is a family. It includes sitting JOURNAL OF THE SENATE lawmakers, former lawmakers, and the next generation of lawmakers to come. It is at times a little bit dysfunctional, like In Senate Chamber families, but most of us are here for, you know, similar reasons, Wednesday that you want to do the best you can for the people of the state of May 8, 2019 Maine. We love our state and we want to make things better for the people we love, our friends, families, and neighbors. The Senate called to order by President Troy D. Jackson of Aroostook Legislature can definitely, at times, be a place of frustration and County. chaos, but it also is a place that gives way to surprising friendships and great, great bipartisan triumphs and Welcome _________________________________ Back Day is a great reminder of that. I mean, like I said, looking across at the people I've met this morning, if I hadn't become a Prayer by Senator Paul T. Davis, Sr. of Piscataquis County. legislator I never would have met all of you and that, you know, really gives me a great feeling in my heart because for a person SENATOR DAVIS: Good morning. Let's go to prayer. Dear coming from way up in Aroostook County to have had this Lord, we thank You for safely brining us together on this Welcome experience with all of you is really amazing to me and something Back Day, a day when old memories and friendships are that I never could have dreamed of. Looking around the room, rekindled and new friendships are made. Today we come before seeing all the people that have taught me about the way things You as Your children, giving thanks for the freedom that we have. work here in Augusta, both good and bad, and taught me the way We are blessed to live in a nation where men and women are free that government should and can work for the people that we are to pursue their ideals and desires, limited only by the fortunate to serve. I see a lot of people who challenged my long- characteristics of their own personality; a nation where those who held beliefs which has been instrumental in the way I view the get to do the governing do only with the permission of the world now. In some cases these challenges have led me to governed and Your authority. As we enter, Father, into the last expand my views and sometimes even change them. These few weeks of this session, please help us to remember that when challenges have strengthened my beliefs and my values. we disagree the things that will be remembered will not be the It's a real honor to host the Honorable Libby Mitchell here issue of the day but rather how we treated each other. If we are today, my first Senate President and the first person who led the to disagree on a matter I ask that whenever possible we would do nation as the first woman to serve as both the Speaker of the so without the nastiness that is far too often found in American House and the President of the Maine Senate. Yes. I'm also politics today. Lord, as we go about our days and use this place honored to have up here Senator Lawrence who, obviously, as one to discuss and debate the issues of great importance to served as Senate President too. A little bit less interested, well I our state and nation, I pray that each of us would conduct think he wanted to just serve in his Senate role but I asked him to business in a way that is pleasing and glorifying to You. Please, come up because, you know, he's a mentor. I mean, I don't Father, guide us in all the things that we say and do. In Jesus' know, maybe this has happened before, but to have a former name. Amen. Senate President serve with you also is really valuable. It's extremely valuable to me and, you know, Mark has been a great, _________________________________ great member and so I wanted him to come up and at least be up here today so he would know how much I appreciate his work and Pledge of Allegiance led by Senator Mark W. Lawrence of York his service. County. You know, I look again and, honestly, I won't probably be able to speak about everyone. There are people I never even _________________________________ thought of, but, you know, I have the self-proclaimed legend, the Honorable John Patrick sitting over here. You know, I had the Reading of the Journal of Tuesday, May 7, 2019. good fortune of being placed on the Labor Committee and sitting alongside of him and that changed, you know, my life, mostly for _________________________________ the better. But getting back to those relationships you make, so I'm very glad to have Senator Patrick here. I have not seen her Off Record Remarks yet, and I could be wrong, but the Honorable Anne Haskell, who served as Assistant Majority Leader with me back in the 126th _________________________________ session. You know, as many of you know, being in leadership, having that person sitting alongside of you. I mean, Anne kept Welcome Back Day Ceremony me out of so much trouble. Told me to shut my mouth at times, which was valuable. But I look forward to seeing her here today. THE PRESIDENT: Well, alright. So I wanted to say, you know, You know, the other thing about it, too, and I got a chance to and I've said this back during the swearing in day, what an honor talk to him, I don't know if he remembers me but I remember him, and privilege it was to become Senate President, but, you know, the Honorable Ken Lemont sitting up here in the front row. A you think about these things when they come at these times and I union pipefitter who showed me that, you know, it's okay to cross honestly never expected to be in this position and when you have party lines on contentious issues. Again, he probably doesn't a day like this come forward, and when you actually start the day remember but for me it's really kind of what brought me to this out, once again it makes me think about how privileged I am and institution. Ken voted to help me get collective bargaining for S-593 LEGISLATIVE RECORD - SENATE, WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019 loggers way back in the 121st session, something that I'm actually say that, and I look back and I see old friends. I don't know why working on right now and, Mr. Lemont, I definitely would like to I've aged and they have not. It's just not fair. But I also learned a see you back here to help me once again with that because, you long time ago never to follow Senator Jackson in a floor speech. know, we may need that support. But, I mean, there's a 16 year He is so eloquent that I remember standing here as a Presiding memory for me that, like I said, shows that people cross lines, Officer. I forget what the bill was but he was so impassioned they do what they think is best at times. I mean, it really shouldn't about it. Of course it had to do with loggers and of course he was matter. It's what's best for the people of the state. making sure that the working people were cared for. Little known I'd also be very remiss if I didn't pay tribute to those who are to me, he had decided the bill had no legs. He was going to no longer serving with us, particularly the Honorable Joy O'Brien, make his speech and then say, 'Okay, I give up. I'll be back who served as Secretary of the Senate, enforcer of parliamentary another day.' So I listened to him and I listened to him and I saw rules, for 25 years. As a new member of this Body, if you didn't a lobbyist at the back of the room looking at his watch like 'I've got know the rules she sure made sure you learned them very quickly to be somewhere, hurry up with these speeches.' He was so and Joy became a very good friend, someone that I never had to persuasive I think I was the only one in the Senate who voted for even think twice, you know, that she would be, you know, there in his bill. Even he voted against it. But that's how articulate and the foxhole with you when the worst days came. So I know that a how persuasive he is. I always wanted to talk like him. I never lot of you have had those types of relationships with Senate learned to talk Maine. I came in '71. I got here as quickly as I Secretaries, Assistant Senate Secretaries, and that's an important could but I just never learned to talk, and that was my ideal part of this day also and we'll be recognizing a lot of them here speech pattern.