By Sen. Russell Black

One of the most significant powers of Maine’s Legislature is our ability to affect your life. We do it through the laws we enact. We do it through the regulations we approve. We do it through the budgets we create that direct where to spend the state’s tax dollars.

And there is no other day where that power is on full display more than Effective Day.

Hello, this is Russell Black of Franklin County. Thank you for joining me for this week’s Republican Radio Address.

Effective Day is when all nonemergency legislation passed during any session of the Maine Legislature takes effect. It means any new statute now has the full force of law and can be enforced by state and local jurisdictions that are charged with carrying it out. It also means any additional budgets or appropriations we approved can now be spent on their intended purposes.

So, yes, it’s a big deal that happens 90 days after the close of a session; and the Effective Day for this year’s Second Regular Session was Friday, August 9th.

No matter what law is enacted, all new laws affect somebody, somehow. That’s the whole nature of why legislatures matter. We’re here to allot money. We’re here to solve problems. And in the case of some unfortunate bills that were passed by Democrats, we’re apparently solving problems that don’t even exist.

One of the most dramatic examples of that is the new 72-hour waiting period for firearms that went into effect on Friday. From now on, anyone buying a firearm will have to wait three days before taking possession of it with a few exceptions.

Now, this law passed by one vote in the Senate and the Governor didn’t even sign it; but it affects law-abiding citizens who want to purchase a firearm. This law was originally defeated last year but brought back under the pretense that it was needed in response to the tragedy in Lewiston.

The simple fact is this bill would have had absolutely no impact on the Lewiston tragedy. What it does do is delay our rights under the Second Amendment and any right delayed is a right denied. I’m afraid that is the case here – anyone needing a firearm for self-protection or even hunters who come to our state cannot get a firearm to do so in a timely manner.

Then we have a bill taking effect that is concerning for many of Mainers. Democrats repealed a promise made to Maine’s residents 20 years ago called the property tax cap. It limits how much local jurisdictions can raise your property taxes and has helped countless Mainers from reckless increases in local budgets over the years.

Not anymore. I fear some municipal budgets will grow out of control and we don’t need more taxes.

The worst is the new law passed by Democrats that hurts out-of-state parents whose children may be trafficked here to get certain controversial treatments while protecting those who do it. I never thought I’d see a bill canceling parental rights at the border ever pass in Maine; but Democrats did it.

That said, there were a few good Republican bills that were passed, including protection for our veterans from predators and exempting deployed active duty military personnel from vehicle excise taxes. We even enacted a bill to shore up our government’s systems against adversaries like China and another to increase penalties for those who do violate our firearms laws. We were even able to pass a law to create a drug awareness week in our schools and put suicide hotlines on the back of school ID cards.

It just shows you where Republicans stand – we stand for you, the people of Maine, and for your rights as an American citizen. It also shows you where the other side stands – for special interests and a pursuit of absolute power and control over your life. That should tell you all you need to know.

Again, this is Senator Russell Black of Franklin County. Thank you for listening and I hope you stay dry this weekend!

Senator Russell Black represents District 5, which includes communities in Franklin, Kennebec and Somerset counties. He is the Senate Republican Lead for the Legislature’s Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee and the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee.