Maine election 2022: Meyer vs. Rumery for House District 150 state rep.
Incumbent Democratic state Rep. Michele Meyer is being challenged in the 2022 election by Republican David Rumery for the District 150 seat in the Maine House.
Michele Meyer
Hometown: Eliot
The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade and placed the power to regulate abortion with the states. What should state lawmakers do regarding abortion laws?
State legislatures are chipping away at reproductive freedom involving deeply personal and profoundly private decisions, stripping women of their right to autonomy over their bodies, and subjecting citizens to government-mandated pregnancy. Maine law includes express statutory protections for abortion and in my two terms of service as a member of the Maine House of Representatives, I have been and will continue to be a strong proponent of preserving and strengthening access to the full range of reproductive healthcare, including safe, legal and affordable abortion care. I have been joined by my Democratic colleagues in passing laws to provide public funding for abortion and require private insurance coverage for abortion if maternity care is covered. We have broadened the type of healthcare practitioners who can provide abortion care to include advanced practice clinicians. I proudly co-sponsored LD1899, establishing an 8-foot buffer zone around buildings where patients receive health services, including abortion, prohibiting others from interfering with or obstructing access to entrances and harassing patients presenting for care. If re-elected, I will remain a stalwart supporter of reproductive choice and of protecting the right to legal abortion at the state level. While these rights are protected now, Mainers must recognize the seriousness of the moment: a simple majority of anti-choice lawmakers is all that is needed to take those rights away.
The state's residents and businesses face many economic challenges, including high prices for electricity and fuel, a labor shortage, a lack of affordable housing and rising prices due to inflation. How would you address these challenges?
A constellation of factors have combined resulting in global inflation, driven in large part by pent-up consumer demand post-pandemic, supply chain issues, and exacerbated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, explanations do not alleviate the financial struggle many Maine citizens are experiencing. It is critical to ensure Mainers have access to existing resources and supports that not only help them to meet basic needs now but also to provide them with tools to increase their economic security and resilience in the face of future financial uncertainties. I take pride in my accessibility to my constituents and my ability to connect them with the programs and services in the public and private sectors that exist to serve those feeling the pinch of rising costs. Recognizing the lived realities of many individuals, working families and older residents, I have supported many measures aimed at alleviating some of the financial stressors including $850 direct inflation relief payments, an increase in the Earned Income Tax Credit, property tax relief, and college affordability. Maine is facing an affordable housing crisis. 1 in 5 Mainers pay more than half their income to housing costs. While legislation aimed at increasing housing stock is now in place, our focus must be on ways in which to ensure rents are in fact affordable for young people, working families and older folks and that we are promoting equitable asset building through accessible home ownership.
What else do you want voters to know about you or your policy positions before the election on Nov. 8?
I have spent my professional career as a registered nurse and view my role as a state legislator as a natural extension of my nursing practice. I advance and support evidence-based policy through a lens of compassion and common sense. I listen to all of my constituents, not just those who vote for me, and carefully consider the voices and viewpoints offered when at work in Augusta. Since elected to office in 2018, I have been a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services and currently serve as the House chair. My experience in the caring profession provides a solid foundation from which to promote legislation impacting the social determinants of health: safe, affordable housing and neighborhoods, ending discrimination and inequities, access to nutritious food and clean drinking water, a quality education for all and the skills to set and reach goals for better lives. I am proud to be recognized for my work by the Maine Council on Aging, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Cancer Society. I work collaboratively with all of my colleagues and the executive branch to improve the health, wellness, and quality of life of all Mainers. I lead with integrity and civility. I continue to be driven by a desire to create a state that both attracts new Mainers and keeps our children from moving out: people-focused and sustainable policies to advance economic security and resilience, climate action, quality education, and public health.
Editor's note: Seacoast Media Group made a good-faith effort to distribute our candidate questionnaire to all candidates. We will add any missing candidate questionnaires when they are received. If any candidates have questions or need information on how to be included, please email news@seacoastonline.com or news@fosters.com with "candidate questionnaire" in the subject line.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Maine election 2022: Meyer vs. Rumery for House District 150 state rep.
