Administrative officials with the Maine Legislature have decided to continue accepting public testimony submitted to legislative committees by email for the time being.
Last week interested parties were informed that, rather than being able to submit email testimony directly to committees, they’d instead have to use an online app. The app became available late last week.
Legislative Council Executive Director Grant Pennoyer says there was pushback from some members of the public who didn’t want the email option ended.
“The presiding officers were also concerned about the full Legislative Council not really having weighed in on that aspect of the decision,” he says.
The Legislative Council is made up of the 10 elected members of legislative leadership and is responsible for the overall management of the entire Legislature.
Pennoyer says members of the public are being encouraged to use the app, which he says has been working pretty well, with quite a few submissions received over the weekend. He says it’s far more efficient than emailed testimony, which takes significantly longer to post.
