April 2 began as most of the previous 27 legislative sessions started for first-term State Rep. Stephanie Hawke.

She and 67 of her fellow Republicans caucused at 9 a.m. to discuss the day’s legislative session. The party leadership discusses the House calendar which, includes two pieces of legislation vetoed by Gov. Paul LePage, a request to solve a legislative problem between the Democratically-controlled House and Republican-controlled Senate, and 20 other bills for consideration.

The GOP caucus ends just before 10 a.m. as both Democrats and Republicans head for the House chamber.

April 2 is a Thursday. It’s the last day of the week’s legislative session. The legislative schedule is something Rep. Hawke has become accustomed to.   

She is a member of the Marine Resources Committee, which meets on Mondays and Wednesdays. The House is in session Tuesday through Thursday. At night, she reviews legislative proposals scheduled for committee hearings or floor votes. She also responds to constituents emails and phone calls on issues ranging from the governor’s budget to legislation regarding Lyme disease.

“I’m really enjoying it,” Hawke said. “It’s been a real learning experience. The legislative process is more complex than what we do on the school board. I spend a lot of time preparing for the 2,000 bills submitted. The challenge is finding time to do everything.”

Hawke’s challenge is balancing her four-day legislative schedule in Augusta between her role as a business owner, school board member, wife and mother in Boothbay Harbor. A busy legislative schedule hasn’t deterred her from running for another term on the community school district board. She is the only candidate who took out nomination papers.

“I ask the school board members if they had any problem with me serving in the legislature and the school board,” Hawke said. “They didn’t. The only thing I’ve asked is to push the school board time back from 6 to 6:30 p.m. so I can get there in time.”

Each legislative session typically starts the same way. On April 2, the session began with a prayer by Pastor Gayle Holden of the Cox Memorial United Baptist Church in Hallowell. The Bonny Eagle High School Chorus sang the national anthem. And Speaker of the House Rep. Mark Eaves (D-North Berwick) recognized a Maranacook Elementary School class seated in the chamber’s overhanging gallery.

The first proposal before the House is one creating a House and Senate Committee of Conference to solve a potential problem with LD 800. The bill is  “An Act To Prevent Passage of Alewives through the Grand Falls Dam on the Saint Croix River.” The bill’s detractors hope to kill the bill with a no vote. Hawke joined 81 other representatives voting against creating the Committee of Conference.

The House proceeded to consider two vetoed bills. On LD 64, “An Act to Reduce the Time within Which a Challenge to a Tax Lien Foreclosure May Be Filed,” Hawke pushes the “green” button to sustain the veto. The bill would have reduced the period for property owners to appeal foreclosures from five years to three. Fifty-seven legislators, including Hawke, voted to sustain the veto. 

On LD 48, Hawke pushed the “red button,” this time overriding the veto. The House voted 146-0 in favor of the “An Act to Reduce Registration Fees and Excise Taxes for For-hire vehicles with Adaptive Equipment Enabling Access by Persons with Disabilities.”

The legislation reduces registration fees for these enhanced vehicles from $75 to $35.

During the two-hour session, the House considered nearly two dozen proposals that either passed, failed or were referred to committee.  Among these bills included an amendment to the state constitution permitting 25 acres or less of timberland and woodland be withdrawn from taxation; an act to encourage good nutrition and healthy choices in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; and an act to repeal the Maine uniform building and energy codes.

On April 2, Hawke’s legislative day officially ended at noon. On April 1, the legislative day didn’t end until 5 p.m. After the legislative session, Hawke attended a committee hearing. The  Marine Resources Committee considered a proposal to expand the availability of scallop licenses and decrease the daily catch limit from 135 pounds to 90. The committee unanimously gave the bill an “ought not to pass” recommendation.

“The hearing had a room full of fishermen who made it clear they were against the bill,” Hawke said.

Hawke seems a logical choice for the Marine Resources Committee. She represents a coastal community where fishing is a major industry. Her husband, Andy, is also a long-time lobsterman.

Hawke believes she understands the struggles lobstermen have faced in the past three decades. She described the lobster industry as one that struggles to meet its daily expenses.

“It’s been a huge concern for 20-plus years. Lobster prices have stayed the same for three decades, but fuel, bait and equipment have all tripled,” she said. “The only way to survive is by volume; and to do that you have to fish every day.”

Hawke’s desire to run for the legislature wasn’t driven solely by the lobster industry’s plight. As a business owner, she believes taxes and regulations were damaging the state’s economy. She wanted to serve on the Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee.

“Our taxes are high. Unemployment taxes are ridiculously high. We (Hawke Motors) pay $11,000 in worker’s compensation a year. Do you how many oil changes it takes to pay for that,” said Hawke.

Her overall goal is improving the state’s business climate. She is a Republican because of the party’s pro-economic growth stance. Hawke described her individual legislative style as non-partisan.

“I told people during the campaign that I don’t have an agenda. I wanted to go to Augusta to learn about each issue and do the very best that I can for my district,” she said.

Hawke believes her style will produce results by establishing a good working relationship with Republican and Democratic lawmakers.

“I’m a good listener. And I’ll work with anyone who has a good idea about making Maine a better place to live,” Hawke said.

So far, she has sponsored one bill. Hawke introduced LD 332 “An Act to Expand Sales to Nonprofit Corporations That Provide Home Rehabilitation and Modification Service to Low Income Individuals.” Rebuilding Together’s Lincoln County chapter asked her to sponsor the bill.

After the bill failed, her seatmate, Rep. Stedman Seavey (R-Kennebunkport), asked her if she was mad that he voted against it.

“I said no. I understand how other legislators vote isn’t personal,” she said.

Her relationship with other Democratic legislators is good, according to Hawke. So far, she hasn’t witnessed any highly charged partisan legislative battles.

“The members all get along with one another. I haven’t seen any real partisanship. Maybe it exists between the party leaders, but I haven’t seen any of it,” Hawke said.

While the official legislative work ended Thursday, Hawke returned at 8 a.m. Friday to Augusta. She attended an energy summit sponsored by the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. The summit focused on the challenges facing energy providers and consumers.

“I’m so busy, I work on my day off,” she said.

Hawke said putting in the extra time is important to best serve her constituents’ interests. The State Chamber cites energy as one of three major concerns facing businesses in the state; Hawke said the summit would provide additional information about the various bills regarding electrical rates and natural gas expansion this session.