Maine October 2022

welcome to know the issues with lisa vallone

About me, mag & contact info

I m Lisa Vallone. I have been involved with politics & government since my pre-teen years. The majority of my involvement centered around my role as a consultant to help various Party Chairs learn how to run more effective campaigns based on issues as well as training candidates on how to communicate constructively with those in their district. This led me to running for office myself, winning and proudly becoming the voice of my constituents. All of my experience has led me to this platform as I believe it is time we all more extensively educate ourselves on what bills are being considered for law on the State and Federal level. Afterall, we Americans need more than broad stroke concepts with no real meat of the issue for us to digest. We value the efforts of those elected officials and candidates who reach out with Town meetings and other measures to let us know what they are doing or plan to do in office. And we believe they are in the majority. But, we must seek out every avenue to let our Representatives hear our voice so they can better represent us in government.

Based on my background in government, teaching and communications I believe in 3 pillars as the foundation for any discussion (1) Educate yourself, (2) Communicate with others, and (3) Reciprocate respectfully. If we follow these pillars - if we educate ourselves, let our voices be heard in an environment of mutual respect for those in office, those seeking office or those with differing opinions, then we can make a more perfect union.

A couple of notes . . . In this magazine I intentionally leave off the name/ Party affiliation of the person who introduced the bill as we are more than our Party we are Americans looking for responsible government that represents us. Too often when we hear legislation has been proposed by the opposite Party we close our ears or immediately discount it. I do not want that to happen. Only during my podcast will this information be revealed. Here is to the power of people to have the knowledge to know how hard their representatives work to represent them in government.

Email: KnowTheIssuesWithLisaVallone@gmail.com Podcast on Most Platforms: Know The Issues With Lisa Vallone Website: KnowTheIssues.com

trivia quiz?

1. Which Presidential candidate ran for office while in jail: a. Eugene V Debs b. Richard M Nixon

2. The first Native American Congressman was: a. Charles Brent Curtis b. Thomas Ellicott

3. Which President named the “White House” the “White House”? a. Theodore Roosevelt b. Barack Obama

4. In Presidential elections having a height advantage seems to help a candidate as the taller candidate usually wins a. true b. false

5. This Congressman is the only Congressman to have a #1 hit on the Billboards Hot 100 a. Joe Walsh b. Sono Bono

6. Two archrival Presidents died on the same day. Were they a. Adams and Jefferson b. Adams and Washington

7. Glover Cleveland’s first name was actually “Stephen” before he changed it.

a. true b. false

Editorial - this is what I m talking about

Everyone loves a lush green grass . . . but at what cost?

Back in the early 70s, everyone around me was using weed killer to free their lawn from weeds and give them that lush green lawn they always wanted. My mom was the exception. She opposed this practice, arguing that exposing our environment to toxins would pollute out grounds and underground water and would have significant adverse affects to people, especially children. She began grassroots efforts to stop this practice but it was a time when research had not yet been published as to the harmful effects of herbicides and people valued the aesthic of their lawn over the health of the environment. Today, research has informed us of the serious effects of such toxins and yet my mom is still one of the few homes I find that refuses to use pesticides. Most recently, the EPA in 2022 found that 87% of children have levels of pesticides in their bodies and that children were especially vulnerable to environmental toxins due to their small body mass.

And, if homeowners will not limit their use of pesticides at least we can do something to protect our children at school - an environment that is supposed to be safe. And that is why I love that Maine came up with an act to protect children from children from exposure to toxic chemicals stating that herbicides, including glyphosate, cannot be used within75 feet of school grounds including playgrounds and athletic fields used by students or staff of a school. In addition they are conducting research to better understand the effects of these pesticides.

I think this is a great step forward and I hope other states follow suit. I know my Mom, Louise Vallone, is proud of these efforts and will use these measures to try to convince others to enact the same legislation. Will you follow suit?

Should Patients be mandated to receive the COVID vaccine in order to receive or give an organ transplant?

Cleveland Clinic, University of Colorado Hospital and Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospitals are just 3 of a host of hospitals denying organ transplants to patients who have not had the COVID vaccine. Congressional bill S3985 was introduced to prohibit denying an individual from donating or receive an organ because of their COVID-19 vaccination status. It would also prevent Medicare and Medicaid providers from denying services to individuals based on their COVID-19 vaccination status. The bill is called the Give Life Act (Doss’s Bill named after a “teenage Texan who was denied a kidney transplant because had had not been vaccinated against COVID-19.” Of note the same Senator who introduced this bill also introduced S3974 to end discrimination in Covid-19 treatments in determining eligibility for monoclonal antibody doses distributed by the Federal Government.

Photo courtesy of Mark Tegethoff

What does and for other purposes

mean in the bills I read

If you have seen the title of a bill in Congress you may have noticed most say and for other purposes . For example, HR6549 reads To provide debt relief to developing countries with unsustainable levels of debt, and for other purposes. The phrase means all of the title could not fit so they shortened it. It should alert you to the fact that you should always read the entire bill to understand it completely. In this bill for example the and for other purposes includes such elements as standards for equitable burden sharing among all creditors with material claims on each participating debtor; robust debt disclosure; expanded eligibility criteria to include all countries with unsustainable levels of sovereign debt; standards for comprehensive creditor participation consistent with robust application of the policies of the International Monetary Funds relating to lending into arrears; and consistent enforcement and improvement of the policies of multilateral institutions relating to asset-based and revenue-based borrowing by participating debtors, and coordinated standards on restructuring collateralized debt. And that is just a small part of the and for other purposes . So it is important when discussing a bill take the time to read it all.

LD265 - For the health of mom & baby

This bill extends from 60 days to 12 months the period of time following delivery of a baby that a woman may be eligible for services under MaineCare. The woman’s family income has to be equal to or below 200% of the nonfarm income official poverty line. A person who is under 21 (with some qualifying circumstances) and a person who is a noncitizen legally admitted to the United States is also covered under this care.

The bill, which was passed, does not mention the reasoning for increasing the time period for qualified care from 60 days to 365 days.

Photo courtesy of Mark Olsen

This bill broadens the acknowledgment of parentage and allows intended parents participating in assisted reproduction, as well as presumed parents, to sign the acknowledgment of parentage. It requires gamete banks and fertility clinics to collect information from donors and requires a donor to sign a declaration allowing the sharing of identifying information about the donor or prohibiting the sharing of identifying information about the donor. A person conceived by assisted reproduction who has attained 18 years of age or, if the person is a minor, the parent or guardian may request identifying information about the donor from the gamete bank or fertility clinic. If the donor signed a declaration prohibiting the sharing of identifying information about the donor, the gamete bank or fertility clinic may share only nonidentifying information. If the donor did not agree to the sharing of identifying information, the gamete bank or fertility clinic must make a good faith effort to contact the donor, who may then authorize the sharing of the information. Otherwise, the gamete bank or fertility clinic may share the identifying information upon request. The person or, if the person is a minor, the parent or guardian may request nonidentifying information about the donor, and the gamete bank or fertility clinic is required to make a good faith effort to provide the information.

How do you feel about this act? Do you support it or oppose it? Let me know at knowtheissueswithlisavallone@gmail.com

An Act to include grandparents under maine s family medical leave laws emergency preamble.

This legislation allows an employee to request family medical leave to care for a grandchild who has a serious health condition; especially in light of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. The following legislation is deemed immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; How do you feel about this legislation? Does it go far enough or too far? What are the consequences of this legislation?

Photo courtesy of Andrew Spencer

Answers to trivia quiz

1. Which President . . .:

a. Socialist candidate Eugene V Debs was in federal prison when he ran for office and although he lost he still received 900,000 votes (3.4% of the vote)

2. First Native American Congressman . . . .

a. Charles Brent Curtis starting in 1893. (Native American on his mother’s side) He was also the 1st and only Native American VP, having been on the winning ticket with Hoover. Interestingly enough Native Americans were not given the right to vote until the Snyder Act of 1924.

3. Which President named it the “White House” . . .

a. Theodore Roosevelt officially named it the White House. Prior to him taking office, the White House had different names including the “President’s Palace,” which sounded a bit like a throwback to England’s royalty, the “President’s House” and the “Executive Mansion.”

4. Taller candidate . . .

a. true. In the thirty-one presidential elections between 1900 and 2020, twenty-one of the 31 winning candidates have been taller than their opponents. In the JFK-Nixon televised debate voters are said to have thought JFK won the debate due to not only has tanned and relaxed look but also because of his height advantage.

Photo courtesy of Christina Delp

5. This Congressman is the only Congressman to have a #1 hit on the Billboards Hot 100 b. Sonny Bono holds that title with his hit “I got you Babe” which stayed at #1 for 3 weeks.

6. Two archrival Presidents died on the same day. Were they a. Adams and Jefferson. The feud between these two Presidents is said to have begun over a disagreement regarding the Declaration of Independence. Adams thought the day to celebrate should be July 2nd as that is when the actual vote for Independence took place. Jefferson however argued that July 4th should be the date to celebrate as that is when the Declaration of Independence was adopted. Jefferson won that argument. Oddly enough both Presidents died on July 4, 1826 - 50 years after the adoption of the Declaration.

7. Grover Cleveland’s 1st name was actually Stephen. . . a. True. Does Stephen Cleveland have the same ring to you?

Photo courtesy of Keith Luk

SB62 - protecting our children

Children who live on the streets is a growing problem in America where there may be a lack of affordable housing, employment, natural disaster, escape from domestic violence, mental illness or even runaways and those transitioning from foster care. In California alone there are a reported 12,172 youths under the age of 25 who were said to be without homes. In Maine that number is much smaller at 139. But just because the number is smaller does not mean it shouldnt be a priority. This bill amends the laws governing facilities for children. It amends the definition of "emergency children's shelter" to extend placement from 30 consecutive days or less to 60 consecutive days or less, and it amends the definition of "shelter for homeless children" to extend the limit on overnight lodging and supervision from 30 consecutive overnights to 60 consecutive overnights.