Democratic gubernatorial candidate Patrick McGowan today released his plan to reform politics and government in Maine. McGowan says that the plan, as structured, would not only save taxpayers between $10-15 million in each biennium, but it would make government more efficient and reduce the burden of a lengthy campaign season on Maine citizens.

“Thomas Jefferson once said, ‘The government that governs best governs least,’” McGowan quoted, “I agree. We must get back to the basics within our own house, focus on the goals of the legislature, make the election process more focused, and save taxpayers money.”

McGowan’s plan addresses several areas of government and the political process in Maine. In the first piece of his plan, McGowan proposes cutting the size of the State Legislature by about one third. McGowan’s plan would reduce the size of the House of Representatives from 151 members down to 99, and would reduce the size of the Maine Senate from 35 members down to 24. The total number of legislators would go from 186 down to 123.

“We have a high ratio of legislators to citizens in our state,” McGowan said, “with an average of about 3,000 fewer citizens being represented by each member of our legislature, compared to neighboring states. By reducing the number of total legislators by about a third, we will be closer to the average ratio, we will save money, and we will make government more efficient.”

The Legislature has 186 for 1.3 million residents. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures Maine ranks 10th in the country for the size of its legislature.

McGowan also proposes to increase the number of years per legislative term while decreasing the number of terms for legislators. Currently, Maine legislators can hold office for 4 consecutive 2-year terms. Under McGowan’s proposal, legislators would serve 4-year terms, and could serve for 3 consecutive terms, allowing citizens to serve up to 12 years at a time, as opposed to the current eight-year limit.

“It is awfully difficult to legislate when many members of this body are also holding down full time jobs, caring for family members, and constantly running for office,” said McGowan. “This aims to not only ease the burden of the campaign season on Maine citizens, but also to improve a system that did not place enough emphasis on experience.”

Furthering the idea of reducing the burden of a campaign season, McGowan proposes to move the primary election date from June to September, joining twenty-two other states that hold their primary elections in August or later.

McGowan’s proposal includes a limit on the number of bills that are introduced for each legislative session. There are currently very few limitations on the number of bills that can be submitted by legislators. Pat McGowan is proposing a limit of 1,000 bills that can be introduced each session. Because this will limit the amount of work for the legislature, his plan calls for a reducing in the First Regular Session by 9 weeks, and the Second Regular Session by 10 weeks.

“By reducing the number of bills, it will force our legislators to closely examine what bills are being submitted, while cutting down on the number of repeat bills, and allowing the legislature to focus its time and energy on the most pressing issues.”

McGowan would also create an elected office of the Lt. Governor. Under the McGowan plan, the Lt. Governor would be responsible for tie-breaking votes in the Senate, and would provide for an orderly transition if the sitting governor dies or becomes incapacitated. The Lt. Governor would also act as a cabinet-level commissioner, allowing the position to be created without additional payroll or administration.

The final piece of McGowan’s plan is to combine the Dept. of Professional and Financial Regulation, the Dept. of Economic and Community Development, and the Maine State Planning Office to create one Maine Department of Commerce. McGowan says that the consolidation would eliminate excess administration and support staff, while creating a department that focuses on commerce and jobs in Maine.

McGowan says that the proposals will require both statutory and constitutional changes, but that the time is right for such action and that he looks forward to working with legislators and citizens to implement his proposals.

“This proposal will improve the way we legislate, it will improve our political process, it will improve the way we govern, and it will help to restore faith in government,” said McGowan. “The voters I have spoken with want this change, and they deserve a break.”