Maine Law concerning over nights

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Maine Law concerning over nights

Postby Shadow Catcher » Fri May 08, 2009 5:45 pm

The State of Maine is currently considering legislation which would make it illegal for RVs to park overnight in "any public parking structure" (i.e., business parking lots) anyplace in the state of Maine. If this bill (HP 98, LD 114) passes, it would be illegal for RVers to park for the night and sleep in their RVs at any business other than "a mobile home park or recreational vehicle park allowed by a municipality or a camping area licensed by the department."

The penalty for violating this proposed law would be $100, which would be suspended upon first violation. It's the RVer who would be fined, not the business.

Shortcomings in the law include:

(1) No need for self-contained RV's to use or pay for many campground amenities when all that's needed is a night's sleep.

(2) Language of the bill would make it illegal for RVers to park overnight at truck stops.

(3) No provision for where RVers would stay from late fall through early spring, when nearly all Maine campgrounds are closed for the season.

(4) No provision requiring campgrounds to be open to check RVers in at any time of day or night when they might arrive.

(5) No provision requiring campgrounds to offer facilities to accommodate any kind of RV, including spaces to accommodate the largest rigs, or for campgrounds to provide and maintain access roads with sufficient weight-bearing capacity and adequate clearances.

(6) No forethought as to what impact there will be on the Maine tourist economy if RVers elect to avoid visiting, passing through or spending money in Maine, as they did in Billings, MT, Laughlin, NV and Reno, NV when those cities attempted to enact or enforce similar bans on a local basis.

(7) The general principle of forcing member of the public (RVers) to patronize businesses (campgrounds) that they may not want to patronize.

(8) Some of the legislative material also mentions the issue of waste disposal, the usual "red herring" that campground owners throw out when pressuring for this kind of law. The law would punish all RVers for the transgressions of the very few who dump tanks where they shouldn't, an action that is already illegal, and only requires enforcement to prevent it.


This bill is currently tabled in the Maine House of Representatives. I has yet to be passed by either the Maine House or the Maine Senate. I've been able to find no indication of the likelihood of its being passed, but when I telephoned the legislative offices to find out the bill's status, the clerk who took my call was unaware of the bill, then read it, and thought it was stupid.

Here is a link to the text of the bill:

http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/b ... 009802.pdf

(Yahoo or your email program will probably spit that link, so you'll have to piece it back together in the address bar of your
browser.)

The sponsor of the bill is Rep. Anne C. Perry, Democrat from Calais, ME. Here is her contact information, as taken from the Maine Legislature Website:

Address: 474 South Street, Calais, ME 04619 Home Telephone: (207) 454-7338 Cell Phone: (207) 214-7000 Home E-Mail: [email protected] State House E-Mail: [email protected]
Legislative Web Site: www.maine.gov/legis/housedems/aperry
(Additional information, news, etc.,
from the House Majority Office)
State House Message Phone: (800) 423-2900 State House TTY Line: (207) 287-4469
Representing: District 31 - Baileyville, Baring, Calais, Charlotte, Passamaquoddy Indian Township, Passamaquoddy Pleasant Point, Perry and Robbinston, plus part of the unorganized territory of North Washington
Committee: Health and Human Services (Chair) Party Affiliation: Democrat Legal Residence: Calais Seat in House Chamber: 68
Occupation: Nurse Practitioner
Family: 3 Children, 2 Grandchildren

===========

The House Majority Leader in the Maine Legislature is John F.
Piotti, a Democrat from Unity, ME. Here is his contact information, as taken from the Maine Legislature Website:

Address: 1075 Albion Road, Unity, ME 04988 Home Telephone: (207) 437-2493 Business Telephone: (207) 287-1430 Home E-Mail: [email protected] State House E-Mail: [email protected]
Legislative Web Site: www.maine.gov/legis/housedems/jpiotti
(Additional information, news, etc.,
from the House Majority Office)
State House Message Phone: (800) 423-2900 State House TTY Line: (207) 287-4469
Representing: District 45 - Burnham, Freedom, Knox, Montville, Palermo, Thorndike, Troy and Unity
Committee: Rules and Business of the House Party Affiliation: Democrat Legal Residence: Unity Seat in House Chamber: 1
Occupation: Executive Director of State-Wide Non-Profit
Family: Susan (Wife), 2 Children

=================

Here are two more contacts in Maine:

Governor John Baldacci

Communicate your comments to the Governor:

http://www.maine.gov/governor/baldacci/ ... ervices/sh
are_views.html

(Yahoo or your email program will probably spit that link, so you'll have to piece it back together in the address bar of your
browser.)

Or go to:

http://www.maine.gov/governor/baldacci/index.shtml

Then scroll down to "Citizen Services" and click the [Share your views] link.

Other contact information:

Mailing Address
Office of the Governor
#1 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0001
Phone
207-287-3531
207-287-6548 (TTY)
Fax
207-287-1034

============

The President of the Main Chamber of Commerce is Mr. Dana Connors (that's MR. Connors, not MS.), and his email address is:

[email protected]

Because Yahoo truncates email addresses, this may be useful:

[email protected]
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Postby Steve_Cox » Fri May 08, 2009 8:21 pm

It seems obvious that the new law being considered is aimed at homeless RV'ers. In many municipalities across the country ordinances are being written to prohibit public camping. They always cite sanitation as the big problem, when in essences a dump station with a sanitary sewer connection and a fresh water hydrant would cost very little compared to the cost of enforcing arcane laws.
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Postby Shadow Catcher » Fri May 08, 2009 10:07 pm

Or driven by camp grounds wanting more $$$$ :twisted:
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Postby Steve_Cox » Sat May 09, 2009 6:23 am

Shadow Catcher wrote:Or driven by camp grounds wanting more $$$$ :twisted:


I guess it's possible that up north there is a "huge lobbyist organization" for campgrounds.... Down here it is still just big corporations and developers that have big lobbying bucks. This type of thing is usually driven by rich folks that don't want to see poor folks or politicians wanting to get votes by being tough on one thing or another. Why not require the Walmarts and truck stops or anyone else that desires to pave a big chunk of the planet to put in dump stations and allow overnight camping?
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Postby Shadow Catcher » Sat May 09, 2009 8:30 am

One of my questions would be, is it enforceable on private property i.e. Walmart who actively seems to encourage it. From what I remember the same thing was tried (and failed) in Montana, pushed by the camp grounds. The question to raise is how often does some one actually dump/prove it is a genuine problem.
And yes I am very well aware of abuse of the poor and attempts particularly by the Republicans (various voter ID acts) to deny them voting rights and needed services (not just Republicans). This is such a complicated issue and as you have pointed out while this silliness would affect us it has wider implications and further attempts to restrict freedom.
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Postby Shadow Catcher » Sat Jul 04, 2009 6:07 am

Final outcome.
The author of the bill withdrew it. Enough people wrote her with unintended consequences information that she reconsidered.
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Postby planovet » Sat Jul 04, 2009 1:10 pm

Shadow Catcher wrote:Final outcome.
The author of the bill withdrew it. Enough people wrote her with unintended consequences information that she reconsidered.


Wow, a politician that actually listens to her constituents and not to PACs. :applause:
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Postby ktm_2000 » Sun Sep 20, 2009 7:27 pm

hmmmmm sounds like a NIMBY action to me.


2-3 years ago there were alot of Summer workers who couldn't afford Cape Cod rent and were illegally camping in run down campers in a wooded section of Hyannis. to get rid of them someone ended up paying out some serious $$$ to put them up in state campgrounds. Some of the people were less than desireable and the campgrounds were having alot of problems with them.
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