House clears several consent and emergency measures, including studies and property conveyance resolves

The Maine House on April 24 passed several bills and resolves under the consent calendar and as emergency measures.

The chamber recorded final passage of a resolve to study barriers to financial assistance programs for farmers and food producers; the clerk announced the vote as "A 14 having voted in the affirmative and 0 in the negative," meeting the two-thirds threshold required for final passage as an emergency measure.

A separate resolve directing the director of the Bureau of Parks and Lands to convey specified property in the town of Richmond passed by a similar two-thirds margin; the clerk recorded "16 having voted in the affirmative and 0 in the negative." The chair ordered both measures signed by the speaker and sent to the Senate.

The Committee on Engrossed Bills reported a list of additional matters passed to be engrossed (including bills to fund free health clinics, create a health-care gap year program, and other items). Several items were placed on the consent calendar second day or otherwise ordered to be sent to the Senate; one consent item (a bridge-renaming resolve) was set aside for separate consideration at a member's request.

The transcript shows these items were considered "truly and strictly engrossed" by the committee and that the House used suspension of rules and consent procedures where applicable.