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Maine Senate confirms five nominees, recommits several bills and adjourns until Jan. 20
Summary
In a largely procedural session, the Maine Senate confirmed five nominees to state boards and councils by recorded roll-call votes, voted to recommit several legislative documents to standing committees, heard memorial resolutions, and adjourned until Jan. 20, 2026.
The Maine State Senate on a procedural day confirmed five nominees to state bodies, moved to recommit multiple legislative documents to committee, heard two memorial resolutions and adjourned until Jan. 20, 2026.
The confirmations were taken by roll-call vote after the chair announced committee recommendations and called for yeas and nays under 3 M.R.S.A. § 158 and Joint Rule 506. The Senate accepted the committees’ recommendations and confirmed the following nominees (vote totals reported by the secretary): Peter Pray of Millinocket for reappointment to the Maine Land Use Planning Commission (0 yeas, 31 nays, 4 excused — committee recommendation accepted); Wayne Jones of Trescot Township for appointment to the Maine Land Use Planning Commission (0 yeas, 31 nays, 4 excused — committee recommendation accepted); Dr. Richard Evans of Dover‑Foxcroft for appointment to the Advisory Council on Affordable Health Care (0 yeas, 31 nays, 4 excused — committee recommendation accepted); Amanda Burgess of Auburn for appointment to the Advisory Council on Affordable Health Care (0 yeas, 31 nays, 4 excused — committee recommendation accepted); and Anne Freeman, Esq., of Portland for reappointment to the Maine Labor Relations Board (after a brief technology-related revote, confirmed with the same reported tally).
Senator Perce (Cumberland) handled multiple procedural motions to recommit legislative documents. He moved to recommit LD 1488 to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs, LD 1643 to the Committee on Housing and Economic Development, LD 1955 to the Committee on Health and Human Services, and LD 1965 to the Committee on Judiciary. The chair put those recommit motions to the Senate and members directed the matters to the named committees for further consideration.
The session also included two jointly adopted resolutions in memoriam. The Senate paid tribute to Deputy Chief John Koestra of the Windham Fire Department for his decades of public safety service and to Robert Edward Dillingham of Lewiston for his military service and community involvement; family members of both honorees were recognized in the gallery.
Before recessing for an emergency drill, Senator Moore (Washington) noted a series of member learning events hosted by the Maine Development Foundation and other groups, urging colleagues to sign up. Pursuant to a jointly passed order, Senator Perce moved and the Senate agreed to stand adjourned until Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., or to the call of the presiding officers.
What happened next: committee referrals and formal work on the recommitted LDs will proceed in the named standing committees; the confirmed appointments will be transmitted to the House as the secretary was directed to inform the Speaker of the House of the Senate’s actions.
(Reporting in this article is based solely on the Senate’s session transcript and the roll-call totals announced by the secretary.)
