Representative Bruce Bickford’s

E{Newsletter

April 9, 2010

State Issues:

 

State Enacts New Consumer Protection Measures

 

The Legislature recently passed, and Governor Baldacci signed, L.D. 1541, “An Act To Protect Consumers from Charges after a Free Trial Period,” which enacts new consumer protection measures. Under the new law a company that offers free trial periods of goods or services has to confirm billing information directly with the consumer.  Previously, consumers could be charged following the end of a “free trial period” without their knowledge if the company was able to obtain their billing information indirectly.  The bill will go into effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourns.

 

Voters May Request Absentee Ballots Online

 

Absentee ballot requests are now being accepted for the June 8, 2010 primary and referendum election.  Registered voters in over 150 municipalities may request absentee ballots online through a website run by the Maine Secretary of State at http://www.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/AbsenteeBallot/index.pl.

 

If your municipality does not participate in this program, you may still use the website to complete a request form and mail it in or to print a blank request form.  For more information on upcoming elections, including a current list of candidates and referendum questions expected to appear on the ballot, visit the Maine Secretary of State’s website at http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/upcoming.html.

 

Online Tool For Planning Fishing Trips Available

 

Officials with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (IF&W) recently announced the release of an online tool to assist in planning fishing trips, ‘The Maine Fishing Guide.’  The guide provides layers of information for fishermen, including locations of various species, lake depth, conservation lands, IF&W facilities, launches, and more. 

 

The Maine Fishing Guide runs using the Google Earth application, which is available for download, along with the guide, at

http://www.maine.gov/ifw/fishing/fishingGuide.html.  Information on the guide will be updated at regular intervals and new layers of information may be added in the future as well.

 

 

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