House District 48 Rep. Holly Stover, D – Boothbay Harbor, is campaigning for the Democratic primary June 14 in a bid for a third term. Stover faces challenger Tom Moroney of East Boothbay and the primary’s winner will face Republican candidate Tricia Warren of Boothbay Harbor in the Nov. 8 general election. Stover currently sits on the Health and Human Services Committee and is House Chair of the Government Oversight Committee.

Stover said her priorities for the next two years are to continue the work she has been doing since elected in 2018: child welfare and safety, healthcare, environment and marine dependent industries, specifically lobstering. However, the economy – specifically, inflation – needs the legislature’s undivided attention, she said.

“The cost of electricity has doubled, the cost of food has doubled, the cost of gasoline has doubled, the cost of fuel oil and propane has doubled. The cost of daily living has doubled for us in a short amount of time and part of the state's responsibility is to talk to our federal delegation, but we've got to figure out some things together because this isn't sustainable.”

“Affordable housing” is a buzzword and the subject for many a political platitude, but that does not stop the fact that it is one of the greatest and most persistent issues, Stover said. Maine’s homeless population and those on the verge of homelessness are victims of a housing market which was already a perfect storm of high price and low availability before the effects of Russia’s Ukraine invasion and the pandemic, she said.

“(Housing) is interconnected to our workforce development needs. We can't have a thriving workforce in our communities if people do not have a place to call home. We all need that safe and stable place every day that we go and that's what keeps us being a part of a productive community.”

House Speaker Ryan Fecteau’s bill LD 2003 provides some avenues for communities to amend local ordinances to increase potentially existing housing stock and to make further housing development possible, she said; the bill also provided some funding for municipalities to engage consultants who can help navigate local ordinances for those potential changes.

“Fortunately we do have some housing workgroups in this community that are looking at ways to address that locally,” said Stover. “But I think it's going to take more effort and more resources to actually see shovels go into the ground and for development to actually happen. That will happen in our communities, but some of that is going to have to happen at the state level as well … We've really got to get creative because there's not a single solution to addressing housing.”

Stover said her greatest involvement in LD 2003’s substance was ensuring local control by making sure the bill stays within local ordinances and does not come at odds with shoreland overlay zones and watersheds. Those considerations become important for issues like well salination, pollution and general runoff contamination, she said. “(These are) chronic and severe problems for some parts of the district. We're on peninsulas surrounded by ocean and we have to protect our land and our ocean. We have to do things very mindfully as it pertains to development.”

Inflation is exacerbating issues brought on by federal regulations on lobstering and other fishing, said Stover. Congress passed laws mandating ropeless gear for lobstering in some areas and closures of some federal waters. Regulations were already on the horizon for Maine fishermen before the pandemic. Stover's bill LD 1898, Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Impact Fund, would provide $30 million to lobstermen, net fishermen and businesses that buy and sell catch and $20 million for gear replacement, she said. The bill passed in a bipartisan effort, 116-18. Stover said U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden have been fighting for another $17 million in federal money, but even if the $67 million total comes together, it is still far off from the cost of replacing all gear, about $86 million, Stover said.

“So, are we doing enough? No. We need to do more. Absolutely … Maine has a responsibility to support fishing and lobstering which are economic drivers for the state. The people who work in those industries work very hard and they pay a lot of taxes … they buy houses and they buy vehicles and they have employees and they live here and their kids grow up here. They're an important part of our community infrastructure on multiple levels. I can't emphasize enough how important it is through these federal changes to respond as a state.”

Other issues Stover plans to continue working on are the identification and mitigation of PFAs (per and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals); building upon education victories like last year’s 55% general purpose aid for Maine schools; accessible and affordable quality healthcare; drug rehabilitation; child welfare and safety; and domestic violence law.

Stover sponsored over 20 bills in the 129th and 130th Legislatures, including charter changes for the Community School and Boothbay Harbor Sewer districts. According to maine.gov, about half her bills passed.