🎤 Republicans complain about testimony restrictions on abortion measures.
â—‰ There is continuing fallout from the marathon hearing that lasted from Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning in which roughly 650 abortion opponents stayed in line to testify against the key abortion-rights expansion from Gov. Janet Mills and her fellow Democrats.
â—‰ Republicans say it would have been longer without a rule shift from Democrats, who began the Judicary Committee hearing with proponents allowed to speak for two minutes. That lasted for roughly three hours, then opponents got about six hours of two-minute testimony. Around 10 p.m., the remaining group of opponents got one minute to speak, something that Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn, called discriminatory in a statement this week.
â—‰ Time limits typically are three minutes at busy hearings. At a hearing on anti-abortion measures on Friday, the Judiciary Committee is setting the limit at two minutes, a limit that the clerk said "may be adjusted if necessary." Proponents will begin the hearing and opponents will end it, just like on Monday.
â—‰ Lawmakers have dealt with large groups at committee hearings in different ways in the past, including by alternating testimony between sides or renting out the Augusta Civic Center for large hearings. |
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