ADVOCACY

Public Hearing

Our founder/CEO Patrisha McLean worked with her legislator Vicki Doudera (D-Camden) for LD 1684, that has been scheduled for a public hearing on Monday, April 28, 1 p.m. at the State House in Augusta, Room 436 in front of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.

Please join Finding Our Voices to testify in person, or by zoom or with written testimony, for LD 1684: "An Act to Exclude from Eligibility for a Community Confinement Monitoring Program a Person Serving a Sentence for Certain Domestic Violence Crimes

This bill would exclude those convicted on Felony A and B domestic violence crimes from early release from prison and jail through the community confinement monitoring programs that of course neither confine nor monitor.

This bill is in honor of Virginia Cookson, strangled to death in Bangor in September of 2024. Her ex-boyfriend charged with the crime was released from prison that February, three years early from a prison sentence for almost killing his ex-wife Darcia Thorpe. He met Virginia in April, and five months later this mom was dead.  

Here are instructions on how to testify in person, by zoom, or with written testimony:

If you are testifying in favor of this bill, introduce yourself and say/write that you are in favor of LD1684. Feel free to say you are with Finding Our Voices. Then give the reason why you feel this bill should pass.

You do not need to register in advance if you intend to testify in person. Print out 20 copies of your testimony and be at the Criminal Justice and Public Safety committee hearing for this bill by 12:30 p.m. on April 28.

Register to testify by zoom or submit written testimony by 12:30 p.m. on Monday April 28, by visiting https://www.mainelegislature.org/testimony/ 

Here are instructions:

Choose a committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety

Choose date:  Monday, April 28, 2025  1:00PM.

Bill LD 1684 "An Act to Exclude from Eligibility for a Community Confinement Monitoring Program a Person Serving a Sentence for Certain Domestic Violence Crimes”

At this point you can sign up to testify on zoom and upload your testimony. 

It will ask for your city/town or organization you represent. If you are testifying IN FAVOR of LD 1684, feel free to enter Finding Our Voices

Please note: Testimony submitted to a committee is public information and all testimony submitted through the testimony portal WILL BE POSTED ON THE LEGISLATURE’S WEBSITE where it will be public and remain public. DO NOT INCLUDE any information you do not intend to make public.