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  • Question 6: Response From Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows

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    NEWS CENTER Maine
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    The Secretary of State testified in strong support of L.D. 78 and L.D. 578, which propose amendments to the Maine Constitution regarding the publication of Maine Indian treaty obligations. As the keeper of state records and a defender of the Constitution, the Secretary believes the entire Constitution, including any provisions currently not printed, should be transparent and accessible to the public. The Secretary notes their role in reprinting the Constitution every 10 years and their oath to uphold the entire Constitution of Maine. Making all parts of the Constitution publicly available is important for an open democracy.

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    Question 6: Response from Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows

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    Question 6: Response from Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows

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    The Secretary of State testified in strong support of L.D. 78 and L.D. 578, which propose amendments to the Maine Constitution regarding the publication of Maine Indian treaty obligations. As the keeper of state records and a defender of the Constitution, the Secretary believes the entire Constitution, including any provisions currently not printed, should be transparent and accessible to the public. The Secretary notes their role in reprinting the Constitution every 10 years and their oath to uphold the entire Constitution of Maine. Making all parts of the Constitution publicly available is important for an open democracy.

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    3K views1 page

    Question 6: Response From Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows

    Uploaded by

    NEWS CENTER Maine
    The Secretary of State testified in strong support of L.D. 78 and L.D. 578, which propose amendments to the Maine Constitution regarding the publication of Maine Indian treaty obligations. As the keeper of state records and a defender of the Constitution, the Secretary believes the entire Constitution, including any provisions currently not printed, should be transparent and accessible to the public. The Secretary notes their role in reprinting the Constitution every 10 years and their oath to uphold the entire Constitution of Maine. Making all parts of the Constitution publicly available is important for an open democracy.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 1

    Department of the Secretary of State

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    Shenna Bellows
    3‘-5- Secreiary of Siate
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    Kate McBrien
    Maine State Archivist

    JOINT STANDING COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY


    Testimony of Shenna Bellows, Secretary of State
    Department of the Secretary of State
    March 7, 2023

    Testifying in favor

    L.D. 78, “RESOLUTION, Proposing an Amendment to Article X of the Constitution of Maine


    Regarding the Publication of Maine Indian Treaty Obligations”

    And

    L.D. 5'78, “RESOLUTION, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine Concerning the
    Publication of Maine Indian Treaty Obligations”

    Senator Carney, Representative Moonen and Members of the Joint Standing Committee on
    Judiciary, my name is Shenna Bellows and I am the Secretary of State. I am speaking today in
    strong support of L.D. 78 and L.D. 578 as the keeper of the records of this state and as a defender of
    the Constitution.

    First, as the Secretary of State play a role in the reprinting of the Maine Constitution. Per Article
    I

    I0, section 6 of the Maine Constitution, the Chief Justice of the Law Court is ordered to arrange the
    Constitution every 10 years. This process sometimes begins with the Secretary of State sending the
    Chief Justice a letter notifying them of any new resolutions enacted by the legislature incorporating
    all new amendments and arrange the Constitution. After that is done, the draft is then sent to the
    legislature for approval. Once approval is voted upon, the Constitution is sent to the Secretary of
    State to be printed and preserved at the Maine State Archives. I take the role I play in this process
    very seriously.

    However, have another role and that is to uphold the oath I took when I assumed office. It is
    I also
    an oath to defend the Constitution of the State of Maine — and this includes section 5 of Article X of
    the Maine Constitution. It is imperative to a fair and free democracy that our Constitution be printed
    in its entirety. To have any provision of the Constitution not printed but in full legal effect is
    antithetical to the entire premise of a transparent government. Making our state records, including
    the entire Maine Constitution, more easily accessible to the public and the people we serve is a
    cornerstone for an open and credible democracy.

    The Constitution is the bedrock upon which all Maine’s laws are built. No part of that Constitution
    should be hidden from the Mainers whose lives it affects every single day.

    This concludes my testimony. I am happy to answer any questions the committee may have. Thank
    you.

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