Roll Calls: Maine Female Genital Mutilation Bill – How Did Your Rep Vote?

AUGUSTA – In the first half of the 128^th Maine Legislature, a bill was brought forward to ensure that female genital mutilation, a dangerous procedure practiced in some cultures, was made illegal and those performing the procedures could be prosecuted in Maine.

Female genital mutilation is the practice of cutting the external female genitalia in an effort to “cleanse or purify the girl, ensure she remains sexually chaste, prevent cheating on her future husband and keep her behaving well” according to a 2015 Newsweek article cited by Rep. Sirocki in her testimony.

This bill was prompted by the inability of Maine officials to prosecute those practicing FGM, despite state health care data demonstrating that the procedure had been performed in Maine, sometimes resulting in young girls requiring additional medical treatment.

Rep. Heather Sirocki, the bill’s sponsor heavily cited data from UNICEF and many other sources in her testimony in justifying her concern about the practice, including a Population Reference Bureau study, which analyzed census data and said more than 1,600 females in Maine were at risk for this practice, including almost 400 girls under age 18.

The bill, LD 745, eventually failed in the Maine House despite passage with wide bipartisan support in the Maine Senate. It was sponsored by Rep. Heather Sirocki, and co-sponsored by more than 60 Representatives and Senators from both political parties.

But opposition to the bill banning female genital mutilation hardened among Democrats, who followed the line of thinking presented by the ACLU, opposing the bill because it expanded Maine’s criminal code and suggesting that the practice does not occur in Maine, according to the ACLU’s written testimony submitted to the Criminal Justice Committee.

As of the writing of this article, no other legislation has advanced the ability of prosecutors to prosecute the practice of female genital mutilation, a problem that Kennebec County District Attorney Maeghan Maloney, a former Democratic State Representative, highlighted in her written testimony on the bill.

Maine Examiner took the time to transcribe the roll calls on this bill and lay out how each member of the Maine House voted.

“Yes” means the Rep voted to advance or make the bill law, making FGM illegal and prosecutable.
“No” means the Representative voted against the bill and did not support making it law.
“X” means the Representative was not present for the vote.

Here are the links to the full roll call votes for passage of the bill below, so you can view them for yourself. Because of the complexity of the legislative process, we have not included two procedural votes.

Click here for House Roll Call #332 Recede and Concur. This was a vote to pass the same bill passed by the State Senate.

Click here for House Roll Call #382 Recede and Concur. This was a second vote to pass the same bill passed by the State Senate after the Senate again voted.

Here is all the written testimony submitted to the Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety – http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/testimony.html?snum=128&PID=1456#

Key testimony by Kennebec County District Attorney on behalf of the Maine Prosecutors Association – http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/getTestimonyDoc.asp?id=76801

Bill sponsor Rep. Heather Sirocki’s testimony: http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/getTestimonyDoc.asp?id=76795

Written testimony from the ACLU: http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/getTestimonyDoc.asp?id=76785

LD 745 An Act To Prohibit Female Genital Mutilation
“Yes” means Rep. voted to advance or make bill law, making FGM illegal & prosecutable.
“No” means Rep. voted against bill and did not support making it law.
“X” means the Representative was not present for the vote.

Name	Roll Call #332	Roll Call #382
Kent Ackley (C-Monmouth)	No	No
Robert Alley (D-Beals)	No	No
Betty Austin (D-Skowhegan)	No	No
Susan Austin (R-Gray)	Yes	Yes
Christopher Babbidge (D-Kennebunk)	No	No
Donna Bailey (D-Saco)	No	No
Dillon Bates (D-Westbrook)	No	No
Kevin Battle (I-South Portland)	X	Yes
Pinny Beebe-Center (D-Rockland)	No	No
Seth Berry (D-Bowdoinham)	No	No
Bruce Bickford (R-Auburn)	Yes	Yes
Russell Black (R-Wilton)	Yes	Yes
Lydia Blume (D-York)	No	No
Richard Bradstreet (R-Vassalboro)	Yes	Yes
Heidi Brooks (D-Lewiston)	No	No
Mark Bryant (D-Windham)	No	No
Richard Campbell (R-Orrington)	Yes	Yes
Barbara Cardone (D-Bangor)	No	No
Owen Casas (I-Rockport)	No	No
Richard Cebra (R-Naples)	Yes	Yes
Paul Chace (R-Durham)	Yes	Yes

LD 745 An Act To Prohibit Female Genital Mutilation
“Yes” means Rep. voted to advance or make bill law, making FGM illegal & prosecutable.
“No” means Rep. voted against bill and did not support making it law.
“X” means the Representative was not present for the vote.

Name	Roll Call #332	Roll Call #382
Ralph Chapman (G-Brooksville)	X	No
Benjamin Collings (D-Portland)	No	No
Janice Cooper (D-Yarmouth)	No	No
Patrick Corey (R-Windham)	Yes	Yes
Garrel Craig (R-Brewer)	Yes	Yes
Matthea Daughtry (D-Brunswick)	No	No
Jennifer Dechant (D-Bath)	No	No
Dale Denno (D-Cumberland)	No	Yes
Michael Devin (D-Newcastle)	No	X
Kathleen Dillingham (R-Oxford)	X	Yes
Donna Doore (D-Augusta)	No	No
Robert Duchesne (D-Hudson)	No	No
Michelle Dunphy (D-Old Town)	No	No
Ellie Espling (R-New Gloucester)	Yes	Yes
Richard Farnsworth (D-Portland)	No	No
Brad Farrin (R-Norridgewock)	Yes	Yes
Jessica Fay (D-Raymond)	No	No
Ryan Fecteau (D-Biddeford)	No	No
Robert Foley (R-Wells)	Yes	Yes
Ken Fredette (R-Newport)	Yes	Yes

LD 745 An Act To Prohibit Female Genital Mutilation
“Yes” means Rep. voted to advance or make bill law, making FGM illegal & prosecutable.
“No” means Rep. voted against bill and did not support making it law.
“X” means the Representative was not present for the vote.

Name	Roll Call #332	Roll Call #382
Aaron Frey (D-Bangor)	No	No
Roger Fuller (D-Lewiston)	No	No
Drew Gattine (D-Westbrook)	No	No
Karen Gerrish (R-Lebanon)	X	Yes
Sara Gideon (D-Freeport)	No	No
James Gillway (R-Searsport)	Yes	Yes
Phyllis Ginzler (R-Bridgton)	Yes	Yes
Jared Golden (D-Lewiston)	No	No
Gay Grant (D-Gardiner)	Yes	Yes
Chad Grignon (R-Athens)	Yes	Yes
Martin Grohman (I-Biddeford)	No	No
Stacey Guerin (R-Glenburn)	Yes	Yes
David Haggan (R-Hampden)	Yes	Yes
Scott Hamann (D-Westbrook)	No	No
James Handy (D-Lewiston)	No	No
Sheldon Hanington (R-Lincoln)	Yes	Yes
Jeffery Hanley (R-Pittson)	Yes	Yes
Denise Harlow (I-Portland)	No	No
Matthew Harrington (R-Sanford)	Yes	Yes
Lance Harvell (R-Farmington)	Yes	X

LD 745 An Act To Prohibit Female Genital Mutilation
“Yes” means Rep. voted to advance or make bill law, making FGM illegal & prosecutable.
“No” means Rep. voted against bill and did not support making it law.
“X” means the Representative was not present for the vote.

Name	Roll Call #332	Roll Call #382
Stephanie Hawke (R-Boothbay Harbor)	Yes	Yes
Fran Head (R-Bethel)	Yes	Yes
Erin Herbig (D-Belfast)	No	No
Lloyd Herrick (R-Paris)	Yes	Yes
Craig Hickman (D-Winthrop)	No	No
Norman Higgins (I- Dover-Foxcroft)	Yes	Yes
Gary Hilliard (R-Belgrade)	Yes	Yes
George Hogan (D-Old Orchard Beach)	No	No
Brian Hubbell (D-Bar Harbor)	No	No
Patricia Hymanson (D-York)	No	No
Chris Johansen (R-Monticello)	Yes	Yes
Erik Jorgensen (D-Portland)	No	No
Jonathan Kinney (R-Limington)	Yes	Yes
MaryAnne Kinney (R-Knox)	Yes	Yes
Victoria Kornfield (D-Bangor)	No	No
Walter Kumiega (D-Deer Isle)	No	No
Mark Lawrence (D-Eliot)	No	No
Lawrence Lockman (R-Amherst)	Yes	Yes
Thomas Longstaff (D-Waterville)	No	No
Louis Luchini (D-Ellsworth)	No	No

LD 745 An Act To Prohibit Female Genital Mutilation
“Yes” means Rep. voted to advance or make bill law, making FGM illegal & prosecutable.
“No” means Rep. voted against bill and did not support making it law.
“X” means the Representative was not present for the vote.

Name	Roll Call #332	Roll Call #382
Peter Lyford (R-Eddington)	Yes	Yes
Colleen Madigan (D-Waterville)	No	No
John Madigan (D-Rumford)	No	No
Richard Malaby (R-Hancock)	X	Yes
Donald Marean (R-Hollis)	Yes	Yes
John Martin (D-Eagle Lake)	No	No
Roland “Danny” Martin (D-Sinclair)	No	No
Gina Mason (R-Lisbon)	Yes	Yes
Ann-Marie Mastraccio (D-Sanford)	No	No
David McCrea (D-Fort Fairfield)	No	No
Joyce McCreight (D-Harpswell)	No	No
Carol McElwee (R-Caribou)	Yes	Yes
Andrew McLean (D-Gorham)	No	No
Gina Melaragno (D-Auburn)	No	No
Kimberly Monaghan (D-Cape Elizabeth)	No	No
Matthew Moonen (D-Portland)	No	No
Catherine Nadeau (D-Winslow)	No	No
Beth O’Connor (R-Berwick)	Yes	Yes
Margaret O’Neil (D- Saco)	No	No
Lester Ordway (R-Standish)	Yes	Yes

LD 745 An Act To Prohibit Female Genital Mutilation
“Yes” means Rep. voted to advance or make bill law, making FGM illegal & prosecutable.
“No” means Rep. voted against bill and did not support making it law.
“X” means the Representative was not present for the vote.

Name	Roll Call #332	Roll Call #382
Jennifer Parker (D-South Berwick)	No	No
Wayne Parry (R-Arundel)	Yes	Yes
Michael Perkins (R-Oakland)	Yes	Yes
Anne Perry (D-Calais)	No	No
John Picchiotti (R-Fairfield)	Yes	Yes
Richard Pickett (R-Dixfield)	Yes	Yes
Jeffrey Pierce (R-Dresden)	Yes	Yes
Teresa Pierce (D-Falmouth)	No	No
Matthew Pouliot (R-Augusta)	Yes	Yes
Dwayne Prescott (R-Waterboro)	Yes	Yes
Lois Reckitt (D-South Portland)	No	No
Roger Reed (R-Carmel)	Yes	Yes
Christina Riley (D-Jay)	No	No
Deane Rykerson (D-Kittery)	No	No
Heidi Sampson (R-Alfred)	Yes	Yes
Heather Sanborn (D-Portland)	No	No
Deb Sanderson (R-Chelsea)	Yes	X
John Schneck (D-Bangor)	No	No
Stedman Seavey (R-Kennebunkport)	Yes	Yes
Bettyann Sheats (D-Auburn)	No	No

LD 745 An Act To Prohibit Female Genital Mutilation
“Yes” means Rep. voted to advance or make bill law, making FGM illegal & prosecutable.
“No” means Rep. voted against bill and did not support making it law.
“X” means the Representative was not present for the vote.

Name	Roll Call #332	Roll Call #382
Roger Sherman (R-Hodgdon)	Yes	Yes
Abden Simmons (R-Waldoboro)	Yes	Yes
Heather Sirocki (R-Scarborough)	Yes	Yes
Thomas Skolfield (R-Weld)	Yes	Yes
John Spear (D-South Thomaston)	No	Yes
Stephen Stanley (D-Medway)	No	No
Paul Stearns (R-Guilford)	Yes	Yes
Joel Stetkis (R-Canaan)	Yes	Yes
Harold Stewart III (R-Presque Isle)	Yes	Yes
Scott Strom (R-Pittsfield)	Yes	Yes
Paula Sutton (R-Warren)	Yes	Yes
Michael Sylvester (D-Portland)	No	No
Rachel Talbot-Ross (D-Portland)	No	No
Denise Tepler (D-Topsham)	No	No
Maureen Terry (D-Gorham)	No	No
Timothy Theriault (R-China)	Yes	Yes
Jeffrey Timberlake (R-Turner)	Yes	Yes
Ryan Tipping (D-Orono)	No	X
Ralph Tucker (D-Brunswick)	No	No
William Tuell (R-East Machias)	Yes	Yes
Beth Turner (R-Burlington)	Yes	Yes
Karen Vachon (R-Scarborough)	Yes	Yes
Nathan Wadsworth (R-Hiram)	Yes	Yes
Raymond Wallace (R-Dexter)	Yes	Yes
Karleton Ward (R-Dedham)	Yes	Yes
Charlotte Warren (D-Hallowell)	No	No
Dustin White (R-Washburn)	Yes	Yes
Tom Winsor (R-Norway)	Yes	Yes
Stephen Wood (R-Greene)	Yes	Yes
Stanley Zeigler (D-Montville)	No	No