Save Money By Going Digital

In trying to research this issue, I have come up short as to the cost of printing all the documents coverred by Maine law. This does not hamper me in stating...Now Is The Time to Change the Law...thereby saving millions a year. With our forests now being owned by foriegners and those who buy up the land to shut it off to Mainers, we should now realize available wood is diminishing. It is also time to reduce paperwaste in govenment which also includes useless consumption of ink.


Maine law (MSRA Title I, Chapter 13, Section 501-A) requires all state agencies to deposit 18 copies of their publications with the Maine State Library. The State Library retains three copies (two for circulation, one for archival purposes); the other 15 copies are distributed to depository libraries located throughout the state of Maine, and to the Library of Congress.
The Maine depository libraries are at the University of Maine (Orono), Universities of Maine at Farmington, Fort Kent, Machias, Presque Isle; University of Southern Maine; Colby, Bates and Bowdoin Colleges; Bangor Public Library and Portland Public Library.
The idea behind the program is that all of Maine's residents should have access to state government publications without having to travel to Augusta.

State documents are publications issued by state agencies. Publications are defined as periodicals, newsletters, bulletins, pamphlets, leaflets, directories, bibliographies, statistical reports, brochures, plan drafts, planning documents, reports, special reports, committee and commission minutes, informational handouts, rules and compilations of rules.

(the preceeding two paragraphs taken directly from maine state site)

Let me address just one small part of the printing allowed by state law. Each legislator normally sends out quarterly newsletters to their constituents. If 400.000 people are registterred to vote and each newsletter costs a minimal of 50 cents to produce...each mailing would total $200,000 every 3 months or $800,000 per year. Eight million in 10 years. It would be interesting to see a survey on how many voters actually take the time to read these mailings.

At least 75% of Maine people have access to the internet. Most people I know treat these newsletters much like they treat junkmail. Most of these mailings are nothing more than political advertising.

If a web site were developed whereas a voter could click on his legislator's name and could read the same letter online, tons of paper and gallons of ink could be saved for other use. This will never fly because the legislature has a habit of not looking in house for financial solutions. Remember, this is only one publication dictated by law to be held in print rather than on cds,etc..
The whole idea of the law was to give citizens access to this information and where better nowadays to access than on the net.

If every periodical, newsletter, bulletin, pamphlet, leaflet, directory, bibliographie, statistical report, brochure, plan draft, planning document, report, special report, committee and commission minute, informational handout, rule and compilation of rules were perused financially there would be asavings of many million per year.

Several weeks ago, I called the Chairwoman of the Joint Appropriations Committee to run this idea and others by her. It is apparent that they want no input which might help us in these troubled financial times. I've been asked in the past, what is your solution to problems but when someone trys to help the powers that be make reasonable cuts they dont really want to hear the common mans' ideas.