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Month Day, 2009 Jay Finegan, 287-1445
Rep. Bruce Bickford Named to Prominent National Leadership Committee

AUGUSTA – State Rep. Bruce Bickford has been named to an influential national panel, which is part of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree recently made the appointment, which takes effect immediately.

Rep. Bickford (R-Auburn) will join the NCSL’s Standing Committee on Labor and Economic Development.

“I’m honored by this appointment and by the opportunity to represent Maine at the national level,” he said. “NCSL committees are forums for legislators from all over the country to share approaches and solutions to common issues. Here in Maine, economic development is a major challenge. We clearly need more jobs, and better jobs, to sustain the state and make sure our young people have a future here. I’m looking forward to meeting legislators from other states and hopefully learning about innovations and solutions in other parts of the nation.”

Rep. Bickford, a veteran business manager, serves on the Labor Committee in the Maine Legislature. That panel has jurisdiction over the Department of Labor; wage and hour laws; working conditions; workforce development; unemployment compensation; and workers’ compensation. The committee also exercises oversight regarding collective bargaining; retirement eligibility and benefits for state and municipal employees, including teachers; Workers’ Compensation Board; and Maine State Retirement System.

NCSL’s Labor and Economic Development Committee covers state and federal issues related to labor, employment, workforce and economic development, international trade and cultural affairs. The committee’s jurisdiction also includes pensions, Social Security, employment training and right-to-work laws.

NCSL committees have no actual legislative authority. Instead, they attempt to educate Congress and federal agencies as to state concerns regarding the most pressing state issues. In addition, they serve as a forum for legislators and legislative staff to share information about policy options being considered in other states.

The NCSL, based in Denver, is a bipartisan organization that advocates for the interests of state governments before Congress and federal agencies.

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