As the year begins and a new group of lawmakers settle in at the Statehouse, they will once again be facing a staggering number of bills.

State legislators submitted a whopping 2,200 bills in December. That’s in addition to the 180 bills submitted by state agencies and Gov. John Baldacci’s $6.4 million, 700-page budget. All these new proposals beg a couple of questions: Could the state possibly need so many new laws? And, could anyone possibly read all these?

Like any state, Maine has some problems, but the state, obviously, doesn’t need 2,200 new laws. If it did, the governor and all of the legislators would have lost their jobs in the last election.

Few – if any – legislators will likely read all of these. And, after reading through the list, it’s hard to blame them.

Many of the laws are duplicates that will likely be merged before being adopted. Others seem to be so narrow in focus that few people would likely know what the purpose might be. Others seem just plain bizarre.

Sen. Jonathan Courtney, R-York County, for example, has introduced “An Act to Prohibit the Required Implanting of a Microchip in a Person.” That sounds like a law written in response to George Orwell’s novel, “1984.” Who, exactly, is going to require implanting microchips in people?

Sen. Phil Bartlett, D-Cumberland County, has introduced “An Act to Create Cold War Victory Day and to Recognize Cold War Veterans.” While it’s always good to recognize veterans, this might be one war that doesn’t need its own day.

Rep. Paulette Beaudoin, D-Biddeford, has introduced a “Resolve, Prohibiting the Use of Carpeting in Schools.” For decades, Maine’s children have been forced to attend carpeted classrooms. This new law would apparently seek to bring that to an end.

Pets could also make out well in this legislative session. Several lawmakers have introduced proposals on their behalf. Rep. Lawrence Bliss, D-South Portland, has introduced “An Act to Provide Tax-exempt Status to Service Dog Trainers.” Rep. Mark Bryant, D-Windham, wants to resolve “To Ensure Pet Safety during Emergencies.” And, Sen. Peggy Pendleton, D-Scarborough, has submitted “An Act to Protect Dogs Tied Outside.”

While many of the laws submitted by legislators are, without a doubt, well intentioned and important, there’s no reason for lawmakers to introduce such an enormous stack of them. It’s a waste of time, money and paper.

One solution, backed by the Joint Rules Committee, would move the deadline for submitting bills back to the third Friday in January, so that legislators would have more time to talk to one another about duplicate bills before submitting them. While that would be a good start, legislators might also want to resolve to submit fewer frivolous bills.

The next time a constituent calls with a wacky idea for a new law, it might be best to tell them, politely, when their dog won’t hunt, even in Maine.

-Brendan Moran, editor