Ryan Fecteau

Ryan Michael Fecteau (born September 18, 1992) is an American politician who serves as the Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives.

[1][2][3] He was raised by a single mother who worked in healthcare, and Fecteau grew up in subsidized housing;[2] the family often relied on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program[4] for food.

[5] After high school, Fecteau attended the Catholic University of America[1][3] where he majored in both political science and theological & religious studies.

[4][6][7] While at CUA, Fecteau was the first openly gay speaker of the Student Government General Assembly[4] and completed internships at the Democratic National Committee, the Human Rights Campaign, Catalist, and in the office of US Representative Chellie Pingree.

[3][2] Fecteau has worked as a field organizer for Mainers United for Marriage in 2012, was the chairman of the Biddeford Democratic Committee from 2011 to 2012, and was an editorial director at Trueline Publishing in Portland, Maine.

[11][2][17] During his time as Speaker, he worked with Senate President Troy Jackson to pass LD 1, the COVID-19 Patient Bill of Rights[18] and continue the work of the 130th Legislature through a hybrid model of virtual public hearings and occasional distanced sessions at a Civic Center[19] before returning to the state house in June 2021.

[20] His bill to expand dental care to 217,000 low-income Mainers was funded as part of the biennial budget.

[24][25][26] In the same year, legislation he worked on to reform the state’s troubled unemployment insurance system became law.

[28] He authored legislation that allowed property owners to build an accessory dwelling unit on lots previously zoned exclusively for single-family housing.