AUGUSTA (AP) – A bill that would make it illegal to sell or distribute mercury-added button cell batteries after June 30, 2011 in Maine won final Senate approval on Wednesday and awaited Gov. John Baldacci’s signature.

The legislation is aimed at keeping mercury, which poses health hazards, out of the environment. Button-cell batteries containing mercury are often used in novelty products that are commonly discarded when the battery dies.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Scott Cowger, D-Hallowell, said Maine is close to eliminating mercury from all consumer products in the state’s trash.

On Wednesday, senators also gave final approval to a measure calling for the annual reporting of the volume of mercury amalgam supplied to dentists in the state.

Also headed to Baldacci’s desk was legislation that’s seen as a step toward recycling of old cellular phones, which contain lead, mercury and other toxic materials.

The bill directs the Department of Environmental Protection to report on the effectiveness of current cellular telephone recycling collection programs in Maine and calls for legislation next year.

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Sudan divestment bill gets House OK

AUGUSTA (AP) – Hoping to make a statement against genocide in Darfur, the Maine House on Wednesday voted to go along with the Senate in approving a bill calling for the divestiture of State Retirement System funds in companies doing business in Sudan.

Supporters say the bill will help the people of Sudan’s Darfur region because the Sudanese government is using its revenue to attack and kill Christians and non-Muslims in Sudan. It requires divestment by Jan. 1, 2008.