AUGUSTA – The investigative arm of the Legislature will launch a probe into the recent deaths of two Maine children who were slain in their homes after months of abuse, and how the Department of Health and Human Services and other public agencies failed to protect them. “The system has clearly failed her, we all […]
Maine Legislature
Posted inLocal & State
Legislative panel passes bill to expand medical marijuana program
Maine’s medical marijuana program would undergo sweeping changes under a bill approved Wedneday by the Legislature’s health and human services committee. The committee bill, which was approved by an 11-2 vote, would increase patient access to medical marijuana by allowing medical providers to certify an adult patient for any medical reason, give registered caregivers the […]
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Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Maine legislative panel backs $60 million in tax incentives for BIW
AUGUSTA — A legislative committee voted Tuesday to give Bath Iron Works $60 million in tax incentives as long as the company maintains current employment levels and invests at least $200 million in the shipyard. After weeks of discussion and fine-tuning, members of the Taxation Committee voted 8-2 in support of a bill that BIW […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Bills to better serve Mainers with disabilities move forward on party-line votes
AUGUSTA — Bills that would beef up both the internal and external oversight of the state’s care of people with intellectual disabilities and autism won party-line approval from the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee on Monday. One bill would create an independent panel within the Department of Health and Human Services to review deaths […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Maine rethinks requiring student proficiency to earn a diploma
State education officials are proposing a radical restructuring of Maine’s proficiency-based diploma law, which was one of the first in the nation and touted by the governor as one of his key education reforms when it passed in 2012. Six years later, Department of Education officials are proposing the elimination of a key tenet of […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Push in Maine Legislature could lead to U.S. Constitution rewrite
A pair of resolutions under consideration by the Legislature that lift much of their wording from model bills written by a secretive, corporation-funded group could help lead to a radical rewriting of the U.S. Constitution. The resolutions seek to add Maine to the list of states that have called for the convening of a constitutional […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Controversial bill to give BIW tax credits stalls in State House, extending foe’s food strike
AUGUSTA — A controversial proposal to provide Bath Iron Works with $60 million in tax credits remains stalled in a legislative committee even as a veteran peace activist’s “hunger strike” on the issue entered its second week. Members of the Legislature’s Taxation Committee on Tuesday delayed a vote on BIW’s request for up to $60 […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
LePage’s bill to protect elderly from tax lien foreclosure stripped
AUGUSTA — A legislative committee on Tuesday issued a three-way report on a bill that originally sought to protect the elderly from tax lien foreclosure. The 7-3-1 “ought to pass” vote on LD 1629 followed a lengthy discussion by the Joint Standing Committee on Taxation on an amendment presented to the committee by Nick Adolphsen, senior policy […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Maine lawmakers to decide whether to tackle gun bills
AUGUSTA – State House leaders are expected Tuesday to decide whether to allow emergency bills to boost security at public schools and ban bump stocks in Maine to move forward after a school shooter in Florida this month killed 17 people. The bills, one offered by Rep. Scott Hamann, D-South Portland, and the other offered […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
New bills would require Maine officials to show up for meetings
AUGUSTA (AP) — Some lawmakers want to make sure elected officials show up in person to public meetings. Two bills set for a Tuesday public hearing would no longer allow some officials to use phones or other technology to remotely participate in public meetings. The Legislature’s Right to Know Advisory Committee has expressed concern that […]