AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage on Tuesday implored lawmakers to work on a bill designed to protect the elderly from tax lien foreclosures, saying that in the last year alone, 12 elderly Mainers have lost their homes to foreclosure. LePage spoke to members of the Joint Standing Committee on Taxation at the State House during […]
Maine Legislature
Posted inLocal & State
Lawmakers face competing bills to criminalize female genital mutilation
AUGUSTA — Two bills criminalizing the practice of female genital mutilation are competing for support in the Legislature. Lawmakers fell just one vote short of criminalizing the practice in 2017, amid concerns that state and federal law already made the practice illegal and because the topic has been widely used to demonize immigrants or refugees […]
advertisement
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Lisa Keim: Maine’s minimum-wage law needs adjustment
Nearly two years ago I decided to run for office with a goal of advancing policies that will help boost Maine’s rural economy, specifically in our corner of western Maine. Coincidentally, the same election that brought me to the state Senate also saw the narrow passage of a three-prong minimum wage referendum that we are […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Augusta late to the party
As I watch grow house after grow house, both large and small, spring up in every vacant commercial property in this area (and likely the state), it stands out to me that Maine lawmakers are too antiquated in mind, spirit and representation to acknowledge an opportunity. I watch as large construction companies, large businesses and […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Bill would restore money slashed from Maine school-based health clinics
School-based health clinics that were forced to slash programs after having their funding unexpectedly cut in last year’s budget deal may get a one-time infusion of unspent state funds to restore services that are often a critical source of health care for some of the state’s lower-income students and families. The Legislature’s Health and Human […]
Posted inLocal & State, The Franklin Journal
Maine lawmakers won’t extend moratorium on pot sales, but it’s still not for sale
AUGUSTA — A bill to delay implementation of the Marijuana Legalization Act until the end of the legislative session died Thursday. The bill failed to win even a simple majority in the House, losing 65-81, prompting the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Roger Katz, R-Augusta, to declare it dead despite the fact that the Senate didn’t actually […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Republican bill would allow more drug testing of Maine workers
AUGUSTA — Maine employers would have new powers to test and discipline employees for drug or alcohol use on the job under a sweeping overhaul of workplace drug-testing law introduced Wednesday by Republican lawmakers and backed by the administration of Gov. Paul LePage. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Amy Volk, R-Scarborough, and an official from the […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Bills to increase accountability for Maine's intellectually disabled get strong support
AUGUSTA — Parents and caretakers said Wednesday they strongly support two bills to increase the accountability and transparency of the Department of Health and Human Services’ role in overseeing care for people with intellectual disabilities and autism. “I would feel better,” Darla Stimpson Chafin told the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee at a public […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Critics balk as BIW seeks renewal of $60 million in tax incentives
AUGUSTA — Bath Iron Works representatives urged Maine lawmakers Tuesday to renew $60 million in tax credits to help the shipyard compete for Navy work, but opponents dismissed the proposal as “corporate welfare” for BIW’s massive parent company. Over the past 20 years, BIW has received $3 million annually in tax incentives from the state […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Some Maine lawmakers push to delay legalization of marijuana sales
AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine lawmakers on Tuesday started discussions about how long to delay retail marijuana sales while lawmakers continue to work on regulations needed to get the industry up and running. A ban on retail pot sales technically is in place until Thursday, but the state hasn’t set up a way for marijuana retailers […]