With less than a month left before statutory adjournment, Democrats have threatened to shut down government if state funding for schools doesn’t reach 55 percent. Fifty-two Democratic and two independent House members, along with four Democratic senators, have signed a pact to oppose any budget bill that doesn’t have “a progressive and sustainable funding source […]
Maine Legislature
Posted inLocal & State
Maine Republicans, Democrats at odds in budget negotiations
AUGUSTA — Democrats and Republicans have until the end of June to enact a state budget but both sides see the biggest sticking point as a voter-approved tax on high earners to fund schools. Democratic House Speaker Sara Gideon said a budget should be coming out of the Legislature’s appropriation committee by no later than June […]
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Education committee opposes statewide teacher contract bill
AUGUSTA (AP) — A key legislative committee has voted against a bill to create a uniform teacher contract across Maine. The Portland Press Herald reported (http://bit.ly/2rgcQQN ) the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee opposed the bill, 6-5, even after concessions from the bill’s sponsor on Tuesday. Republican Gov. Paul LePage says the idea would help […]
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LePage signs measure aimed at reducing electricity costs for some
AUGUSTA — A proposal to let consumers compare electricity costs from different providers more easily secured the signature of Gov. Paul LePage to become law Tuesday. “This new law includes common-sense protections that will keep Mainers from getting ripped off by unscrupulous companies,” said its sponsor, Sen. Nate Libby, D-Lewiston. Libby, the assistant minority leader, […]
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Next up for ‘nips’ bill: a near-certain veto
AUGUSTA — A measure to require a 5-cent deposit on tiny liquor bottles known as nips is heading for a near certain veto from Gov. Paul LePage — and possibly a move by him to ban nips entirely, which could hurt a major bottler based in Lewiston. With the Senate’s unanimous agreement Tuesday , the […]
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Legislators eye path for skilled veterans to get better jobs
AUGUSTA — Many of the people who serve in the military wind up learning skills that could easily translate into jobs later, except for professional requirements that typically eye a more traditional educational pathway for those seeking a license. For Rep. Jared Golden, D-Lewiston, it’s a bureaucratic obstacle that could be overcome to give veterans […]
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Legislature passes bill to limit PAC expenditures
AUGUSTA — The Maine Legislature has approved a bill that bars lawmakers from paying themselves or businesses they own from political action committees under their control, sending the measure to Gov. Paul LePage for his approval. The bill, An Act Regarding Political Action Committee Expenditures, was passed unanimously last week by the Maine House and […]
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$50 million bond issue set for June ballot
AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine voters are set to decide on a $50 million bond issue at a special election next month. The Maine Technology Institute would distribute $45 million in grants for upgrades in fields like aquaculture, marine technology and advanced technologies for forestry and agriculture. Recipients would be required to match state dollars with […]
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Maine panel recommends bill to help chronic pain patients
AUGUSTA (AP) — A legislative committee is supporting a bill to give Maine doctors flexibility in prescribing opioid medication to patients living with chronic and severe pain. Some patients have said they are living in agony on smaller doses of painkillers thanks to a cap on daily opioid doses that lawmakers enacted last year. The […]
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Lawmakers weigh who can obtain medical records of the dead
AUGUSTA — Two summers ago, Dottie Perham-Whittier sat bawling beside her son Mack’s bed in Maine Medical Center’s intensive care unit, hoping he could fend off a life-threatening toxic shock that followed a normally routine cyst surgery. She’d known for more than a year that Mack had seriously low blood counts that made it tough […]