AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine lawmakers have advanced a bill to force the release of $15 million in bonds for senior citizen housing that voters approved two years ago, but an initial House vote fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to override the governor’s expected veto. The Democratic-controlled House on Tuesday voted 85-57 supporting the […]
Maine Legislature
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Gov. Paul LePage threatens to ban nips if 5-cent deposit passes
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage said he’d work to ban the sale of 50-milliliter alcohol containers if the Legislature passes a widely supported bill to extend the state’s bottle deposit law to include the so-called “nips.” The Republican governor’s threat came the same day that the Maine Senate voted 32-3 to approve the bill. It […]
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Welcome center for immigrants in Lewiston gains support
AUGUSTA — A proposal to add a welcome center for immigrants in Lewiston survived a committee session this week that stripped away a companion provision to create an Office of New Mainers to try to attract more newcomers to the state. With backing from the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee, the Legislature will consider whether […]
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Shenna Bellows’ bill would ban ISPs from selling customer browsing data
AUGUSTA — A Maine Democrat says her bill would ban internet service providers from selling their customers’ online browsing data to third parties without explicit consent. Roughly a dozen states have taken up measures in the last two months to enhance internet privacy laws following the defeat of protections proposed on the federal level. Sen. […]
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Paul LePage says selling drugs used in fatal overdoses is manslaughter
Maine Gov. Paul LePage, center, speaks to reporters at a news conference accompanied by Kellyanne Conway, an advisor to President Trump, far left, and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price, right, after a meeting to discuss the state’s efforts to fight the opioid epidemic, Wednesday, May 10, 2017, at the State House […]
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Bill attempts to force Paul LePage to release housing bonds
AUGUSTA — Maine housing developers and affordable housing advocates hope lawmakers roundly support a Republican’s bill to release $15 million in bonds for senior housing that voters approved two years ago. Republican Sen. Roger Katz’s bill awaits a vote in the Democratic-controlled House, which next convenes Tuesday. Supporters have been waiting weeks for action on […]
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Garrett Mason has plan to block southern Maine casino
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers in Maine are considering an unprecedented legislative move to block a casino vote. The Press Herald reports that Republican Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason and Democratic Rep. Louis Luchini are working to block the citizen initiative. Mason and Luchini say the language in the ballot question misleads voters. The pair says casino […]
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Push for new Equal Rights Amendment vote in Maine sputters
AUGUSTA — Gender equality is up for debate again in the Legislature and again, it could face a rocky road. On Thursday, the House passed a resolution that could lead to a change in the Maine Constitution guaranteeing equal rights between the genders but only by a slim 78-65 margin. The vote was purely partisan, […]
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You can now have a pet hedgehog in Maine; no permit needed
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife agrees with some Mechanic Falls students that hedgehogs would make fine pets. The agency added them to a list of allowable pets. State Sen. Eric Brakey, R-Auburn, submitted a bill on behalf of Mechanic Falls sixth-graders who asked a legislative committee in February if the state could ease […]
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Bipartisan support for victim’s bill of rights in Maine constitution
AUGUSTA (AP) — Republicans and Democrats are supporting a measure to create a constitutional victims’ bill of rights. Republican Senate President Michael Thibodeau’s resolution would allow voters to amend Maine’s constitution to enshrine specific rights for crime victims. Those would include the right to prompt and full restitution and the right to be informed when […]