AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine lawmakers are set to consider bills to protect babies exposed to drugs and support peer recovery. More than one person a day died from drug overdoses in Maine last year, and lawmakers this year have taken steps to increase access to medication-assisted treatment. About a dozen bills are set for public […]
Maine Legislature
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Casino campaign reveals offshore financing in documents
AUGUSTA — In an apparent violation of Maine law, a web of domestic and offshore companies linked to a controversial developer has funded a $4.2 million bid fronted by his sister since 2015 to get Maine voters to approve a York County casino. That revelation was buried in several documents filed with the Maine Ethics […]
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GOP leaders refuse to back any budget with income tax surcharge
AUGUSTA — Months ago, Gov. Paul LePage called on Republicans to “fix bayonets” as he prepared for battle against legislative Democrats over his proposed two-year $6.8 billion budget proposal. On Thursday, they did just that. The GOP leaders in the Senate and House issued a joint statement declaring that no spending plan that included the […]
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Jared Golden seeks to make voter registration ‘automatic’
AUGUSTA — Hoping to boost voter registration, a Lewiston Democrat wants to add anyone doing business with the Department of Motor Vehicles to the voter rolls automatically. Rep. Jared Golden, the Democratic whip, told colleagues that Maine has one of the highest voter participation rates in the country but could get more people to the […]
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Legislature weighs raising legal age for tobacco purchases
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers are eyeing a proposal to hike the minimum age to buy cigarettes from 18 to 21. Its sponsor, Sen. Paul Davis, R-Sangerville, said the move would help prevent “the current generation of kids in middle and high school” from getting trapped by a deadly addiction and perhaps pave the way for “the […]
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Androscoggin County may get new court for veterans
AUGUSTA — Maine may get a second Veterans Treatment Court, this time in Androscoggin County. Modeled on one established in Kennebec County six years ago, the proposed court would connect veterans in trouble with the law “with the treatment they need, the services they have earned and the support they deserve,” said Rep. Bettyann Sheats, […]
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Maine lawmakers consider ballot initiatives, clean elections
AUGUSTA (AP) — Lawmakers are considering bills to change the way that citizen initiatives get on the ballot. Republicans like Gov. Paul LePage argue Maine’s constitution and state law allow millions of out-of-state dollars to fund costly campaigns that mislead voters. More than a dozen bills that would make it harder for citizen initiatives to […]
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Jared Golden skeptical of VA mental health improvements
AUGUSTA — Shortly after a legislative hearing focused on the failings of mental health care for Maine veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ inspector general issued a report hailing improvements by the VA’s Maine Healthcare System. All four members of the state’s congressional delegation said in a joint statement they were “pleased to see improvement” […]
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Legislature holds bill that would make insurers pay for naturopathic treatments
AUGUSTA — A Maine bill designed to prevent insurers from discriminating against naturopathic health care providers will likely have to wait several months to determine its potential impact on the insurance industry. The bill was submitted on behalf of the Maine Association of Naturopathic Doctors and opposed by state superintendent of insurance Eric Cioppa. The […]
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Ranked choice voting coming to Maine unless Legislature says no
AUGUSTA — Whatever the state Supreme Court advises about whether ranked choice voting violates Maine’s Constitution, the new voting method would apparently still apply to primaries and congressional elections. “The majority of the elections should be governed by this in 2018,” said Kate Knox of Bernstein Shur, representing the Committee for Ranked Choice Voting that […]