LEWISTON — The city’s legislative delegation plans to hold office hours on Jan. 21 to discuss issues related to state government. The 90-minute session will provide residents with a chance to ask questions and to hear updates on issues ranging from business to the budget. The office hours are slated to take place from 11 […]
Maine Legislature
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Gov. Paul LePage’s budget would cut income tax rate and state jobs
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage’s $6.8 billion, two-year state budget proposal, released Friday night, would reduce Maine’s state employee workforce by approximately 500 and shift Maine to a flat income tax by 2020. The budget proposal for the 2018 and 2019 fiscal years was released on Friday with little fanfare. The LePage administration posted it […]
advertisement
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Gov. Paul LePage set to unveil 2-year budget to Maine legislators
AUGUSTA (AP) — Republican Gov. Paul LePage is set to unveil a budget that he says will reduce spending and cut taxes for the state’s highest earners. LePage has expressed deep concern about Maine voters’ approval of a new 3 percent surtax on the state’s highest earners to fund schools. In recent radio interviews, he […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Stephen Wood, GOP rep from Greene, may leave Republican party
AUGUSTA (AP) — The Republican minority in the Maine House of Representatives is getting smaller because a lawmaker says he is leaving the party. Rep. Kevin Battle of South Portland says he is going to become an independent. He was recently elected to his second term. The Portland Press Herald (http://bit.ly/2hVRlAt ) reported that Rep. […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Local & State
Gov. Paul LePage may seek referendum to abolish income tax
Gov. Paul LePage is still eyeing ways to accomplish his long-stated goal of eliminating Maine’s income tax. Rather than try to sway a wary Legislature, the governor is looking at a referendum question that would let voters decide whether to do away with “this unruly income tax.” LePage told Portland radio station WGAN Thursday that […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Medicinal marijuana dispensaries vie to sell retail pot
AUGUSTA — Maine’s largest medical marijuana dispensary group is behind legislation that would allow dispensaries to sell into the state’s impending recreational market as rules for a wider distribution system are crafted. The move could give Maine’s eight dispensaries a leg up in the new market, but it’s already being dubbed a “money grab” by […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Local & State
Maine lawmakers get down to business, slowly
AUGUSTA — The opening session of the Legislature on Wednesday was more like a giant family reunion than any sort of serious governing. “Here we are again,” said state Sen. Eric Brakey, R-Auburn. Lawmakers chatted with old friends in the hallways, swapped stories with one another and, for the truly ambitious, searched out possible co-sponsors […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Maine legislators arrive in Augusta, face key issues
AUGUSTA — Legislators have arrived in Augusta for a new session where they’ll tackle issues from the state’s opioid crisis to the rollout of marijuana legalization. Legislators on Wednesday begin the task of delving through reams of proposed bills, as well as debating the fate of a privately-run psychiatric facility proposed by Republican Gov. Paul […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Gov. Paul LePage promises to play nice with Legislature
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage is promising to play nice as legislators head to Augusta for a new session. LePage told WVOM-FM this week that he won’t be picking fights with legislators this year. The governor said that he’s not going to call legislators names and that he’s not going to pick on any individual. […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Local & State
Maine lawmakers prepare to tackle wide range of issues
Live updates: Maine legislators arrive in Augusta, face key issues AUGUSTA — Lawmakers gathering Wednesday for the first session of the 128th Legislature will face tough decisions on everything from the budget to the regulation of marijuana sales. But they’ll also weigh in on less-weighty matters. Near the top of the Senate’s agenda, for example, is […]