AUGUSTA — The Maine Senate opened its work Tuesday by upholding nine vetoes issued by Republican Gov. Paul LePage. Legislators returned to Augusta on Tuesday for what many called “veto day,” during which members of the two chambers will vote on a flurry of vetoes LePage issued — including 21 on Monday — since the […]
Maine Legislature
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
State budget fix fails in Maine House
AUGUSTA — A bill to make technical corrections to the controversial $6.3 billion biennial budget bill passed late last month failed by several votes in the House on Tuesday. Defeat of the bill could cause a $6 million budget gap over the biennium if the Senate follows suit. LD 1572 makes several corrections to the […]
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Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Maine House rejects bill allowing extra school funds to be spent without a vote.
AUGUSTA — A bill to allow Maine’s cities and towns to redo their schools’ budgets to spend unexpected state funds without voter approval has failed in the Maine House. The Democratic-controlled House voted 97-54 Tuesday. The bill required a two-thirds majority vote because it would take effect immediately. With the late passage of the $6.3 […]
Posted inLetters
R. Reed: The Legislature’s poor decision
Congratulations to members of the Maine Legislature for once again failing to support the taxpayers of Maine. In one single vote, they managed to do more damage to Maine’s lowest income earners and the elderly than anything in recent years. Two years ago, the budget passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature included tax cuts for all […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Bill would allow schools to spend extra funds without going to voters
AUGUSTA — Cities and towns across Maine will be watching Augusta this week, where lawmakers will consider legislation allowing them to redo their school districts’ budgets to spend unexpected state aid — without having to open the polls for voter approval. The measure is among the final bills the Democratic-controlled Legislature will take up when […]
Posted inLocal & State
Legislature back in session for budget fix, override votes
AUGUSTA — You may have thought the session was over for the summer, but the Legislature will reconvene on Tuesday to make a technical correction to a recently enacted $6.3 billion state budget. The fix is in the “errors and omissions” bill, LD 1572, which, depending on who you ask, is either a big deal […]
Posted inLocal & State
Climate-change bill dead this legislative session
AUGUSTA — A bill that would have revived Maine’s plan for adapting to climate change was defeated Wednesday when a bid to override the governor’s veto fell short by a single vote in the House. “This was really an important bill,” said a disappointed Pete Didisheim, advocacy director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Bill targets synthetic cannabis
LEWISTON — In late March, a 13-year-old Augusta boy went before a state committee and related his experiences with synthetic cannabinoids. He had been having a rough day at school, the boy told the group. When a friend told him he had something that could help, he jumped at the chance. “He said, ‘I can […]
Posted inLocal & State
Maine lawmaker wants to allow guns in schools
In the wake of last month’s shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, a Washington County lawmaker is proposing that Maine teachers and others be allowed to carry guns in school. State Sen. David Burns, R-Whiting, has submitted a bill that would allow qualified school district employees to carry concealed weapons on campus. Burns […]
Posted inLocal & State, Nation / World, sj-web
Newtown shootings prompt Maine legislature to review mental health, school safety policies
AUGUSTA — Legislative leaders from both major political parties will be conferring about whether to create a task force or take other action to examine gun violence, school safety and the treatment of mentally ill people following the deadly shooting rampage at a Connecticut elementary school, Maine’s House speaker said Tuesday. Democratic Speaker Mark Eves, […]