AUGUSTA — The state House of Representatives on Monday gave first approval to a bill allowing state employees to leave guns locked in their cars as long as they have a concealed weapons permit. House members voted 84-55 to green-light the bill, LD 1603, with a handful of Democrats voting with the Republican majority. The […]

AUGUSTA — Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew acknowledged Friday that she should have told lawmakers sooner about a computer problem that allowed 19,000 ineligible Mainers to receive Medicaid benefits. Mayhew told the Legislature’s budget-writing committee that program directors and a departmental steering committee had been made aware of the computer malfunction last year. […]

AUGUSTA — Republicans on the Legislature’s Labor Committee approved a controversial bill that would increase the penalties for unemployment compensation fraud and the qualifications to receive out-of-work benefits. The bill, LD 1725, had been presented by the Department of Labor, which argued that an increase in unemployment claims has been accompanied by an increased possibility of fraud. […]

AUGUSTA — State officials said it will take at least a month to determine the fiscal impact of a computer glitch that allowed 19,000 ineligible Mainers to receive Medicaid benefits that may be reclaimed by the federal government. In the interim, partisan interests are angling to assign blame to a problem that may have played […]

AUGUSTA — After several hours of debate and defeated amendments, lawmakers in the state Senate on Thursday approved a change to the Maine Clean Election Act that opponents say threatens the future of the program.   On the largely party-line vote dominated by the Republican majority, senators voted 18-15 to approve the so-called “do-nothing” option […]

AUGUSTA — It was nearly a month ago that Gov. Paul LePage unveiled a controversial package of education proposals that include teacher evaluation, school choice and diverting public funding for religious schools.  The debate over those initiatives was expected to be contentious. It still is. However, with just a few days left before legislative committees are […]

AUGUSTA — Lawmakers will soon vote on measures that could determine the viability of Maine’s Clean Election Act.  The Maine Senate last week gave initial approval to a so-called “do nothing” bill that conformed Maine’s public campaign finance program with a U.S. Supreme Court decision. The decision outlawed publicly-funded candidates from receiving additional taxpayer money […]

AUGUSTA — The Maine House of Representatives on Thursday unanimously passed an order asking the Maine Supreme Judicial Court whether Bruce Poliquin can continue to serve as state treasurer. The bipartisan move follows an opinion by Attorney General William Schneider advising Poliquin to insulate himself from his business dealings. The House order that passed Thursday asks […]

AUGUSTA — Republicans in the Maine House of Representatives will join Democrats in asking the Maine Supreme Judicial Court whether Bruce Poliquin can continue to serve as state treasurer, given that his business dealings appear to violate the state Constitution.  Rep. Philip Curtis, R-Madison, has introduced a House order, known as a “solemn occasion,” which […]