AUGUSTA — State Treasurer Bruce Poliquin did not adequately disclose his business income as required by Maine law, but he shouldn’t be fined for it. That’s the recommendation of the staff at the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices in response to a complaint filed by the Maine Democratic Party. Democrats in January […]
Maine Legislature
Posted inLetters
F. Lewis: Trim the government
Cut this, cut that — that is all we hear from Augusta. Why don’t we hear about government officials cutting their outrageous salaries and laying off other officials who sit in Augusta doing little or nothing? Why don’t we hear that funds for Medicare and other care programs will not be cut? Maine has too […]
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Posted inOp-Eds
Mark Eves: A prescription for real change
We can better manage our health care delivery without dismantling the safety net. An ideological battle has been brewing in Augusta. It is the kind of battle that goes straight to the heart of our state’s priorities and values. For the past three months, lawmakers have been working to resolve a shortfall in the state’s […]
Posted inLocal & State
Study: Maine government can improve safeguards against corruption
The preliminary results of the State Integrity Investigation can be reviewed at stateintegrity.org. AUGUSTA — Maine is receiving some low marks in a national analysis measuring state government and its vulnerability to corruption. The study, dubbed the State Integrity Investigation, is conducted by the Center for Public Integrity, a prominent investigative news operation. The final […]
Posted inLocal & State
Lewiston-Auburn rail supporters make case for $20 million bond
AUGUSTA — Lewiston-Auburn rail advocates hope they’ll benefit from the Legislature’s renewed appetite for state borrowing. The Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce and others testified Friday before the Legislature’s budget-writing committee, hoping the panel will approve a $20 million bond to improve the rail line between Auburn and Portland and potentially the line between Auburn […]
Posted inLocal & State
Maine lawmakers to face $14 million budget gap
AUGUSTA — Budget. Budget. Budget. So goes the abbreviated session of the 125th Legislature, which will tackle three spending plans this session. None will be easy. Lawmakers have already begun wrangling two budgets at the Department of Health and Human Services, but thanks to declining revenues and soaring oil prices, they can expect a third […]
Posted inLocal & State
Environmental groups see worrisome mission change in LePage’s Conservation-Agriculture merger
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage says his proposed merger of the Agriculture and Conservation departments is designed to make farming and forestry pistons in the state’s economic engine. However, conservation groups worry that the governor’s plan focuses too much on the extraction of natural resources and too little on protection. LePage on Wednesday unveiled LD […]
Posted inLocal & State
Groups criticize Maine AG for opposing contraception access
AUGUSTA — Female advocates and the ACLU of Maine are criticizing Attorney General William Schneider for entering the national debate over the proposed federal health care law requirement that religious organizations provide their employees with access to birth control. Schneider and 11 other attorneys general on Feb. 10 sent a letter to the Obama administration opposing what […]
Posted inLocal & State
Maine House approves bill removing unionizing rights for Turner egg farm workers
AUGUSTA — The Maine House of Representatives on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to a bill that would take away workers’ right to unionize at a Turner-based egg farm and its subsidiaries. On a straight party-line vote, Republicans voted 73-69 to eliminate workers’ collective bargaining rights at farm operations formerly owned by Jack DeCoster. DeCoster’s checkered […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Maine bill would exempt police from texting while driving ban
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine lawmakers are considering a bill that would exempt police, emergency medical personnel and firefighters from the state’s ban on texting while driving. The Legislature’s Transportation Committee is holding a public hearing Tuesday on the proposal. Maine’s ban on texting while driving went into effect in September. The bill under consideration […]