AUGUSTA — The Maine House of Representatives on Wednesday gave preliminary approval to a bill that would loosen restrictions in the state’s child labor law. The legislation allows 16- and 17-year-olds to work longer hours and more often when school is in session. It increases the maximum number of hours worked in a week from […]

AUGUSTA — The head of the state’s insurance regulatory agency announced her resignation Monday just hours before Republican lawmakers passed wholesale changes to Maine’s health insurance laws. Superintendent Mila Kofman, who headed the Maine Bureau of Insurance since March 2008, will leave her position as of June 1. Kofman’s resignation comes amid a bitter partisan […]

AUGUSTA — The Maine House of Representatives gave preliminary approval Tuesday to a bill that would allow municipalities to publish public notices in places other than newspapers. The House voted 91-58 to approve LD 392, legislation that authorized towns to publish legal advertisements, such as meeting notices, in weekly newspapers. State law currently requires towns […]

AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage told a national news organization in February that Republican lawmakers were bracing for a Wisconsin-style fight with unions. But following the passage of a divisive health insurance bill, it appears LePage and Republican leaders are prepared to abandon that battle to focus on the passage of a $6.1 billion biennial […]

AUGUSTA — After several weeks of bitter partisan rancor and maneuvering, the Maine Senate Monday passed a bill containing sweeping changes to the state’s health insurance laws. The 24-10 vote broke mostly on party lines with three Democrats voting to support the GOP bill. The legislation essentially repeals and rewrites most of Maine’s insurance laws […]

AUGUSTA — A bill that increases constraints on doctors and other health care providers while requiring pharmacies to check  photo IDs when dispensing opioid-based painkillers got an initial hearing before the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee on Monday. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jon Hinck, D-Portland, is modeled after a Washington State law that’s […]

Here is a list of highlights sponsored by tri-county delegation lawmakers in bills 851-950. * Rep. Margaret Rotundo, D-Lewiston, has a bill that would consolidate the state’s three college boards into one higher education panel. LD 982 replaces the boards at University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System and the Maine Maritime Academy.  […]

AUGUSTA — A legislative committee Friday shot down a child labor bill that would have allowed employers to pay workers under age 20 a “training wage.” The panel’s vote against LD 1346 was unanimous and came without discussion. The controversial proposal had drawn the ire of labor advocates, who said the bill devalued young workers […]