The list of bills clearing the Revisor’s Office continues to grow, closing in on the 900 mark last week. Here is a list of highlights sponsored by tri-county lawmakers in bills 200 through 300: * Rep. Gary Knight, R-Livermore Falls, wants to change Maine’s voter registration law to eliminate same-day voter registration. Knight’s bill is […]

AUGUSTA — Maine on Friday moved one step closer to passing a law requiring voters to present photo identification at the polls. A legislative panel voted 6-6 along party lines to recommend LD 199 to the Legislature. Rep. Micheal Willette, R-Presque Isle, was absent, but he has until Tuesday to vote. Willette is expected to […]

AUGUSTA — In 1976, Maine became one of the first states to adopt a bottle bill. The pioneering legislation was designed to clean up roadsides of discarded cans and bottles and to promote recycling, which at the time, was scrambling for a foothold in American culture.  Thirty-five years later, Maine is one of 10 states […]

AUGUSTA — Proponents of a bill that would exempt municipalities from waste-licensing requirements for snow dumps say they don’t want to put snow removed from public roadways into rivers, lakes and bays. However, opponents worry that would be the outcome if the legislation passes. Members of the Legislature’s Environmental Committee heard those arguments Wednesday, one […]

AUGUSTA — The Legislature’s Education Committee voted 9-5 Wednesday to approve Steve Bowen as the state’s new education chief. The vote was the most partisan for Gov. Paul LePage’s Cabinet picks. Four of the five Democrats on the panel voted against Bowen amid concerns about his lack of experience and his work for the Maine […]

AUGUSTA — Environmental advocates are taking aim at the Legislature’s “widespread assault” on laws protecting Maine’s water, air and public health. The Natural Resources Council of Maine on Tuesday unveiled a list of 50 bills that Pete Didisheim, the group’s executive director, described as a “sweeping anti-environment agenda.” All but one of the bills are […]

AUGUSTA — The sponsor of a bill that would have prevented smokers from receiving MaineCare benefits amended the legislation Tuesday to focus on smoking cessation programs. The change by Sen. Thomas Saviello, R-Franklin, disarmed more than a half-dozen opponents who planned to testify against the legislation because they believed it was illegal and discriminatory. The […]

AUGUSTA — In 2007, Phil Boyer, the former president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, wrote a sharply-worded letter to Gov. John Baldacci criticizing the state’s “aggressive and unreasonable enforcement” of a law taxing owners of out-of-state aircraft. Boyer described the law as punitive and urged Baldacci to change it. That never happened, prompting […]

AUGUSTA — Stefanie Veneziano is a senior at the University of Maine who waits tables part time at the 99 Restaurant in Bangor. She says the tips she earns help her pay for college and living expenses. So Veneziano had a lot of questions for Sen. Brian Langley, R-Hancock, when she noticed he was sponsoring […]