House Speaker Sara Gideon, D-Freeport, this week unveiled her wide-ranging Leveraging Investments in Families Today bill, which aims to expand and enhance social service programs with federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant money that she says has gone unspent. Republican Gov. Paul LePage said Tuesday that Gideon and the Democrats are wrong about the availability of the […]
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State Senate votes down Nate Libby’s lead paint bill
AUGUSTA — A Maine bill reinforcing federal requirements for training and certification to do renovation work on buildings containing lead is dead, leaving unresolved questions about the safety of renovating homes in Maine that contain lead paint or plumbing. The Maine House and Senate failed to come to agreement on the measure, with the Democrat-led House voting in favor of the […]
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Paul LePage: It’s unfair Narcan is free but allergy pens aren’t
AUGUSTA — Maine’s Republican governor says people on opiates who get free shots of Narcan have an advantage over people with allergies who have to pay for their own medication. Gov. Paul LePage said during a Tuesday radio call-in that he got a letter from a dad whose family members have to carry allergy pens […]
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Paul LePage disputes that Maine has $150 million to spend on welfare
Gov. Paul LePage continued a familiar refrain on Tuesday when he said Democrats in the Legislature are on a mission to keep people in poverty and dependent on social service programs. LePage said during a wide-ranging interview on WVOM that Democratic House Speaker Sara Gideon’s bill to spend $150 million in federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program funding on a […]
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Sara Gideon introduces bill to expand welfare in Maine
AUGUSTA — House Speaker Sara Gideon, D-Freeport, will introduce a new bill Monday that would expand and enhance Maine’s social services safety net, largely funded with what Gideon said is $150 million in federal funds that Gov. Paul LePage’s administration isn’t spending. Among the elements of Gideon’s wide-ranging bill are requirements for the state to use federal […]
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Gov. Paul LePage D.C. trips raise speculation about political ambition
AUGUSTA — Maine’s Republican governor’s recent spate of trips to Washington has grabbed national headlines and caused speculation about the term-limited governor’s next steps. Paul LePage has been in D.C. at least a week and a half this year, according to his social media account, media appearances and itineraries of his scheduled meetings. That’s compared […]
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Bond spat between Paul LePage, Terry Hayes threatens construction projects
AUGUSTA — Approximately $600 million earmarked for Maine infrastructure projects is held up in an arcane dispute between Gov. Paul LePage and State Treasurer Terry Hayes over a contract with lawyers hired to work on a bond sale set for June. The latest spat involving the Republican governor and state bonding has been simmering since […]
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Maine bill aims to prohibit female genital mutilation on minors
AUGUSTA (AP) — A Republican’s bill would make performing female genital mutilation on a minor a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Under federal law, a five-year prison sentence is possible. Republican Rep. Heather Sirocki’s bill also would make it a crime for a parent or guardian to consent to or permit […]
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LePage: Lawmakers who pushed for time zone change need therapy
Maine Gov. Paul LePage, testifies during a House Natural Resources subcommittee oversight hearing on the Antiquities Act on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, May 2, 2017. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) A proposal that would put Maine and perhaps much of New England into a new time zone is crazy, Gov. Paul LePage said in a […]
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LePage administration paid over $385,000 on private lawyers
AUGUSTA — Records reviewed by The Associated Press show Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s administration has paid more than $385,000 to a couple of private law firms since 2014. LePage is suing Democratic Attorney General Janet Mills, saying her refusal to legally represent him has cost the state hundreds of thousands of dollars. His office hasn’t […]