AUGUSTA, Maine — If Maine is going to “free the weed,” the Legislature wants no part of the process. Lawmakers in the House and Senate overwhelmingly affirmed on Monday that they would not pass a law to legalize, tax and regulate recreational use of marijuana. The… Read More
AUGUSTA, Maine — The Legislature on Thursday took a first step toward quashing local efforts to raise the minimum wage in cities such as Bangor and Portland. In a 20-15 party line vote, Senate Republicans approved a bill proposed by Gov. Paul LePage that… Read More
AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine House of Representatives on Thursday night easily overturned $60 million worth of line-item budget vetoes from Gov. Paul LePage, who had pledged to gum up the works in the Legislature as lawmakers attempt to finish their work for the year. LePage… Read More
AUGUSTA, Maine — Lawmakers on Wednesday defeated by the narrowest margin an effort to require pregnant teens to obtain parental consent before having an abortion. The bill went down in a 17-18 vote in the Senate, with Republicans Sens. Roger Katz of Augusta, Brian Langley… Read More
AUGUSTA, Maine — A $6.7 billion budget that included both tax reform and welfare changes was approved early Wednesday morning by the Legislature. The deal, finalized around 12:30 a.m., culminated months of sometimes acrimonious negotiations over the contentious two-year spending plan, which began in January when… Read More
AUGUSTA, Maine — A bill that would allow Maine dairy farmers to sell raw milk from their farms without complying with state safety and licensing rules won initial approval in the Maine House of Representatives on Monday. If the bill, LD 312, is successful, it would… Read More
AUGUSTA, Maine — Lawmakers on Monday rejected an effort to expand the Maine Human Rights Act to people who choose not to be vaccinated. The act protects people from discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry or… Read More
AUGUSTA, Maine — A bill decried by pro-choice activists as a covert attempt to shutter Maine’s abortion clinics is dead after the Maine Senate voted 21-14 against passage LD 1312, “An Act to License Outpatient Surgical Abortion Facilities,” would have required that the Department… Read More
AUGUSTA, Maine — The House of Representatives on Friday defeated the latest bill designed to make Maine a “right-to-work” state. The bill, LD 489, was defeated in a 90-52 vote, with a handful of Republicans joining majority Democrats in rejecting the bill. Read More
AUGUSTA, Maine — With a budget deal as elusive as ever, references to a potential government shutdown are increasingly heard in conversations around the State House. Senate Democratic Leader Justin Alfond on Wednesday said that a shutdown was a real possibility after budget negotiations faltered, although… Read More
AUGUSTA, Maine — Less than 24 hours after a budget deal seemed nearly complete, the path toward a compromise in the divided Legislature was foggier than ever, once again raising the likelihood of a government shutdown. A two-year, $6.7 billion spending plan… Read More
AUGUSTA, Maine — Top legislators are working feverishly behind closed doors on a budget deal that would include broad income tax cuts and an expansion and increase in the sales tax. A document obtained by the Bangor Daily News on Tuesday outlined… Read More
AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage on Monday made good on a previous threat to veto all Democrat-sponsored bills if the Legislature rejected his constitutional amendment to kill the income tax. Mere hours after the House of Representatives voted 82-64 against the bill, LePage… Read More
WASHINGTON — Maine’s effort to cut more than 6,000 low-income young adults from the state’s Medicaid rolls suffered a death blow Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the state’s case. By declining to hear the case, the court left intact an… Read More
AUGUSTA, Maine — After months of negotiations, the Legislature’s budget committee has released two competing spending plans for consideration in the House and Senate, after the last vote was cast shortly before 12:30 a.m. Saturday. The tradition of unanimous budget reports from the Appropriations Committee shattered… Read More
AUGUSTA, Maine — After delaying a vote for a week, the Legislature’s Energy Committee has approved Tennessee economist and nuclear security expert Bruce Williamson for the state’s Public Utilities Commission. The committee gave Williamson, who was not present, the greenlight in an 11-2 vote on… Read More
AUGUSTA, Maine — A bill to allow Mainers to carry concealed handguns without a permit appears destined for Gov. Paul LePage’s desk after the House agreed Thursday to an amendment designed to win the governor’s support. The latest version of the bill, approved by bipartisan majorities… Read More
AUGUSTA, Maine — Despite predictions that a deal would be reached overnight, budget negotiators were sent home early and disappointed Wednesday evening as partisan legislative leaders continued closed-door negotiations in an effort to avert a government shutdown. While majority Republicans in the Senate and Democrats… Read More
In a press release today, Gov. Paul LePage insisted that he has continued to meet with Republican leaders to offer “compromises” toward lowering the income tax. Cutting the income tax is a pillar of LePage’s budget proposal, which the governor himself said last week was… Read More
AUGUSTA, Maine — Republicans and Democrats on the Legislature’s budget committee made incremental progress toward a deal over the weekend but as of late Sunday evening had yet to advance most of the mammoth budget bill provisions to votes. Lawmakers, lobbyists and reporters spent most of… Read More
