AUGUSTA — It’s been more than five years since Maine created tax credits for college graduates who remain in the state to work, but only a fraction of graduates take advantage of the program because of the state’s failure to effectively market it, lawmakers and advocates say. Lawmakers heralded the Educational Opportunity Tax Credit as […]
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Maine lawmakers prep for short session to start Wednesday
AUGUSTA —Bills addressing issues ranging from slot machines to renewable energy to revamping a state-sponsored health care rides program await lawmakers Wednesday at the State House. The first week of the “short session,” which is set to end in April, starts this week. But topping the list is what appears to be a more than […]
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Maine college grads missing out on overlooked student loan tax credit program
AUGUSTA — It’s been more than five years since Maine created tax credits for college graduates who remain in the state to work, but only a fraction of graduates take advantage of the program because of the state’s failure to effectively market it, lawmakers and advocates say. Lawmakers heralded the Educational Opportunity Tax Credit as […]
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Education advocates pan Maine’s decision not to seek $37 million in federal grants
AUGUSTA — Early childhood education advocates are calling a decision by the state to not apply for up to $37 million in federal “Race to the Top” grant funding a missed opportunity for Maine families. The Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services said the decision was because of onerous federal requirements […]
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Alfond says LePage interference with Statoil deal hurts state’s image
LEWISTON — Maine Senate President Justin Alfond, D-Portland, on Monday denounced Gov. Paul LePage’s efforts to derail a deal between the state of Maine and the Norwegian energy giant Statoil. New details of the lengths that LePage’s administration went to unhinge a full-scale offshore wind energy pilot project off the coast emerged Monday in a […]
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LePage says he won’t issue supplemental budget in 2014
Maine Gov. Paul LePage speaks during a recent event at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. LePage has said repeatedly he will not present state lawmakers with a supplemental budget in 2014. AUGUSTA — If Maine lawmakers are expecting to work on a supplemental state budget in 2014 they are going to have to go […]
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Maine politicians renew support for better background checks in wake of D.C. shootings
AUGUSTA — State and federal lawmakers from Maine on Wednesday renewed their support for law changes that would improve gun-sale background checks in the U.S. after a mass shooting in Washington D.C., on Monday. The incident, which claimed the lives of 13 people, including the shooter, at the Navy Yard, remains under investigation. But emerging […]
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LePage calls for special session on bonding bill, Riverview issues
Bond Specifics: What the $149.5 million will pay for AUGUSTA — On his way to a manufacturing conference in Florida, Maine’s Republican Gov. Paul LePage issued a proclamation Wednesday calling the Legislature back to work Aug. 29. In a release, LePage said lawmakers are expected to pass a $149.5 million state borrowing package that has been […]
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LePage blasts Senate president for school remarks
PORTLAND— Maine’s outspoken governor, who was homeless as a child, and a legislative leader born into a wealthy family exchanged attacks over charter schools Wednesday, reigniting a fiery political debate in the state over school choice. The Maine Heritage Policy Center, a conservative think tank, hosted an event at Portland’s Baxter Academy to celebrate the […]