AUGUSTA — In response to requests from the mayors of Lewiston and Auburn, legislators adopted a measure Tuesday that will make it tougher for Maine municipalities to merge. “Hopefully, with this new step, other communities can avoid unnecessary heartache and expense on merger proposals that lack community support,” Sen. Eric Brakey, R-Auburn, said Tuesday. The […]
Brakey
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
Brakey continues at helm of key committee
State Sen. Eric Brakey, an Auburn Republican, got the job he was hoping for in the new legislative session. Brakey will continue as the Senate chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, a perch that allows him to delve into the details of welfare and other issues in which he has a keen interest. […]
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Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Brakey announces re-election bid for state Senate
AUBURN — In his monthly radio appearance on Lewiston-Auburn station Z105.5, Sen. Eric Brakey, R-Auburn, announced the launch of his 2016 re-election campaign. “My priority in the Senate is always to help my constituents back home while advocating for limited government, fiscal responsibility and personal freedom from Augusta,” Brakey said in a prepared statement. “I […]
Posted inMaine
Legislature approves bill to create presidential primaries in Maine
AUGUSTA — The Legislature has sent Gov. Paul LePage a bill that would move Maine back to a statewide presidential primary in 2020. It’s a move LePage has said he supports, but at least a handful of state lawmakers are questioning whether all taxpayers should have to foot the $1 million to $2 million bill […]
Posted inAdvertiser Democrat, Maine
Maine lawmakers continue practice of meeting behind closed doors
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers on the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee thumbed their noses at Maine’s open-meeting law Thursday, taking their deliberations behind locked doors after being challenged by the Sun Journal on the matter. The committee was meeting to debate proposed Department of Health and Human Services rule changes that could result in the […]
Posted inAdvertiser Democrat, Maine
Families worried DHHS cuts could leave thousands of Maine autistic children in lurch
AUGUSTA — A legislative committee voted Thursday to move forward with a bill that would seek a moratorium on rule changes that could cut millions of dollars to agencies that provide services to children with autism and their families. The Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee voted 6-5 along party lines to block a Maine […]
Posted inMaine
Lawmakers get first look at moving Maine back to presidential primaries
AUGUSTA – Lawmakers on the Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee got their first look at a bill that would move Maine back to a statewide presidential primary vote. The bill, LD 1673, sponsored by Sen. Justin Alfond, D-Portland, has received broad bipartisan support in its tentative form, including from Republican Gov. Paul LePage. The […]
Posted inMaine
Eric Brakey stands alone against bill for big business fund
AUGUSTA — Sen. Eric Brakey, R-Auburn, stood alone Thursday against a bill that could set up a new fund with the Finance Authority of Maine to make large loans to businesses hoping to bring good-paying jobs to the state. The bill, LD 1480, sponsored by Sen. Stan Gerzofsky, D-Brunswick, creates the Maine Capital Investment Program within […]
Posted inMaine
Maine Senate cans bill allowing brewers to sell beer ‘to-go’
AUGUSTA — A bill that would have allowed Maine craft brewers to more easily sell their products to go was squashed like an aluminum beer can under foot by the state Senate on Tuesday. At issue is whether businesses that make beer should be allowed to sell it more easily from a brewing facility without […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Kimberly Sampson announces bid for state Senate District 20 seat
AUBURN — Kimberly Sampson, a dental hygienist and recent law school graduate, announced her campaign for Maine Senate District 20 on Friday. Sampson, an Auburn resident and Democrat, will run against Sen. Eric Brakey, R-Auburn, who is in his first term. The district also includes Minot, Mechanic Falls and Poland. “My great-grandfather, Amedee Gobeil, emigrated from Canada. […]