AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine’s Republican governor will not administer the oath of office to lawmakers at their ceremonial swearing-in ceremony. Gov. Paul LePage’s spokeswoman Julie Rabinowitz said Tuesday the governor is scheduled for back surgery Wednesday, when the new batch of lawmakers will be sworn-in. Chief Justice Leigh Saufley of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court […]
Lawmakers
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Paul LePage submits bills to revamp child-protection system
Maine Gov. Paul LePage has sent five bills to the Legislature that would dramatically overhaul a child protection system that has been under investigation for months following two high-profile deaths. The most wide-ranging bill has not yet been printed, but an overview provided by the Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday revealed that it seeks […]
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Lawmakers struggle to find money ffor numerous unfunded bills
AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine lawmakers are starting to deal with the unfunded bills, vetoes, bonds and marijuana legalization work that’s left to do. The Legislature’s appropriations committee met Wednesday to decide the fate of a pile of bills needing funding to survive. Topics ranged from housing insecurity among older citizens to firearms training for forest […]
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AMA urges Maine lawmakers to overturn Narcan veto
AUGUSTA — In a letter Wednesday, the top doctor for the American Medical Association urged Maine lawmakers to overturn the governor’s veto of a bill that would have provided broader access to the opioid overdose drug naloxone — known commonly by its brand name, Narcan. “Maine, like nearly every state in the nation, is seeing […]
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Key to jail funding eludes lawmakers
AUGUSTA — A final fix to problems with the way the state helps fund county jails could be put off for another year, according to lawmakers who said Tuesday neither of a pair of bills that could settle the matter will gain the support of Republican Gov. Paul LePage. “Our bills, no matter which one passes, […]
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Lawmakers dial-in to Internet needs for fast Internet speed
PORTLAND — At Maine’s State House and in pioneering communities around the state, 2015 could be the year of broadband. President Barack Obama has thrown support behind expanding broadband and regulators are considering treating it as a utility like electricity. Lawmakers in Maine submitted 35 bills that the state’s broadband development agency identified as dealing […]
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Lawmakers plow through bills on busy last day of session
AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine lawmakers preserved more than a dozen bills on Thursday as they plowed through a slew of measures vetoed by Gov. Paul LePage, but several others died after they failed to muster enough support to overturn the governor’s rejection. One of the biggest victories for the Democratic-controlled Legislature was overriding the Republican […]
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Maine budget committee eases forward with fix ideas for 2014 and 2015
AUGUSTA — State lawmakers on the budget-writing Appropriations Committee are gaining steady ground as they work to create a supplemental budget that will balance spending and revenues for 2014 and 2015. The Maine Constitution requires a balanced budget, and without a supplemental budget offering from Republican Gov. Paul LePage, the committee has been left largely […]
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Ex-U.S. Senator Mitchell to address Maine lawmakers
AUGUSTA (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell will address Maine lawmakers this week. The former Democratic senator will give a speech to the joint Legislature on Tuesday on his work with The Mitchell Institute, which provides scholarships for high school students to attend postsecondary degree programs. After his speech, there will be an unveiling […]
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Bipartisan budget agreement clears Congress
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress sent President Barack Obama legislation Wednesday scaling back across-the-board cuts on programs ranging from the Pentagon to the national park system, adding a late dusting of bipartisanship to a year more likely to be remembered for a partial government shutdown and near-perpetual gridlock. Obama’s signature was assured on the measure, which […]