Randy Billings is a government watchdog and political reporter who has been covering Portland City Hall for the Press Herald since 2012. His beat touches on a wide range of topics, including immigration, homelessness, education, tourism, real estate development and the economy in Maine’s largest city. He has been a Portland-based journalist since 2005. A life-long Mainer who loves the outdoors, Randy is also a bassist who brews his own beer at his North Yarmouth home, where he lives with his wife and two children.
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PublishedJune 28, 2023
Budget deal would replace popular senior property tax program
The property tax stabilization program would end and 2 existing programs would be expanded to provide more targeted relief to lower-income seniors under a proposal passed by a legislative committee.
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PublishedJune 28, 2023
Mills says she’ll sign budget deal that includes money for paid family leave, child care
The governor’s support ensures that Maine will become the 13th state to implement mandatory paid leave to workers who need time off to care for family members or themselves.
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PublishedJune 27, 2023
Senate blocks background checks for private gun sales
The 21-13 vote effectively kills the bill, which passed the House by 1 vote on Monday.
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PublishedJune 26, 2023
Bill to extend MaineCare coverage to noncitizens wins support in Maine House
House members voted 78-61 in favor of the bill, with Democrats in support and Republicans opposed.
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PublishedJune 26, 2023
Maine House narrowly passes bill to require background checks for private gun sales
The House voted 69-68 for the bill, which is similar to a proposal defeated in a statewide referendum in 2016.
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PublishedJune 22, 2023
Maine House joins Senate to advance paid family leave bill
The bill faces additional votes in the Legislature and must overcome the hurdle of securing $25 million in start-up funding before being sent to Gov. Janet Mills.
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PublishedJune 21, 2023
State lawmakers overwhelmingly support tribal bill opposed by Gov. Mills
The 100-47 House vote and 26-8 Senate vote show strong support among state lawmakers, including among some Republicans, who will be needed to overcome a possible veto from the governor.
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PublishedJune 20, 2023
Lawmakers begin voting on nearly a dozen abortion bills
The bills tackled Tuesday evening didn’t include Gov. Janet Mills’ proposed expansion, which would allow abortions after fetal viability if deemed necessary from a medical professional.
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PublishedJune 19, 2023
Bills passed by Maine lawmakers are piling up on ‘the table’ – and many will die there
Many bills passed by the Legislature but not included in the governor’s budget are sent to what’s known as the ‘special appropriations table,’ where they compete for limited funding and often die a quiet death.
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PublishedJune 15, 2023
Lawmakers reach deal on highway budget to avoid partial shutdown
Unanimous votes in the Senate and House would create a new revenue stream for highway projects to make it less reliant on fuel taxes and borrowing, a move that decreases the potential for a partial shutdown of state government.
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