AUGUSTA — A March statewide presidential primary vote could be in the works for Maine in 2020, if the next Legislature elected in November can figure out a way to pay for it. Lawmakers on the Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee voted 12-0 Monday to approve a bill that would send voters to the polls […]
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Posted inObituaries, sj-web
Arlan R. Littlefield
1939 – 2016 COOPERS MILLS — Arlan R. Littlefield, 76, of South Paris died Wednesday, March 30, in Coopers Mills. He was born on May 11, 1939, in Augusta. He was a carpenter by trade and enjoyed fishing and building. He is survived by his daughters, Julie, Tammy, Debra and Donna; and his sons, Jody, […]
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Posted inMaine
Logjam on funding for veterans bills breaks in Maine House
AUGUSTA — A quiver of bills meant to better assist Maine veterans as well as cover University of Maine and community college tuition costs for members of the state’s National Guard gained unanimous approval Friday in state House of Representatives. The legislation, much of it a result or recommendations from a special commission that examined […]
Posted inMaine
Committee splits on pay increase for Maine governors
AUGUSTA — Proposals by Republican Gov. Paul LePage to hike the salary of the next governor to $150,000 a year, increase pay for lawmakers and reduce members of the Legislature appeared poised for defeat Thursday. Lawmakers on the Legislature’s State and Local Government Committee split along party lines in a 5-5 vote after unanimously voting […]
Posted inMaine
Widow and mother seeks to settle suit over fatal Route 202 crash
AUGUSTA — Susan Cloutier isn’t looking for sympathy or pity, but she does want to be fairly compensated for the death of her husband and son. Cloutier, of Winthrop, who lost her husband, Ghislain “Gus” Cloutier, and her older son, Casey, in a Route 202 car crash in December 2014, stood before the Legislature’s Veterans […]
Posted inLivermore Falls Advertiser, Maine
Bills to expand veterans’ bureau, provide tuition hit wall in House
AUGUSTA — Legislation to increase funding for the Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services and provide free tuition to members of the Maine National Guard has hit a political brick wall at the State House. The bill was tabled Wednesday after more than 90 minutes of debate in the House as lawmakers sharply disagreed over how […]
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, sj-web
Legislative committee splits on welfare reforms
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers split along party lines repeatedly Thursday as they debated and voted on a series of bills aimed at reforming the state’s welfare system. Democrats on the Health and Human Services Committee expressed outrage over proposals by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services that would spend some of more than $110 million […]
Posted inMaine
Maine Senate votes to kill estate tax
AUGUSTA — A bill that would eliminate the state’s tax on inheritances worth more than $5 million gained approval in the Republican-controlled Maine Senate on Wednesday on an 18-13 party-line vote. But the GOP victory against what they call the “death tax” is likely to be short-lived, as the Democratic-controlled House voted Tuesday to reject […]
Posted inMaine
To exempt nonprofits from meals tax, state needs to find funds
AUGUSTA — A legislative committee held a work session Tuesday to address the almost $2 million fiscal note attached to a bill to exempt nonprofits from collecting sales tax on fundraising meals. The size of the fiscal note could become an issue when the bill reaches the Appropriations table for funding. LD 1613, “An Act […]