AUGUSTA — Like the material itself, a plan for what the Legislature eventually will do with the more than 7,000 square feet of copper being replaced on the State House dome is still up in the air. Lawmakers on the Legislative Council on Tuesday set in motion a plan to get more details on what […]
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Was LePage right on Medicaid expansion? Republicans, officials divided
AUGUSTA — Officials in the state of Arkansas are saying “not so fast” to claims being made by leaders in Maine’s Republican Party that an expansion of Arkansas’s Medicaid program has led that state to fiscal crisis and Maine was wise not to expand its low-income health care program. Amy Webb, communications director for the […]
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Review panel considers dispute over Maine liquor marketing contract
AUGUSTA — The question of whether a contract to market Maine’s wholesale liquor business was awarded fairly and within the bounds of a new state law that was passed in part to recapture alcohol sales lost to New Hampshire is now in the hands of a three-person administrative review panel. The contract, one of two […]
Posted inMaine
Remaining four parts of nearly $1 million welfare study all past due
AUGUSTA — The final portion of a controversial five-part study of the state’s welfare system that’s costing Maine taxpayers $925,200 is due Thursday, but, according to state officials, only the first part of the study — due Dec. 1, 2013 — has been turned in. Maine has paid the Rhode Island-based Alexander Group $501,760, more […]
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GOP lawmakers cry foul after Dems refuse to reconvene Legislature to address nursing home funding
AUGUSTA — The top Republican lawmakers in both the House and Senate are criticizing Senate President Justin Alfond and House Speaker Mark Eves for refusing to call the Legislature back into session to discuss a highly politicized attempt by the governor to funnel more money into the state’s nursing homes. A day before the Legislature […]
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Future unclear after lawmakers nix mining rules
AUGUSTA — The Democratic-controlled Legislature’s rejection of new regulations for metallic mineral mining in Maine is drawing praise from environmental groups that say the proposed rules were flawed, but what’s next in the contentious debate over potential mining operations in the state remains unclear. A 2012 law signed by Republican Gov. Paul LePage laid the […]
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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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In last-minute twist, lawmakers vote to kill late bills by LePage
AUGUSTA — The Maine Legislature’s budget-writing Appropriations Committee voted unanimously late Thursday to kill a pair of bills offered by Republican Gov. Paul LePage in the final days of the 126th legislative session. The decision came after the committee received word from LePage — just as it was preparing to move the measures to the […]
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Legislators override business bond veto
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Lawmakers are back in Augusta to consider dozens of bills vetoed by Republican Gov. Paul LePage since they wrapped up their work for the session last month. The Democratic-led Legislature will take up 48 vetoed bills on Thursday. Bills require two-thirds support of present-and-voting lawmakers to override LePage’s veto. LePage has […]
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Legislature overrides LePage veto of jail bill
Veto Coverage: List of vetoes considered and who in our coverage area voted to sustain or override. LEWISTON — More money and new structure will give a boost to Maine’s jail system following the Legislature’s vote Thursday to override Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of the plan. In its second time through the Legislature, the bill […]