Initial takeaways from a first look by Sen. Jim Dill
legislature
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine, News, Politics
Lawmakers push to make Maine’s state parks free to Gold Star Families
Auburn state Rep. Bettyann Sheats hopes to add Gold Star Families to the nearly one third of Mainers who already have free day access to parks.
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Posted inThe Penobscot Times
At the Legislature: Committee business, part 2 – Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
A wide variety of issues fall under the purview of the committee.
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine, News
Truancy law may soon cover Maine’s youngest students
After falling short after vetoes by Gov. Paul LePage the past two sessions, legislators this year are likely to push through a measure to extend truancy laws to 5- and 6-year-olds enrolled in school.
Posted inMaine, News
‘Who wants to swim in a cesspool?’
State lawmakers are likely to approve a measure to require the inspection of lakefront septic systems whenever a property changes hands, a regulation already in place for seaside properties.
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Lawmakers weigh 'ban the box' bill to help former prisoners get jobs
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage last year vetoed a measure to bar the state from asking most job seekers about criminal convictions on the applications they initially submit. With LePage no longer an obstacle, legislators are eyeing the same bill as one way to help formerly incarcerated Mainers overcome their pasts. The so-called “Ban the […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Lawmakers weigh how to avoid having more than one Question 1 on the same ballot
AUGUSTA — Sometimes the Legislature deals with big issues, such as health care, crime and taxation. And sometimes it deals with how to stop voters from facing more than one Question 1 on the ballot. A measure before the Committee on State and Local Government would require municipalities to list local ballot questions with “sequential […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Election Day might become a state holiday in Maine celebrating democracy
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers will consider a proposal this session to make Election Day a state holiday. “We should have a day where we really celebrate our democracy,” said state Rep. Ben Collings, a Portland Democrat. Supporters of the idea, which has been picking up steam for years, say that more people would have a chance […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
In a tumultuous time, Maine searches for civility
The state is already known nationally for its more measured discourse, but groups and political leaders push harder for compromise over conflict. As former Gov. Paul LePage and legislators clashed and the toxic national discourse seeped into the everyday discussions of many Mainers, some feared the state had veered from its famously civic-minded roots. In […]
Posted inMaine
Hunters, activists brace for spat over bear hunt bills
PORTLAND (AP) — Bear hunting is one of Maine’s oldest traditions, and residents might be able to do more of it in the future — but not before some claws come out in the Maine State House. Hunters and animal welfare activists are preparing for a spat over a pair of bills that could potentially […]