Top school officials in Lewiston and Auburn say they oppose a proposed law that would allow firearms on school property in Maine. A bill to permit unloaded and locked guns on school grounds is before the Legislature’s education committee. Superintendents Bill Webster of Lewiston and Katherine Grondin of Auburn spoke against the bill at a […]
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Posted inMaine
Dozens testify on bill to ban the practice of ‘conversion therapy’ on minors in Maine
AUGUSTA – Maine lawmakers are considering a bill that would ban therapy practices for minors that use shame, pain or coercion in an effort to discourage same-sex attraction and alter a person’s sexual orientation. Supporters of the ban say so-called “conversion therapy” does more harm than good and that a person’s true sexual orientation isn’t […]
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Owners of hybrids, all-electric vehicles fume over proposed annual fee
Outraged vehicle owners piled into a public hearing Tuesday to denounce a bill from Gov. Paul LePage’s administration that would slap hefty annual fees on hybrid and all-electric vehicles. The Maine Department of Transportation has proposed annual fees of $150 for hybrid vehicles and $250 for electric cars because many owners pay lower gas taxes than drivers […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Paul LePage will lay out his agenda tonight in his final State of the State speech to the Legislature
AUGUSTA — Fans and critics of Gov. Paul LePage can agree on one thing for certain: The firebrand Republican is unlikely to go quietly as he wraps up his final year as the state’s chief executive. In the last few months alone, LePage has flexed his executive muscles by shutting down wind power development, unilaterally […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Senate rejects Nate Libby's pedestrian-safety bill
AUGUSTA — A bill to make more money available to municipalities for pedestrian-safety projects appeared dead after failing on an 18-17 party-line vote in the Senate Thursday. Sen. Nate Libby, D-Lewiston, sponsored the bill and said he is “increasingly disappointed” that lawmakers turned down the measure. The Maine Department of Transportation had said the new […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Paul LePage urges lawmakers to work on bill to protect elderly from foreclosure
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage on Tuesday implored lawmakers to work on a bill designed to protect the elderly from tax lien foreclosures, saying that in the last year alone, 12 elderly Mainers have lost their homes to foreclosure. LePage spoke to members of the Joint Standing Committee on Taxation at the State House during […]
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Lawmakers face competing bills to criminalize female genital mutilation
AUGUSTA — Two bills criminalizing the practice of female genital mutilation are competing for support in the Legislature. Lawmakers fell just one vote short of criminalizing the practice in 2017, amid concerns that state and federal law already made the practice illegal and because the topic has been widely used to demonize immigrants or refugees […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Bill would restore money slashed from Maine school-based health clinics
School-based health clinics that were forced to slash programs after having their funding unexpectedly cut in last year’s budget deal may get a one-time infusion of unspent state funds to restore services that are often a critical source of health care for some of the state’s lower-income students and families. The Legislature’s Health and Human […]
Posted inMaine, The Franklin Journal
Maine lawmakers won’t extend moratorium on pot sales, but it’s still not for sale
AUGUSTA — A bill to delay implementation of the Marijuana Legalization Act until the end of the legislative session died Thursday. The bill failed to win even a simple majority in the House, losing 65-81, prompting the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Roger Katz, R-Augusta, to declare it dead despite the fact that the Senate didn’t actually […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Republican bill would allow more drug testing of Maine workers
AUGUSTA — Maine employers would have new powers to test and discipline employees for drug or alcohol use on the job under a sweeping overhaul of workplace drug-testing law introduced Wednesday by Republican lawmakers and backed by the administration of Gov. Paul LePage. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Amy Volk, R-Scarborough, and an official from the […]