Legalize Maine has come out against the proposed legislative rewrite of a voter-approved recreational marijuana law, saying the bill that is slated for a special session vote Monday “isn’t ready for prime time.” The group’s president, Paul T. McCarrier, said the amendment to the state Marijuana Legalization Act would create chaos in the new market, […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine lawmakers at odds over voter-approved ranked-choice voting
AUGUSTA — The Maine Legislature is again wrestling with whether to implement, delay or repeal a law passed by voters last November that made Maine the first state to approve a statewide ranked-choice voting system to elect legislators, the governor and members of Congress. In 2017, the Legislature three times failed to reach consensus on […]
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Legislature to study nonprofit ownership of conserved lands
Thanks to an Oct. 6, 2014 land buy from Verso Paper Corp., the Androscoggin Land Trust of Auburn has permanently conserved for public benefit some 1,250 acres of forested land along the Androscoggin River in Canton and Jay. AUGUSTA (AP) — Lawmakers have begun diving into the issue of land conservation programs, which supporters say […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Espling, Timberlake running for open state Senate seats
Rep. Jeff Timberlake, R-Turner, answers a question about the state budget during a January 2016 news conference at the State House in Augusta. Rep. Ellie Espling, R-New Gloucester, right, also spoke at the news conference. AUGUSTA — Two Republicans declared their intention Wednesday of seeking state Senate seats next year of incumbents departing to pursue […]
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Paul LePage calls Legislature back to tackle food sovereignty, GIS funding
Maine Gov. Paul LePage, testifies during a House Natural Resources subcommittee oversight hearing on the Antiquities Act on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday, May 2, 2017. AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage announced Friday he was calling the Legislature back to the State House for a special lawmaking session set to start on Monday, Oct. […]
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Lawmakers decide how to divvy up 20% tax on retail marijuana
A legislative committee completed a sweeping rewrite of Maine’s recreational marijuana law Thursday that would double the tax rate, provide a cut to host towns and give Maine residents a two-year head start in the market. But committee leaders are worried that the LePage administration will scuttle the bill, either through an outright veto or […]
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Lawmakers add, cut and tweak Maine’s law for recreational marijuana
Daniel Walker, an attorney for Wellness Connection of Maine, testifies during Tuesday’s hearing by the Marijuana Legalization Implementation Committee. State lawmakers overhauled the rewrite of Maine’s recreational pot law Wednesday, nixing drive-ups, internet sales and home delivery, and giving current residents and medical growers a “leg up” in the new market. The legislative committee writing […]
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Democrats, kids groups oppose new Maine child care rules
AUGUSTA (AP) — Democratic lawmakers and advocates for children say Maine’s latest child care regulations roll back safety and quality standards. New emergency regulations in effect Wednesday allow in-home child care providers to exclude their own children from staffing ratios. The rules remove a provision that allows parents to visit their children at any point […]
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State House election shapes up in Lisbon
LISBON — Republicans agreed Tuesday to pick Rick Mason as their candidate in a Nov. 7 special election to fill the state House seat left vacant by the death this month of his wife, Rep. Gina Crafts Mason. Their son, Sen. Garrett Mason, R-Lisbon, said he is thrilled his father is going to run for […]
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Public weighs in on marijuana regulations
Paul T. McCarrier, of Legalize Maine, testifies Tuesday during a hearing of the Joint Select Committee on Marijuana Legalization Implementation at the State House in Augusta. AUGUSTA — Lawmakers heard a familiar chorus of impassioned concerns about license preferences, tax rates and local control at an emotional, standing-room-only hearing on a proposed rewrite of Maine’s […]