AUGUSTA — The Maine House on Tuesday passed a bill that returns control of county jails to the counties. The bill, LD 186, repeals a 2007 law change that aimed to consolidate the operations of the state’s 15 county jails with the Maine Department of Corrections through a unified state Board of Corrections. The bill […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Bill to overhaul Maine tax credit program dies
AUGUSTA — A bill has died that sought to overhaul a Maine business tax credit program that came under scrutiny after a newspaper report. The Republican-controlled Senate voted 19-15 to defeat the bill on Tuesday. The bill initially sought to expand the New Markets Capital Investment Program, which aims to encourage business investment in poor communities. But […]
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Maine House blocks bill that would prevent minimum wage increases
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage’s effort to keep Bangor and Portland from raising the minimum wage for workers inside their city limits suffered a blow Monday when the House of Representatives rejected the bill. The Democrat-controlled House voted 83-60, without debate, to block LD 1361. The bill would prevent any municipality in the state from […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Legislature legalizes industrial hemp in Maine
AUGUSTA — A new law allowing hemp cultivation for commercial uses in Maine is in effect now that the Legislature has overridden a veto by Gov. Paul LePage. “I am absolutely thrilled that this is now law,” said Rep. Deborah Sanderson, R-Chelsea, who sponsored LD 4 to legalize hemp cultivation for industrial uses. “This was […]
Posted inLivermore Falls Advertiser, Maine
Junk food bill passes House
AUGUSTA — A bill that would see Maine ask the federal government for permission to disallow the purchase of junk food with state and federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funds, once called Food Stamps, cleared the House of Representatives on a 73-70 vote Monday. The bill, LD 526, directs the Department of Health and Human […]
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Maine tribal casino bill rejected by state Senate
AUGUSTA — The Maine Senate has dealt a blow to an effort by the state’s American Indian tribes to open a casino. The Republican-controlled Senate voted 18-16 against the bill Monday. The House approved it last week. If the two chambers can’t work out their differences, the bill will die. It would allow a casino […]
Posted inLivermore Falls Advertiser, Maine
Maine House rejects stricter rules for ballot intiatives
AUGUSTA — A proposal that could make it harder for groups to get a ballot question before voters has failed in the Maine House of Representatives. The 92-54 vote on Monday fell several votes short of the two-thirds support necessary to pass such a measure. It sought to amend the constitution to require that a […]
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Maine House snuffs out marijuana legalization
AUGUSTA — The Maine House of Representatives has rejected a bill that seeks to legalize marijuana for recreational use in the state. The Democratic-controlled House voted 98-45 against the bill on Monday. It will now be considered by the Republican-controlled Senate. The bill would allow people ages 21 and older to possess up to an […]
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Paul LePage allows 7 bills to become law without signatures
AUGUSTA — While Gov. Paul LePage continues to veto dozens of bills, he’s also letting a handful go into law without his signature. A spokeswoman for LePage said that seven bills became law Monday because the Republican governor didn’t take action on them. Among them is a bill to allow an adult to transfer their […]