Gov. Paul LePage is recommending increasing the salary for future Maine governors to $150,000. That change would not impact LePage’s salary, but it would definitely impact his retirement compensation. Retirement compensation for Maine governors is three-eighths or 37.5 percent of the current governor’s salary when the former governor leaves office or reaches age 60. Gov. […]
Paul LePage
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Gov. Paul LePage delays swearing in Democratic senator
Gov. Paul LePage’s office said Friday morning that the governor will not swear in a new Democratic Senator who won a special election for a Biddeford-area Senate seat earlier this week. Mario Moretto, a spokesman for the Senate, said Susan Deschambeault, who won the Senate District 32 seat on Tuesday in a special election, has […]
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Legislative panel rejects LePage nominee for unemployment commission
UPDATE: Gov. Paul LePage delays swearing in Democratic senator AUGUSTA — Legislative Democrats and one independent scuttled Gov. Paul LePage’s nominee to a state unemployment appeals board on Thursday, prompting an angry response from the administration. In a party-line vote, the Maine Legislature’s labor committee voted 7-6 against South Portland police Detective Sgt. Steven Webster’s nomination […]
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Gov. Paul LePage cites need for Madison to ‘reinvent itself’
MADISON — A dying paper mill drew Gov. Paul LePage to Madison on Wednesday, where he said the town “can reinvent itself” but not if the state impedes it with what he sees as job-killing energy and tax policies. It was an extension of a long-standing battle between the Republican governor and his Democratic opponents, […]
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Maine House OKs addiction program funding
AUGUSTA — The Maine House of Representatives has given initial approval to a bill that would make grants available to substance abuse pilot programs in the state. The programs would include those run by local governments, county governments and regional jails. The grants would cover programs that divert low-level drug offenders into community-based treatment and […]
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Paul LePage wants to grow governor’s pay, shrink Legislature
Two bills unveiled by Gov. Paul LePage on Tuesday would raise his successor’s salary and shrink the Maine Legislature by about a third in 2018. The Republican governor’s bills were referenced to a legislative committee on Tuesday, but they may not go anywhere, if only because they were introduced in the waning days of the 2016 session. It’s scheduled to end on […]
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Maine House OKs bill to force Paul LePage to issue housing bond
AUGUSTA — A top Democrat’s maneuver to force Gov. Paul LePage to issue a voter-approved housing bond passed the Maine House of Representatives Monday, but stiff Republican opposition could bode badly for the bill. The $15 million bond was backed by 69 percent of voters in November, but LePage’s office says he’s holding it up […]
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Gov. Paul LePage blames environmentalists for ‘job-crushing, anti-business policies’
Gov. Paul LePage has long been known for his personal letters to Mainers and they don’t always end with “Love, Paul.” In fact, in these letters the barbs can be frequent. On March 14, Neil Gallagher of Brunswick sent the governor an angry letter lamenting his use of “wanted” posters at recent public appearances. The posters […]
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Gov. Paul LePage wants substance abuse programs in county jails
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage has proposed a network of new county-run community substance abuse programs, along with creating a dedicated fund to support them. LePage has proposed LD 1674, An Act to Create Community Substance Abuse Programs, which was unveiled to the Legislature on Thursday. The bill calls on sheriffs in Maine’s 16 counties […]
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Legislators recall video voter bill from LePage’s desk
AUGUSTA — A bill designed to create a 15-foot buffer zone for video recording voters at the polls was recalled Wednesday from Gov. Paul LePage’s desk for an amendment. LD 1574 was introduced by Democratic Sen. Bill Diamond of Windham this year after reports on Election Day 2015 that an organization calling itself Project Dirigo […]