LEWISTON — The Lewiston Republican City Committee will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 25, at the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce building, 415 Lisbon St. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. Alexander Willette, director of Legislative Affairs and Communications at the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, will be the guest speaker. All Lewiston Republicans are encouraged to attend. […]
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Posted inMaine
Funds to study passenger rail for Lewiston-Auburn survive LePage veto
AUGUSTA — A $400,000 state-funded study aimed at developing a plan to bring passenger train service to Lewiston-Auburn remains on track despite an attempt by Gov. Paul LePage to derail it. Lawmakers in both the House and Senate on Friday overturned a LePage line-item veto of the study that was part of the state’s new, […]
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Maine lawmakers move ahead despite Paul LePage’s historic veto actions
AUGUSTA — Probably the only thing liberal about Republican Gov. Paul LePage has been his use of the veto pen, but state lawmakers continue to rebuff him, voting time and again to overturn vetoes in recent weeks. In 47 minutes on Friday, the Republican-controlled state Senate took 128 votes, each one overturning, by broad margins, […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Legislature kills proposed Maine minimum wage increase
AUGUSTA — A bill that would have raised the state’s $7.50 per hour minimum wage has been defeated in the Maine Legislature. The bill died Friday because the Democratic-controlled House and Republican-led Senate couldn’t agree on it. The House supported a version that would’ve raised the minimum wage to $9.50 by 2018. The Senate backed […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Senate overturns Paul LePage’s budget line vetoes in 47 minutes
AUGUSTA — Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s effort to strike out $60 million in state spending failed Friday when the Senate — controlled by members of his own party — easily overrode each of his 64 line-item vetoes. The Senate rejected LePage’s attempt to cut funding in the $6.7 billion proposed budget for education, special drug […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
House makes short work of Paul LePage’s line-item vetoes
AUGUSTA — The Maine House of Representatives on Thursday night easily overturned $60 million worth of line-item budget vetoes from Gov. Paul LePage, who had pledged to gum up the works in the Legislature as lawmakers attempt to finish their work for the year. LePage delivered a copy of the nearly 700-page, $6.7 billion budget […]
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GOP-controlled Maine Senate OKs welfare benefits for asylum seekers
AUGUSTA — Prolonged efforts by Gov. Paul LePage to eliminate General Assistance benefits for asylum seekers and other immigrants took a major hit Thursday night when the Senate voted in favor of a bill to provide the benefits for up to 24 months. The Senate also passed a separate bill to crack down on the […]
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Maine’s city lawmakers stand together in support of immigrant aid
AUGUSTA — A group of lawmakers from Maine’s largest cities opposed a new, two-year state budget that makes it easier to deny financial help to asylum-seeking immigrants. During a series of floor speeches late Tuesday night, lawmakers from Lewiston, Bangor and Portland decried the rejection of changes in the state budget that would have allowed […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Federal report: Togus mishandled referrals for veterans’ care
AUGUSTA — Maine’s Veterans Affairs health care system mishandled referrals for mental health services and failed to properly document all requests for that care, leaving some patients without needed services, according to a federal investigation released Wednesday. The VA Maine Healthcare System’s management of mental health services “made it difficult to track whether patients’ requests […]
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Maine House OKs tribal casino in Maine
AUGUSTA — The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives has given initial approval to a bill that would allow Maine’s American Indian tribes to bring a casino to northern Maine. The House endorsed the bill by a vote of 114-26 on Thursday with no debate. It faces further votes. The bill, which was crafted by the Legislature’s […]