AUGUSTA — The House of Representatives voted Monday to override Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of a bill would fund a solar and heat-pump rebate program by adding a 0.011 cents per kilowatt-hour tax on residential and commercial electric bills. The new fee will cost the average homeowner about five cents per month or 60 cents […]
politics
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Democrats kill ‘Open for Business Zones’ bill proposed by LePage
AUGUSTA — Democrats successfully completed their turn-back of Gov. Paul LePage’s proposal to create “Open for Business Zones” at two former military bases in Maine with a mostly party-line vote Monday in the House of Representatives. The 91-55 vote Monday morning follows a 22-13 vote Friday in the Senate. LD 1835 is now essentially dead. […]
advertisement
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine House OKs expanding heroin overdose antidote
AUGUSTA — After an initial vote in the House, a life-saving drug that can stop an opiate overdose in its tracks could well be on its way into the hands of more emergency responders, law enforcement officers, firefighters and addicts’ loved ones. Despite opposition from Republican Gov. Paul LePage, the House unanimously voted to give […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Maine Senate rejects LePage’s business zone bill
AUGUSTA — The Maine Senate has voted down Gov. Paul LePage’s bill to offer business tax breaks and workers the freedom not to pay labor union fees in an effort to attract big companies to the state. The Republican governor’s bill would set up pilot project areas in Brunswick and Limestone. Businesses that invest more […]
Posted inNews, sj-web
State Senate sustains LePage’s veto of Medicaid expansion for third time
AUGUSTA — The Maine Legislature failed on Friday in its third attempt to overturn Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of a bill that would expand Medicaid coverage to 70,000 low-income residents under the federal health care law — an issue that’s certain to play prominently in this year’s governor’s race. The 22-13 vote in the Senate was […]
Posted inMaine
Maine Democrats urge LePage to sign offshore tax haven legislation
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers in the Legislature’s Democratic majority were urging Republican Gov. Paul LePage not to veto a tax-reform bill that they say closes loopholes in state law that allow multinational corporations to evade Maine income taxes. House Majority Leader Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, along with a host of Democratic colleagues, including those who serve on […]
Posted inMaine
House passes bill to remove and regulate signs on Maine interstates
AUGUSTA — The Maine House on Thursday overwhelmingly voted in favor of a bill that revamps the state’s laws for signs along interstate highways. On an initial vote of 120-23, LD 1831 passed despite concerns from some lawmakers who said the bill would lead to the removal of signs that help their communities’ tourist trade. […]
Posted inMaine
GOP unlikely to back Medicaid expansion
AUGUSTA — An early-morning fix Wednesday to the state’s 2015 budget shortfall, which included a way to drastically reduce the numbers on a state waiting list for Medicaid coverage, may have little effect on the ongoing debate about whether Maine should expand MaineCare, its low-income health care program. Republican Gov. Paul LePage on Wednesday afternoon […]
Posted inMaine
Maine House passes bill to add drug agents; LePage threatens veto
AUGUSTA — The Maine House on Wednesday, with broad bipartisan support, passed an amended version of a Gov. Paul LePage bill that adds drug enforcement agents, judges and prosecutors to the state’s payroll in an effort to bring under control the state’s growing opiate drug problems. The measure also increases funding to the Maine Department […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage says, “Spinning makes me dizzy.”
Your browser does not support the audio element.