AUGUSTA — Officials from Maine’s jail system asked legislators Wednesday for a $2.5 million bailout, saying the money would help jails make it to the end of June. But more will be needed next year, they said. This year’s flat-funded budgets weren’t enough to operate the system’s 15 jails, Mark Westrum, chairman of the State […]
politics
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine GOP accuses House speaker of having conflict of interest
AUGUSTA — A group of Republican lawmakers is pressuring House Speaker Mark Eves, D-North Berwick, to recuse himself and his staff from advocating for Medicaid expansion under the federal Affordable Care Act because of Eves’ job with a mental health care provider that accepts Medicaid patients and holds Medicaid-funded contracts. A group of Republicans, led […]
advertisement
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Bill would make overdose treatment drug widely available in Maine
AUGUSTA — A freshman lawmaker on Wednesday will make the case to put a lifesaving drug that can stop heroin overdoses in their tracks “in the hands of as many people as possible.” Rep. Sara Gideon, D-Freeport, will present LD 1686, An Act to Address Preventable Deaths from Drug Overdose, to the Legislature’s Health and Human […]
Posted inMaine
Lawyers ask state committee to suspend CDC shredding investigation
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers on the Government Oversight Committee on Tuesday were asked to suspend their investigation into the destruction of public documents by officials at the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention in June 2013. The request came via a letter from private lawyers hired by the state to defend the Department of Health […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine Senate approves revenue sharing bill, 33-2
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers in both the House and Senate on Tuesday voted again to support a bill that would restore $40 million in state aid to municipalities next year, setting the stage for what will likely be final votes in both chambers next week. The vote in the House took place without debate or roll […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Boehner promises to pass a ‘clean’ debt limit increase
WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner announced Tuesday that the House will vote this week to increase in the government’s borrowing cap without any add-ons demanded by Republicans. This move amounted to a capitulation by Republicans to President Barack Obama and Capitol Hill Democrats who argued that the GOP should not attempt to use the […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine House OKs bill that allows uniformed recruiters in schools
AUGUSTA — Maine’s Democratic-controlled House has given final approval to a bill that aims to ensure that military members and public safety officials can wear their uniforms when visiting schools. Supporters of the bill approved on a 138-4 vote Tuesday have pointed to instances in which military recruiters were limited from meeting with students or […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine Senate overrides summer lunch program veto
AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine’s Democratic-controlled Senate voted Tuesday to preserve a measure that seeks to provide more free lunches to low-income children during the summer months. The 25-10 vote overrode Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s veto, which requires the support of two-thirds present and voting lawmakers to be overturned. The legislation requires schools with a majority […]
Posted inMaine
Bill to restore state employee pay raises draws emotional testimony
AUGUSTA — A pair of Maine State Police troopers were among dozens of state workers who told the Legislature’s budget-writing Appropriations Committee on Monday that state merit and longevity pay increases that were frozen in 2013 are taking a toll on their family finances. The two were testifying in support of a bill, LD 1639, […]
Posted inMaine
Maine CDC officials decline invitations to testify
AUGUSTA — A legislative committee wants to hear about a document-shredding scandal from Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention officials, but none of the officials invited to testify has agreed to do so. It was unclear Monday whether the Government Oversight Committee would exercise its power to subpoena the officials at the heart of […]