AUGUSTA — A bill before the Legislature aims to protect health insurance consumers by requiring more upfront disclosure on whether a new plan will cover a patient’s current doctor and medical facilities. Co-sponsored by state Sens. Dawn Hill, D-Cape Neddick, and Margaret Craven, D-Lewiston, the bill, LD 1629, would make sure consumers and health care […]
politics
Posted inOur View
Our View: Public needs accountability. Not the shaft
“In an unprecedented move by majority lawmakers Monday night, the Democratic members of the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee voted ‘ought to pass’ on a $40 million budget proposal without a single Republican present.” So says the GOP. Democrats say they were forced to make this move to restore $40 million in revenue-sharing cuts that […]
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Posted inMaine
Top challengers for governor’s office rip LePage on address
AUGUSTA — The two men who want to give Maine’s State of the State Address in 2015 held little back as they blasted Republican Gov. Paul LePage on Tuesday. “The state of the state is no better than it was when he was elected,” said Eliot Cutler, an independent candidate for governor from Cape Elizabeth. […]
Posted inMaine
Local lawmakers offer mixed reaction to LePage speech
AUGUSTA — Depending on whom you asked Tuesday night, Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s third State of the State Address was either a divisive missive and the launch of a re-election campaign or a measured message meant to create a sense of urgency and unity. “He was trying to keep it addressed to the state of […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
U.S. Senate sends farm bill to Obama
WASHINGTON — The sweeping farm bill that Congress sent to President Obama Tuesday has something for almost everyone, from the nation’s 47 million food stamp recipients to Southern peanut growers, Midwest corn farmers and the maple syrup industry in the Northeast. After years of setbacks, the Senate on Tuesday sent the nearly $100 billion-a-year measure […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
GOP lawmakers differ on why they missed revenue sharing vote
AUGUSTA — Sen. Patrick Flood, R-Winthrop, on Tuesday took responsibility for a firestorm that has raged since a Monday night vote of the Appropriations Committee that excluded Republicans. He said the committee vote that set off the controversy resulted from a miscommunication on his part. Rep. Kathleen Chase, R-Wells, the GOP’s ranking member on the […]
Posted inMaine
State of the State live online
Gov. Paul LePage’s State of the State address will be broadcast live online at SunJournal.com tonight. The video will be shown alongside an live discussion of the speech and Maine politics. The speech and discussion start at 7 p.m.
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage to lay out initiatives for economic development in Tuesday’s State of the State
State of the State online Gov. Paul LePage’s State of the State address will be broadcast live online tonight. The video will be shown alongside an live discussion of the speech and Maine politics. The speech and discussion start at 7 p.m. AUGUSTA — The focus will likely be on job creation and economic development initiatives […]
Posted inMaine
New state unemployment appeals chief says she will aim for consistency
AUGUSTA — Nearly a year after Gov. Paul LePage reportedly berated administrative hearing officers at the Maine Department of Labor, the agency has hired a new chief to supervise those hearing officers. For years, it was Elizabeth Wyman’s job to defend in court the decisions of the M DOL on appeals of unemployment claims. Wyman, […]
Posted inMaine
Democrats, without GOP present, vote to restore revenue sharing
AUGUSTA — In a surprise move late Monday, Democrats on the Legislature’s budget-writing Appropriations Committee voted out a bill that would restore $40 million in state revenue sharing to Maine municipalities. In a straight party-line vote, majority Democrats on the committee passed the measure on to the full Legislature on 7-0 vote without any Republicans […]