In an attempt to curb the effects of climate change, state governments across the nation have adopted renewable portfolio standards…
Browsing: Featured
Following a national trend, Maine lawmakers decided in June to raise taxes on tobacco products and e-cigarettes. Rep. Joyce McCreight,…
Maine is currently the oldest state in the nation and is experiencing a labor shortage. According to the U.S. Census…
They’re at it again. On September 27th, lawmakers were required to submit all of their legislative requests to the Revisor’s…
In April last year, the Press Herald ran my Maine Voices submission; it began with this: “Nobody spends somebody else’s…
The internet in Maine is getting faster and easier to use than ever before. But recent improvements in Maine are…
Last session, lawmakers considered LD 218, a bill that would have prohibited Maine Clean Election Act candidates from soliciting, accepting…
Last week in the news there was a teenage girl being exploited by the international community, and I couldn’t watch.…
News outlets across the state last week reported that some signers of the petition advancing a people’s veto of LD…
When she addressed the United Nations earlier this week, Governor Janet Mills announced that she signed an executive order stating…
On October 31, 2019, The Maine Wire will transition to a new email delivery service. If you currently receive The…
When the legislature adjourns from session, all non-emergency legislation that was passed becomes effective 90 days thereafter. However, Article IV,…
It’s hard to imagine a time when we didn’t have the internet. From email to streaming music and videos to…
Tiny houses are a relatively new phenomenon and are becoming a modern lifestyle choice for individuals and families who enjoy…
The Constitution of Maine explicitly states all bills passed by the legislature become law 90 days after adjournment. That means all non-emergency…
Governor Mills’ first move in office was to sign an executive order expanding Medicaid to more than 70,000 Mainers. Maine…
Hundreds of new Maine laws will take effect later this week. Among them is LD 1627, “An Act to Authorize…
On September 19th, many bills passed during the First Regular Session of the 129th Legislature will become law. While several…
I have never been in jail. I have never been arrested. But I am probably a felon, and so are…
Last month, Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson released a formal opinion that said the state is not in compliance with…
Hundreds of bills failed to become law in the First Regular Session of the 129th Legislature. Among them was LD…
One of the issues Congress will be considering when they return from August recess is so-called “net neutrality” — how…
Maine Governor Janet Mills decided Friday to let LD 1083, “An Act To Implement Ranked-choice Voting for Presidential Primary and…
Governor Janet Mills has until the end of the day Friday to decide on the fate of LD 1083, a…
This week, in honor of Labor Day, the Maine Center for Economic Policy’s James Myall published an article claiming that…
Last week, Governor Janet Mills announced that Maine will pursue a state-based health insurance marketplace using the federal IT platform…
This week, Portland city officials notified Fair Elections Portland, a pro-ranked-choice voting group, that they did not acquire enough signatures…
The Maine Legislature reconvened on Monday to consider four bond proposals that failed to garner enough votes for passage in…
Lawmakers returned to Augusta on Monday to debate several bonds proposed by Governor Janet Mills during a special legislative session…
It’s no secret that Maine state government’s primary sources of revenue are generated through the individual income tax and sales…
Earlier this week, Governor Janet Mills issued a proclamation calling the Maine Legislature back to Augusta for a special session to consider…
Conservatives are often accused of favoring wealthy individuals and corporations over those in poverty. While some social welfare programs are…
Politicians everywhere should have to take a version of the Hippocratic Oath, swearing the laws they enact to solve problems…
Governor Janet Mills issued a proclamation Monday calling the legislature back to the State House for a special legislative session…
The Maine Heritage Policy Center today released its newest report, “A False Majority: The Failed Experiment of Ranked-Choice Voting.” The…
When Portland City Councilors approved the city’s budget in May, it included a new manufacturing license for breweries, wineries and…
Laura Catevenis, a resident of Lewiston, was close to rock bottom. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and, two years…
Advocates of a higher minimum wage rarely appeal to scholarly research to bolster their case. Instead, you’re more likely to…
When it comes down to it, Maine is an amazing place to live and raise a family. The large blue…
The state of Maine currently prevents employees who work in the public-sector from using a common instrument in the organized…
Maine Governor Janet Mills still has not paid the full cost of her inauguration ceremony, according to the Associated Press.…
I’ve lived in Maine all my life, and I can’t remember a time when winter road conditions were worse than…
The decline of Maine’s manufacturing sector, whose workforce has shrunk by nearly half since the early 1990s, can seem inexorable,…
The Maine Legislature next session will consider another bill that would be harmful to Maine’s small business community and employers…
It is tempting to think of America’s economic classes as stable and sedentary. Talk of widening income inequality has cemented…
Governments spend a good deal of time and money attempting to solve problems of their own making. Endemic poverty, the…
Last month, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu vetoed a two-year state budget because it would have reversed the direction of…
There has been quite a bit of debate in recent years about whether too much is spent on school administration…
Lawmakers and special interests always seem to title their bills with buzzwords that make them sound like they are going…
When Mainers pay their taxes, they fully expect their hard-earned dollars will be spent wisely and efficiently. However, outdated policies…
The Maine Legislature is slated to debate more than $2.1 billion in bonds when they reconvene next session, a staggering…
In their first year at the helm of state government, Governor Janet Mills and the 129th Maine Legislature managed to…
Turn on the local news or pick up a Maine newspaper and it won’t take long for someone to mention…
Farmer Randy Canarr of Souder Station Farm has been farming and raising livestock in Winterport for almost 10 years, providing…
Yesterday, Governor Janet Mills announced that her administration has urged the federal government to provide financial aid to municipalities and…
Every two years, the Maine Office of Tax Policy releases a lengthy report on tax expenditures, the multitude of carveouts…
A $15 federal minimum wage would wipe out 1.3 million low-income jobs and boost the wages of at least 17…
In a fiery letter sent Thursday, July 11, Governor Janet Mills announced her opposition to new federal regulations that aim…
Last week, Governor Matt Bevin gave the keynote address at The Maine Heritage Policy Center’s 2019 Freedom and Opportunity Luncheon.…
In 2005, the United States Congress passed the REAL ID Act, with the purpose of establishing “minimum security standards for…
The first session of the 129th Legislature adjourned in mid-June, making it critical to examine what exactly our lawmakers accomplished…
On Wednesday, June 26, Governor Janet Mills signed into law a pair of troublesome renewable energy bills: LD 1679, “An…
Just before the conclusion of Maine’s most recent legislative session, lawmakers passed an occupational licensing reform bill that will make…
After the First Regular Session of the 129th Maine Legislature came to a close, Governor Janet Mills vetoed two bills…
On Wednesday, June 26, United States District Court Judge D. Brock Hornby issued a ruling that upheld a current law…
Governor Janet Mills on Friday, June 28 signed into law LD 84, a bill sponsored by Rep. Patrick Corey of…
For decades, the liberty of Maine’s workers has been continually limited by onerous restrictions that deprive workers of their constitutionally…
Today marks the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Janus v. the American Federation of State, County…
In our modern day and age, roughly nine out of 10 American adults use the internet. They depend on this…
In a utopian society where there is no ill will or mistakes made in document processing, an automatic voter registration…
With a humming U.S. economy and airline traffic at an all-time high, the nation’s airports are collecting record revenues and…
Governor Janet Mills on Thursday, June 20 signed into law LD 534, sponsored by Rep. John Andrews, a bill that…
In recent weeks, Americans have heard much about the problems with “Big Tech.” National politicians from President Donald Trump to…
The effort to expand Maine’s estate tax, more aptly known as the “death tax,” was dealt a blow this week,…
Both the Maine House and Senate voted Friday, June 14 in favor of approving a new biennial budget that Governor…
On Tuesday, June 11, the Maine House of Representatives voted 73-70 in favor of passing a heavily-amended version of LD…
Two days after the Maine Senate voted 24-11 in favor of passing LD 255, “Resolution, Proposing an Amendment to the…
As we approach the ten-year anniversary of Maine’s historic public charter school system, there is much to celebrate about how…
Governor Janet Mills last week signed into law LD 946 “An Act To Protect the Privacy of Online Customer Information”.…
To advocates of a limited public sector, there’s a lot to dislike about the scope of Maine state government. Billions…
In the early ‘90s, times were very different than they are today. Maine’s economy was in a tailspin, state revenues…
The Maine House of Representatives on Wednesday considered LD 1282, “An Act to Establish a Green New Deal for Maine”,…
On May 14th, the Maine Senate took the first step to allocate Maine’s four Electoral College votes to the presidential candidate…
The Maine House of Representatives on Monday, June 3 voted 87-51 along party lines to pass a heavily-amended version of…
Just last week, an amazing thing happened in the Maine House. Twenty-one Democrats joined all Republicans to defeat an attempt…
The Maine House voted to reject a bill Thursday that would bind the state’s Electoral College votes to the winner…
To an obdurate defender of economic theory’s central simplifying assumption — that people act to maximize their long-run satisfaction –…
There is a legislative agenda to “make Maine green again” that could make Maine’s manufacturing sector disappear. Whether it is…
Governor Janet Mills yesterday signed LD 1209, “An Act To Require Legislative Hearings on Citizen-initiated Legislation” into Maine law. The…
Maine is one of twenty-two states that currently require occupational licensing for sign language interpreters. Though this measure may seem…
The Maine House on Tuesday voted to approve a bill that would simplify the wording of ballot questions to make…
This week, lawmakers on Maine’s Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee will hold a public hearing on LD 1742, a bill…
The Committee on Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business heard several bills last week that would cost Maine millions to…
Since Governor Janet Mills released her biennial budget proposal in February, the fiscal landscape in Maine has changed significantly. The…
The First Session of the 129th Maine Legislature has been filled with proposals that would harm the financial well-being of…
What creates jobs? What goes into building a healthy and vibrant economy that creates real opportunity for as many people…
Lawmakers are considering a flurry of ballot initiative reforms this session, from requiring signatures to be collected in both congressional…
Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a rule to no longer allow states to make…
This session, lawmakers in the Maine Legislature are considering a pair of bills that aim to increase access to higher…
It’s no secret that our state is inhospitable – to put it mildly – to business. Our citizens face one…