Author: Katherine Revello

Randall Liberty, the Commissioner of the Maine Department of Corrections, has objected to a request from a parole reform committee created by the State Legislature to interview inmates as part of its members’ work to determine whether Maine should bring back parole after a 45 year ban. Members of CERP, which held its first meeting in September, are charged in part with examining parole as it operates in Maine and other states, how parole fits into the framework of the Maine Criminal Code, its effects on parolees, and the potential costs and savings of a plan to implement parole after…

The Maine Legislature’s Government Oversight Committee(GOC) voted October 19 to direct Assistant Attorney General Christopher Taub to ask a Superior Court to force the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to comply with the committee’s subpoena. The step is the latest development in a months-long dispute between the committee and DHHS about whether GOC members have authority to view the records of four children whose cases were handled by the Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) and who were killed, allegedly as a result of domestic abuse. The dispute is part of a larger GOC investigation into…

The Maine Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) released a guidance memo reminding medical cannabis registrants and adult use licensees that they must obtain a retail license in order to sell tobacco products, including pre-rolled cannabis cigarettes. But portions of the guidance are contradictory to Maine statute and the OCP’s rules for the medical cannabis program. On October 7, Erik Gundersen, formerly the director of the OCP, sent a guidance memo to Medical Use of Cannabis Program registrants and licensees of the Adult Use Cannabis Program about the sale of tobacco products. According to Gunderson, under Maine law tobacco products are…

The affiliate of a labor union group spending money to help Senate President Troy Jackson (D-Aroostook) win re-election also provided Jackson personal compensation, according to campaign finance records and income disclosures reviewed by The Maine Wire. Campaign finance statements show the Building Solidarity PAC, a union-backed political committee, made an independent expenditure in support of Jackson’s reelection campaign on October 5 worth $5,735.34. On October 12, the PAC filed another independent expenditure report showing a second $5,735.34 spent in support of Jackson’s campaign. The labor union spending bolsters the tax dollars Jackson’s campaign has received under the Maine Clean Election…

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is expanding an online learning platform that drew criticism for teaching kindergartners about transgenderism and for labeling President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan racist. In defense of keeping the video calling Trump supporters racist on its platform, DOE officials stated the video, which is no longer available, had been made by an organization outside the government and that no students were forced to watch the video. But only some MOOSE modules disclose the organizations with which DOE partnered in developing them and the agency hasn’t responded to questions about its expanded content…

Maine’s congressional delegation will take action to limit funding to the Monterey Bay Aquarium after the California-based aquarium’s Seafood Watch non-profit placed Maine lobster on its list “Red List” of seafoods to avoid. Rep. Jared Golden’s (ME-02) office announced Tuesday new legislation that would block the Monterey Bay Aquarium from receiving federal taxpayer funds after the aquarium’s activist non-profit arm, Seafood Watch, placed Maine lobster on its “red list” of foods to avoid. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Rep. Chellie Pingree (ME-01) will co-sponsor Golden’s “Red Listing Monterey Bay Aquarium Act.” According to a press release from Golden’s office announcing…

Maine’s Democratic Gov. Janet Mills and former Republican Gov. Paul LePage defended their differing policies for addressing the opioid epidemic during Tuesday’s gubernatorial debate at the Franco Center in Lewiston. https://twitter.com/TheMaineWire/status/1577477384982470656 Mills defended her administration’s focus harm reduction despite Maine’s overdose rate continuing to rise during her first term in office. In 2020, 504 Maine residents died from overdoses of both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical drugs, according to the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center at the University of Maine. That number rose to 627 in 2021. As of June 2022, the number of fatal overdoses in Maine was 9.7 percent higher…

The Maine Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) are no longer supporting a referendum question they worked to place on Portland’s ballot for the upcoming November general election. The Maine DSA announced on September 1 that they had reached a compromise proposal with the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the Maine State Building and Construction Trades Council (MSBCTC) and would no longer support Question E. Question E asks Portland voters whether they want to approve a change to the city’s ordinances that would cap the number of cruise ship passengers who could disembark at 1,000 per day. The ordinance would go…

Portland city officials cleared trash and a homeless encampment from Deering Oaks Park in Portland ahead of a planned event held by gubernatorial candidate Paul LePage on September 28. WMTW reporter Adriana Sanchez recorded video of city workers clearing litter and the possessions of homeless individuals from the park early Wednesday morning. LePage held a press conference in the park at 10:30 a.m. His campaign had advertised it would focus on crime. Portland police have reported 42 shootings in the city so far this year, an increase from 13 in 2021. LePage’s speech focused more on opioid use and drug…

The estimated amount of pandemic unemployment compensation paid out to fraudulent claims has risen to $45.6 billion, according to recent findings from the federal Department of Labor’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG). In previous memorandums issued in February and June 2021, the OIG alerted the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employment and Training Administration to $16 billion worth of potentially fraudulent claims it had identified. As of September 22, 2022, the OIG has identified an additional $29.6 billion in potentially fraudulent claims, totaling $45.6 billion. In its 2021 notices to the DOL, the OIG identified four high-risk areas in which…

Maine’s unemployment rate increased in August, rising to 3.1 percent from July’s rate of 2.8 percent. The labor force participation rate and employment-to-population ratio both decreased between August and July. August’s labor force participation rate was 58.6 percent, down from 58.8 percent the previous month. The employment-to-population ratio also decreased, from 57.2 percent in July to 56.8 percent in August. According to the Maine Department of Labor (DOL), “unemployment was modestly higher and labor force participation and employment rates remained below those that prevailed shortly before the pandemic.” DOL’s August jobs report also included three-month averages for the period between…

The Maine Legislature’s Government Oversight Committee (GOC) will subpoena confidential case files related to the recent deaths of four children involved with the state’s child welfare system. Whether the GOC can view the documents has been a source of contention between the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the committee. During a July 20 meeting, the GOC voted unanimously to send a letter requesting the case files of four children who died between May and August 2021. The committee noted they would view the files in an executive session in order to avoid privacy issues. DHHS Commissioner Jeanne…

New rules for Maine’s adult-use cannabis program went into effect on September 8. Included in the rules are new requirements for recording transactions conducted via curbside pickup and delivery. Earlier language included in draft rules released by the Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP), housed within the Department of Administrative and Financial Services (DAFS), drew criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Maine, which alleged the requirements violated a ban on the use of facial surveillance technology by state actors. Though the recording requirements remain in the agency’s final rules, there is new language requiring that the use of…

While the number of jobs available in Maine has recovered to near pre-pandemic levels, the state’s labor force participation rate is declining. According to monthly data reported by the state’s Department of Labor (DOL), the labor force participation rate fell 0.8 percent between December 2021 and January 2022, despite an increase in the seasonally-adjusted number of jobs available, from 616,300 in December 2021 to 631,800 in January 2022, during that time. Throughout 2022, seasonally adjusted estimates of the state’s labor force participation rate have continued to fall, sitting at 58.8 percent as of July 2022, the last month for which…

From early March 2020 through the summer, when discussions about whether to close and reopen schools because of COVID-19 were occurring, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) was in frequent communication with a number of interest groups, including the Maine Education Association (MEA) and the Maine School Management Association (MSMA). According to documents obtained by The Maine Wire as part of a Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) request, the DOE worked with outside groups to coordinate messaging related to school closures, reopenings, and COVID-19 guidance in schools, and sometimes gave them access to view and edit agency documents before they…

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) worked with several interest groups in the state to coordinate COVID-19 messaging and guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic. From March 2020, when schools were shut down due to the pandemic, through the summer of 2020, when discussions about how to return to in-person learning were occurring, the DOE worked with the Maine Education Association and the Maine School Management Association to coordinate messaging, including the definition of an essential employee, protocols for graduation ceremonies, and guidance for returning to school in the fall of 2020. In a March 3, 2020 email, DOE Commissioner Pender…

As the summer of 2020 progressed, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) continued communications with interest groups in the state, which had been ongoing since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, but the subject of communications changed. The DOE and its frequently contacted stakeholders, including the Maine Education Association (MEA) and the Maine School Management Association (MSMA), coordinated messaging and drafted guidance for schools during the first months of the pandemic. Emails sent in mid June through September focused more on enforcing, refining, and updating previously drafted guidance. According to documents obtained by The Maine Wire as…

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court on Tuesday ruled against a ballot initiative that shut down construction of the New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) project, also known as the Central Maine Power (CMP) corridor. In NECEC Transmission LLC et al. v. Bureau of Parks and Land et al., a five-judge panel of the state’s high court ruled that a portion of the 2021 citizens’ referendum that retroactively applied to the construction of NECEC’s transmission line would be unconstitutional if a lower court determines the project was too far along at the time the statewide vote occurred. The court remanded the…

On August 18, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), part of the Department of the Interior (DOI), announced next steps to develop offshore wind energy in the Gulf of Maine. On August 19, the BOEM published a Request for Interest (RFI) and Request for Competitive Interest (RFCI) in the Federal Register to solicit public comment. The initiative is part of the Biden administration’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030. “The RFI is the first step in BOEM’s commercial planning and leasing process to identify the offshore locations that appear most suitable for…

An election to remove the Maine State Nurses Association (MSNA) from Maine Medical Center (MMC) ended in victory for the union. Voting held August 17 and 18 resulted in 1,108 of the hospital’s registered nurses voting against decertifying the union while 387 nurses voted in favor of decertification. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which oversees union elections, has not yet certified the election results. Nurses at MMC voted 1,001 to 750 in May 2021 in favor of certifying MSNA, an affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU). The vote to decertify the union was organized in part by Davin Brooks,…

Maine’s unemployment rate was 2.8 percent in July, down from 3 percent in June, and averaged 3 percent in the three months between May and July. The Maine Department of Labor (DOL) also reported that, in the last three months, jobs were down an average of 1,000 over the prior three months. The labor force participation rate in July was 58.8 percent, down from 59 percent the previous month and 1.3 percent from July 2021. Labor force participation peaked at 60.4 percent following the pandemic in April 2021 and has steadily declined since. While the state’s unemployment rate remains low,…

On August 17 and 18, nurses at Maine Medical Center (MMC) will vote on whether to decertify the union they voted for roughly 15 months ago. By a vote of 1,001 to 750, nurses at MMC voted in a May 2021 mail-ballot election in favor of certifying the Maine State Nurses Association (MSNA), an affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU). In a May 10, 2021 press release, published a day after the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) certified the union, NNA stated that nurses at MMC had cited concerns about inadequate staffing, mandatory scheduling that required nurses to rotate between…

At its August 8 meeting, the Bangor City Council voted 6 to 1 to ban the sale of flavored tobacco and nicotine products. The ordinance, which will go into effect on January 1, 2023, bans the sale, display, marketing, and advertising of flavored tobacco products and imposes a fine between $50 and $100 for a first-time violation in a 24 month period. Subsequent offenses within that period will result in a fine between $300 and $1,000.  Bangor had previously passed a flavored tobacco ban, but the city council had to repeal it in May 2022 because it did not provide…

A new property tax stabilization program aimed at helping keep senior citizens in their homes went into effect on August 8. According to rules for the program, which provides property tax stabilization for permanent Maine residents aged 65 or older who have owned a homestead in Maine for at least 10 years, the 10-year eligibility period does not have to be consecutive. Additionally, if a property is owned by more than one individual, only one of the owners needs to qualify for the program. There are also no income or asset limits to qualify for the program and no payback…

A regional school unit violated the First Amendment when it banned Shawn McBreairty from attending school functions and stepping foot on school property, according to a federal judge. Regional School Unit (RSU) 22, which serves Winterport, Hampden, Newburgh, and Frankfort, banned McBreairty from school property and school meetings. McBreairty describes himself as an “advocate for students, parents, taxpayers, teachers and the First Amendment” on Twitter and a volunteer for the conservative Maine First Project. The ban, which was issued in May, came after the district alleged McBreairty played an obscene recording during a school board meeting, in violation of school…

Maine’s laws regulating metallic mineral mining mean a Newry couple cannot extract an estimated $1.5 billion worth of lithium from their property. Mark Stebbins, field services director for the Bureau of Land Resources, housed within the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), informed Mary and Gary Freeman in a July 8 letter that the state would consider their proposed lithium mining operation a metallic mineral mine rather than a quarry. The deposits on the Freemans’ property are estimated to have a higher percentage of lithium by weight than any known deposit. At issue is the state’s definition of metallic mineral, defined…

According to the Maine Department of Labor (DOL), Maine’s employment rate decreased slightly to 3 percent in June 2022, the lowest rate in 27 months. That number is down from May’s 3.2 percent unemployment rate. The labor force participation rate for June 2022 was at 59 percent, unchanged from the previous month. The employment-to-population ratio for the same month was at 57.2 percent, up 0.1 percent from May. In a July 22 press release providing estimates for June’s employment situation, DOL also announced revisions to May and April’s unemployment numbers, revising the number of nonfarm wage and salary jobs down…

In a July 20 meeting, the Government Oversight Committee (GOC) met and further discussed its ongoing investigation into the Office of Child and Family Services and Child Protective Services. After roughly three hours of testimony from legislators and members of the public who have interacted with the state’s child welfare system, which largely documented alleged failures, the committee turned to reports from the state. Evident Change, the vendor OCFS uses to provide the assessments case workers use to help make some decisions in child welfare cases, walked committee members through the process it uses to create its assessments. According to…

A joint ballot initiative effort between the Maine People’s Alliance and the Maine Women’s Lobby seeks to put the question of whether Maine should mandate paid family and medical leave to voters. The Secretary of State’s office issued a petition for the proposed referendum question on July 13 and the groups announced this week that the effort to collect signatures has begun. The referendum text charges the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) within the Department of Labor with establishing and administering a paid family and medical leave program. It stipulates that, beginning July 1, 2026, individuals would have the right…

A law intended to stabilize property taxes for full-time Maine residents aged 65 or older who have owned a homestead in-state for at least 10 years will go into effect in 2023 and is projected to require millions of dollars in appropriations beginning in fiscal year 2022-2023. The law, which was passed without the governor’s signature on May 8, allows eligible individuals to apply to the municipality in which their homestead is located for stabilization of their property tax, freezing the property tax rate for future years for which they apply for a stabilization to the rate for the year…

Lobster fishing gear is once more banned from a roughly 1,000 square mile area of federal water off the coast of Maine after an order issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on July 12. The ruling vacated a preliminary injunction, issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine in October 2021, which suspended federal rules prohibiting the use of vertical buoy lines and seasonally closing federal waters to lobster fishing. The National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) released regulations in August 2021 that prohibited lobster fishing with vertical lines in Lobster Management Area…

Portland’s Charter Commission submitted its final report, including eight proposals for reform that will appear on the ballot in November, to the city council on July 11. When voters approve or reject the commission’s proposals in November, they will cap a two-year long charter review process that began on July 14, 2020 with the approval of a ballot referenda authorizing a review of the city charter. The commission’s preliminary report was submitted to the city council during its May 16 meeting. The final report submitted to the city council on July 11 contains many of the same recommendations for change,…

Dannel Malloy will continue to serve as chancellor for the University of Maine System (UMS) for at least another year after the Board of Trustees voted to extend his contract during their July 11 meeting. The board voted unanimously to approve a one-year contract extension. As part of the contract, Malloy will forego a bonus in 2022 and will waive a salary increase beyond a cost of living adjustment in 2023. Malloy’s contract will now run through June 30, 2023. Trish Riley, chair of the UMS Board of Trustees, read a prepared statement before the board voted on a resolution…

Five citizen’s initiatives will appear on Portland’s ballot in November. Four of those initiatives, including one to create an $18 minimum wage in the city, were sponsored by the Maine chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). The city clerk’s office provided an update on July 5 concerning petitions for initiatives that had been returned by June 24 with the required number of 1,500 verified signatures. Four of the initiatives were part of a campaign for a livable Portland sponsored by the DSA, which announced in June that it was collecting signatures to put the measures on the November…

On the final day of its October 2021 term, the Supreme Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) overstepped its authority by regulating greenhouse gas emissions produced by power plants through the Clean Air Act. “Congress did not grant EPA in Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act the authority to devise emissions caps based on the generation shifting approach the Agency took in the Clean Power Plan,” wrote Chief Justice John Roberts on behalf of the six-person majority in West Virginia v. EPA. Associate Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Amy Coney Barrett joined…

Residents of Southport voted on June 28 to overturn approval for a fiber optic network owned by the town. The question of whether to rescind the authority given to the town’s selectmen to seek funding for a municipally-owned fiber optic network at a May 7, 2021 was one of several that voters decided during the June 28 special town meeting. Article 2 asked Southport voters whether the town should rescind the authority to seek funding for the municipal fiber optic network, whether the Board of Selectmen should be authorized to terminate existing contracts and liquidate personal or real property purchased…

For the third consecutive school year, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) is seeking waivers from the federal government for some accountability and assessment reporting requirements. Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015, which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, states are required to submit their academic standards to the federal DOE and regularly submit data showing they are meeting those standards. During the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years, the federal government offered waivers to schools for some ESSA requirements, including assessments and accountability. Maine received approval for waivers in both the 2019-2020 and…

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) recently announced it is looking to hire team leaders to help develop content for the Maine Online Opportunities for Sustained Education (MOOSE) platform. MOOSE is an online, asynchronous learning platform that was created at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in response to “the inequitable access to in-person education faced by Maine students” and is intended to “leverage the expertise of Maine educators to develop a free resource for online learning.” The platform features learning modules, which students can search for by grade level or by specific topic, and learning progressions, which are a…

During a June 16 meeting of the Maine Legislature’s Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs, University of Maine System (UMS) Board of Trustees chair Trish Riley announced system chancellor Dannel Malloy’s contract had been extended until July 11. The announcement, which Riley said had been arrived at based on a mutual agreement is not consistent with UMS policy.  The board’s policy manual requires that it conduct an annual review of the chancellor’s performance each May, with a more comprehensive review conducted in the third and fourth years of a chancellor’s tenure. Malloy is currently in the final year of a…

In a 6-3 majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey and found there is no Constitutional right to abortion. “The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion. Roe and Casey arrogated that authority. The Court overrules those decisions and returns that authority to the people and their elected representatives,” the majority of the court found in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Alito’s opinion was joined by Associate Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy…

In a decision released June 21, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled against a man who alleged that the state’s yellow flag law was improperly extended without clear evidence and that he was the victim of prosecutorial misconduct. Maine’s yellow flag law allows law enforcement to petition a court to temporarily seize firearms from an individual who is in custody and who is considered at risk of harming themself or others. The order also requires law enforcement to inform a medical practitioner about how the decision to place an individual in protective custody arose. The medical practitioner is then required…

On June 21, the United States Supreme Court ruled Maine’s prohibition on sectarian schools from receiving public funds through the state’s town tuitioning program violates the First Amendment’s free exercise clause. Writing the 6-3 majority opinion for the Supreme Court in Carson v. Makin, Chief Justice John Roberts reversed a First Circuit Court of Appeals decision that ruled the exclusion was constitutional and remanded the case “for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.” “Maine’s ‘nonsectarian’ requirement for its otherwise generally available tuition assistance payments violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment,” Roberts wrote. “Regardless of how the benefit…

Maine’s unemployment rate fell slightly in May, to 3.2 percent from 3.3 percent the previous month. The labor force participation rate was unchanged from the previous month at 59 percent, as was the 57.1 percent employment-to-population ratio. The May unemployment rate was the lowest in 26 months, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The number of nonfarm wage and salary jobs available in the state decreased by 2,900 and April’s estimate was revised lower by 1,300. Revisions to previous months’ data are reflected in three-month averages, which the Maine Department of Labor (DOL) says provide a better indication of workforce conditions…

The Board of Osteopathic Licensure restored Paul Gosselin’s license to practice medicine on June 15. It had been suspended in November 2021 over allegations Gosselin was writing medical exemptions for COVID-19 vaccinations without evaluating patients or obtaining their medical records. Gosselin’s license was suspended for 30 days on November 18, 2021. According to the suspension, the board found Gosselin had “engaged in conduct that constitutes fraud or deceit” as outlined in state statute. Gosselin signed an interim consent agreement on December 2, 2021 that addressed disciplinary actions taken to continue the suspension of his medical license until the matter was…

A decision about University of Maine System (UMS) Chancellor Dannel Malloy’s contract will come at a July 11 meeting of the system’s board of trustees. That information was shared by Trish Riley, chair of the UMS Board of Trustees, during a June 16 meeting of the Mane Legislature’s Education and Cultural Affairs Committee. Riley also revealed that Malloy’s contract, set to expire on June 30, has been extended several weeks to allow time for that decision to be made. Both Riley and Malloy addressed recent controversies surrounding retrenchment at the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF), the withdrawal of incoming…

Republican Bruce Poliquin defeated Elizabeth Caruso in the June 14 primary for the U.S. House Maine District 2 seat.  With approximately 74 percent of votes counted on the morning of June 15, Poliquin had received 60 percent of the vote. Caruso received 40 percent. Poliquin will face current Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) this Nocember, who defeated Poliquin and won the seat in the 2018 election. Both the Republican and Democratic primaries for U.S. House Maine District 1 were uncontested. Ed Thelander was the only Republican in the primary race and will face current Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) in November. The…

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is currently seeking comments related to a number of waivers it intends to submit to the federal Department of Education. The state is seeking waivers for funding requirements outlined in the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) funds, as well as for carryover limitations that apply to funds allocated to local school districts. If granted, the waivers the state is seeking would apply to approximately 10 programs, including those that affect the improvement of basic programs, such as school improvements, operated by local education agencies (LEAs), state assessment formula grants, the education of…

At least 20 percent of federal dollars paid out through pandemic-related unemployment programs went to fraudulent and ineligible claims according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The federal watchdog reported that at least $78 billion, and potentially more, of benefits paid out in fiscal year 2021 were misspent. According to the report, the rate of improper payments made via unemployment insurance (UI) claims jumped from 9.2 percent, amounting to $8 billion in fiscal year 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic, to 18.9 percent, amounting to $78.1 billion in fiscal year 2021. The report notes that the federal…

As part of Maine’s Climate Council, which is working to implement a four-year plan to decrease the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent in 2030 and 80 percent in 2050, the Equity Subcommittee (ESC) released a set of initial recommendations in a report published in February 2022. The focus of the ESC, one of several of the climate council’s subcommittees, involves supporting “ongoing planning and implementation of the state’s climate strategies to ensure shared benefits across diverse populations in Maine.” This goal is reflected in the recommendations made in its report, which focus on equity in steps the state…

According to a report recently released by WalletHub, Maine has the eighth weakest economy in the nation. WalletHub looked at 28 “key indicators of economic performance and strength,” ranging from the growth of gross domestic product (GDP) to startup activity, to rank the economies of all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. Maine’s economy is the weakest in New England, falling three states below Vermont, which had the 41st weakest economy in the nation. Massachusetts had the fourth strongest economy in the country and New Hampshire had the fifth strongest. Maine earned an overall score of 35.37. Its economic…

For John Lewis, his local school district’s decision to enact hybrid learning during the COVID-19 pandemic made finding a work-life balance difficult and strengthened his belief in school choice. Lewis, now the co-founder and managing partner of a workforce development consulting firm who worked as a leadership gifts officer at Maine Medical Center during the pandemic, resides in Cape Elizabeth with his wife and two school-age children. His eldest child attends public middle school and his youngest attends public elementary school. “When schools shut down for the remainder of the [2019-2020] year, that was a big shift in routine. Fortunately,…

The Maine chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) recently announced it had filed paperwork with the city of Portland to put four referendum questions on the ballot in November 2022. Called the “Livable Portland Referenda,” the proposals include an $18 minimum wage, a requirement that landlords provide 90-day notices of rent increases or evictions, a restriction on short-term rentals, and a restriction on the number of cruise ship passengers who can disembark. Portland mayor Kate Snyder had no comment on the DSA’s proposed ballot initiatives. According to a press release from the DSA’s local campaign committee, the campaign…

Days after announcing the results of a lottery for a new pilot program that would allow only 10 food trucks to park and serve customers on Cutter Street near Portland’s Eastern Promenade, the city reversed course and announced all 14 trucks that applied for a license would be allowed to park and operate there. Danielle West, Portland’s interim city manager, said via a press release that she appreciated the ability of food truck operators to meet with her quickly following the announcement of the pilot program. “I appreciated hearing their thoughts and feedback regarding our plans for the food truck…

Now that LD 2003, the housing bill sponsored by Speaker of the House Ryan Fecteau (D-Biddeford) has been signed into law, municipalities around the state, with some exceptions, will be required to allow the construction of up to four dwelling units per lot when that regulation goes into effect on July 1, 2023. But despite new statewide zoning requirements, municipalities are still taking different approaches to reforming local ordinances, particularly those that affect housing development and zoning. Two of those cities are Portland and Auburn. Portland recently completed the first phase of its ReCode Portland project, during which the city…

The $850 checks passed as part of the most recent supplemental budget deal will begin arriving in the mailboxes of eligible Mainers next week, according to Gov. Janet Mills’ administration. A June 1 press release announced the Department of Administrative and Financial Services (DAFS) would post an initial round of 5,000 checks on June 2. The department then expects to release an additional 200,000 checks each week, “with the vast majority of qualifying Maine people expected to receive their check by mid-July.” The department also reported that the state treasurer’s office has confirmed it has enough envelopes to distribute the…

According to The Hill, Maine’s average price of gas per gallon was 10th highest in the nation on Memorial Day. The average price of gas in Maine was $4.77 per gallon, 15 cents higher than the national average of $4.62. According to data from the American Automobile Association (AAA) and compiled by The Hill, Aroostook County had Maine’s most expensive gas at $4.83 per gallon. Cumberland and Somerset Counties also had prices among the highest in the state, at $4.81 per gallon. California had the highest gas prices in the nation on Memorial Day, averaging $6.15 per gallon across the…

If passed as currently written, a recently submitted draft proposal of reforms to Portland’s city charter features election reforms, including plans to allow non-citizen residents to vote and make the mayor the city’s chief executive. A review of Portland’s charter was approved by voters during a July 14, 2020 election. It authorized the creation of a charter commission, which began with the city council appointing three members on August 10, 2020. Voters appointed an additional eight members to the commission during an election held on June 8, 2021. The commission’s preliminary report was submitted to the city council during its…

Before the Supreme Court issues its final opinion for the October 2021 term in June, it will rule on a case involving public funding of private religious schools in Maine. At issue in Carson v. Makin is whether a state statute that exempts sectarian schools from receiving public funding for tuition violates religious rights protected by the First Amendment. Under state statute, parents who reside in towns that do not operate schools at their child’s grade level can enroll their child in a public or private school of their choosing, provided their town does not have an existing agreement with…

University of Maine System (UMS) Chancellor Dannel Malloy has now received four votes of no confidence from campuses within the university system. Following votes of no confidence from faculty at the University of Maine at Augusta (UMA), the University of Southern Maine (USM) and the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF), the University of Maine at Machias (UMM) faculty assembly voted on May 19 to declare no confidence in Malloy’s leadership. Malloy is facing criticism for failing to disclose a no confidence vote taken against Michael Laliberte by the State University of New York at Delhi, where he formerly served…

Following an upward revision to March’s jobs numbers, Maine’s unemployment rate was “essentially unchanged” at 3.3 percent in April, according to the Maine Department of Labor (MDOL). The MDOL reports the unemployment rate decreased and averaged 3.6 percent over the last three-months. The state has gained an average of 3,400 jobs in each of the past three months, between February and April, over the prior three months. According to the MDOL, 22,600 people in the state were unemployed in April, the lowest number in 29 months. The state’s labor force participation rate was at 59 percent and the employment-to-population ratio…

After failing to disclose a vote of no confidence in the incoming University of Maine at Augusta’s (UMA) leadership, University of Maine System (UMS) chancellor Dannel Malloy has now received two votes of no confidence in his leadership. On May 13, the University of Southern Maine (USM) Faculty Senate voted to declare no confidence in Malloy’s leadership. The vote came a day after the UMA Faculty Senate voted to declare no confidence in Malloy. Malloy is facing scrutiny for failing to disclose that students and faculty of the State University of New York at Delhi (SUNY Delhi) voted to declare…

As a result of its information retention practices related to privacy and the First Amendment, the Maine Information and Analysis Center (MIAC), housed within the Department of the Maine State Police, has previously been the subject of controversy. While two privacy audits conducted in the past year by the MIAC’s advisory board claim the center has addressed those practices, a report released by a group of privacy and criminology experts questions their conclusions. The center is part of a national network of so-called “fusion centers” that sprung up in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to facilitate information sharing…

Maine’s Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry (DACF) would write new rules to bring the state’s hemp program into line with federal rules after the legislature passed LD 1942 when it met for veto day in Augusta on May 9. The bill is made necessary by the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, also known as the Farm Bill, which required the federal United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to create a national regulatory framework for the production of hemp. The law allows states and Indian tribes to create their own programs to regulate the production of hemp, which requires a…

When the legislature returned to Augusta for veto day on May 9, lawmakers failed to override a single one of Gov. Mills five vetoes. Mills issued veto letters for LD 1919, LD 844, and LD 1358 on Friday, May 6. She vetoed LDs 170 and 1820 on April 26. LD 1919 created a tax credit for timber harvesting businesses intended to help grow the industry. Beginning in January 2023, companies would have been able to claim a $7,500 refundable credit for new qualified employees covered by the Employment Security Law and who earn an amount equal to or greater than…

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows’ office released draft rules on May 5 detailing how the agency would review vanity license plates for profanity. The rule, which uses existing statutory definitions for profanity and obscenity, was authorized by LD 130, which the legislature passed in June 2021. It was subsequently signed into law by Gov. Janet Mills. The draft rule allows the secretary of state to refuse applications for vanity license plates if they falsely suggest an association with a government agency, duplicate another plate, encourage violence, are profane or obscene, or if they make a derogatory reference to characteristics like…

A law related to pay for vacation time at the end of employment that was enacted in April has the potential to cause confusion and raise costs for some businesses in the state. Gov. Janet Mills signed LD 225 into law on April 7. At the cessation of employment, the law requires employers to pay departing employees “all unused paid vacation accrued pursuant to the employer’s vacation policy on or after January 1, 2023.” LD 225 does not apply to businesses with 10 or fewer employees, public sector employers, or employees governed by a collective bargaining agreement. The law does…

Though a new rule from the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration affecting the gear lobster fisherman can use has gone into effect, it will not yet be enforced. As of May 1, lobster fishermen fishing in federal waters are now required to use ropes with weak points approved by the National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) that will break if a whale becomes entangled in them. The rule requiring the gear was part of a final rule announced by NOAA on August 31, 2021 amending the agency’s Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan, which attempts to reduce the number of injuries…

Gov. Janet Mills has so far vetoed two bills passed during the 130th Legislature’s second session, and more vetoes could follow. On April 26, Mills vetoed LD 1820 and LD 170. LD 1820 adds three non-voting members to the University of Maine System’s (UMS) Board of Trustees. LD 170 creates requirements for approving the construction of nonessential transmission lines. The Senate voted 19 to 13 on April 14 to finally pass LD 1820. The House of Representatives passed the bill on March 31. It was then tabled by the Senate. The bill adds a faculty member, a non-faculty member, and…

Though the 130th Maine Legislature will return to Augusta for a veto day on May 9, there are a number of bills with which it has not finally dispensed. Among these are a number of high-profile bills, though few bills have garnered as much attention this session as those that seek to extend sovereignty to Maine’s federally recognized tribes. LD 1626 is one such bill affecting tribal sovereignty that the legislature considered this session. It would amend the Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement Act of 1980 and would give the Passamaquoddy Tribe, the Penobscot Nation, and the Houlton Band of…

On April 27, Gov. Janet Mills signed LD 2003 into law. The bill was finally passed by the legislature on April 25, the final day of the session. Mills was joined at the signing ceremony, held in Augusta, by House Speaker Ryan Fecteau (D-Biddeford), who sponsored the bill, and Sens. Matt Pouliot (R-Kennebec) and Craig Hickman (D-Kennebec). Supporters of the bill have positioned it as a way to address Maine’s housing shortage and increase the state’s supply of affordable housing. Provisions in the bill require the state to produce regional housing goals, create the Housing Opportunity Program within the Department…

With the 130th Maine Legislature’s second session completed, except for a veto day to be held May 9, several tobacco-related bills are on the path to die. LDs 1423 and 1523 remained on the special appropriations table in the Senate when it adjourned on April 25. They were not among the list of roughly 90 bills that received funding on the final day of the legislature’s work. LD 1550 remains on unfinished business in the House of Representatives. The bill would ban the sale of flavored tobacco products, including cigars and electronic smoking products, in the state. Tobacco retailers who…

Both chambers of the Maine Legislature met on April 25 for the final regular meeting of the 130th Legislature. Lawmakers were supposed to adjourn on Wednesday, April 20, but voted to extend session one extra day to address $12 million in funding of items on the special appropriations table as part of the supplemental budget deal. Following work done by the Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs last Friday, the Senate moved a number of bills to receive funding off of the special appropriations table and voted for final passage. Though the supplemental budget contained only $12 million in unallocated…

Lawmakers in both the House of Representatives and Senate met on April 20 and extended the second legislative session, statutorily set to end on the third Wednesday of the month, by one day. A proposal to extend the session by two days failed to earn the support of Senate Republicans on two occasions before lawmakers of both parties in both chambers agreed to extend session by one day. The legislature will convene again on Monday, April 25 to dispense with remaining matters, including items currently on the special appropriations table that will receive funding through the supplemental budget. The $1.2…

Both the House of Representative and the Senate convened on April 19 for the penultimate day of the 130th Legislature’s second session. The supplemental budget was passed during the session and a utility accountability bill brought forward by Gov. Janet Mills failed unexpectedly following a vote in the House of Representatives. Supplemental Budget The supplemental budget, LD 1995, was introduced in the House on April 19. Both Rep. Teresa Pierce (D-Falmouth) and Rep. Sawin Millett (R-Waterford) rose to speak in favor of the bill. Pierce and Millett worked together in Appropriations and Financial Affairs (AFA) Committee to craft the budget,…

With only three days left in the 130th Legislature’s second session, both the Senate and House of Representatives held sessions on April 18. The bodies continued to advance legislation introduced during the previous week’s session. On April 15, LD 2010, a bill to provide electricity rate relief to medium-use commercial customers, sponsored by Senate President Troy Jackson (D-Aroostook), was tabled pending enactment in the Senate. Also on April 15, the Senate advanced LD 1195, a bill that allocates 5% of revenue earned through the gross sales and excise taxes on adult use marijuana to municipalities where the revenue was generated.…

In March, Maine’s unemployment rate was 3.6 percent, a decrease from February’s 4 percent unemployment rate. According to the Maine Department of Labor (DOL), the state’s unemployment rate has averaged 3.9 percent for the last three months. The number of jobs available in the state also increased by 3,600 in March. For the last three months, Maine has gained an average 3,400 jobs. The DOL said March’s unemployment rate is the lowest in 24 months. The labor force participation rate was at 59.2 percent, little changed from February’s 59.3 percent rate. “The 3.9 percent average unemployment rate for January to…

The Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs (AFA) met late on the evening of April 14 and voted unanimously to approve the supplemental budget. The budget includes $850 direct relief checks for eligible Mainers, the amount originally proposed by Gov. Janet Mills, but they will be sent to a larger number of people. Mills’ original proposal called for checks to be sent to married individuals filing joint returns whose income was less than $150,000, married individuals filing separately whose income was under $75,000, single individuals whose income was less than $75,000, and heads of household whose income was under $112,500.…

With one week left in the legislative session and work on the supplemental budget still unfinished, both the Senate and the House of Representatives are scheduled to meet Monday through Friday this week. Monday, April 11 During the first of five sessions this week, the House of Representatives finally killed a bill that would have doubled the state’s motor vehicle inspection fee, from $12.50 to $25. Following a Senate vote to indefinitely postpone the bill on April 7, the House voted in concurrence Monday, officially killing LD 2032. The Senate passed several emergency measures, including a bill that makes supplemental…

On April 7, the Maine Legislature’s Labor and Housing Committee voted 8 to 4 to adopt a new sponsor’s amendment to LD 2003, a housing bill brought forward by Speaker of the House Ryan Fecteau (D-Biddeford). The committee had previously adopted a different amendment to the bill, which was also sponsored by Fecteau, during a work session held on March 16. Fecteau presented the amendment to the committee and clarified changes that had been made, some at the request of municipal planners within the state. Fecteau’s newest amendment clarifies density requirements that are part of the bill’s affordable housing density…

The Maine Senate on April 7 voted to indefinitely postpone a bill that would have doubled the state’s vehicle inspection fee, from $12.50 to $25. LD 2032 was passed to be enacted by the House of Representatives on March 29 but was tabled days later by the Senate after Gov. Janet Mills indicated to the Portland Press Herald she would veto the legislation should it reach her desk. The Senate voted 32 to 0 to indefinitely postpone the bill. The Senate also placed LD 489, a proposed constitutional amendment to create the right to a healthy environment, on the special…

The House of Representatives on April 5 failed to pass a bill that would have created a ballot question asking voters to amend the Maine Constitution to include a right to a healthy environment. The chamber voted 77 to 59 in favor of passing LD 489, falling short of the two-thirds majority threshold required to pass amendments to the state constitution. It will still be voted on by the Senate, but without a two-thirds vote in both chambers, the bill will die in the legislature. LD 489 would have added the following language to Article I, Section 25 of the state…

The 130th Maine Legislature is currently scheduled to adjourn its second session on April 20, giving legislators a little more than two weeks to negotiate and pass a supplemental budget in addition to finally dispensing with the remaining work before them. In February, Gov. Janet Mills released a supplemental budget proposal with plans for spending all but $20 million of the state’s projected $1.2 billion General Fund surplus. The governor left the decisions for how to spend the $20 million in unallocated funds up to legislators in the Democratic and Republican caucuses. On April 1, Republicans released their priorities for…

A bill to keep veterans’ homes in Machias and Caribou open was passed by the Senate and signed into law by Gov. Janet Mills on March 31. The bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to make supplemental payments to Maine Veterans’ Homes in fiscal years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. The money is conditioned on the organization keeping open veterans homes in Caribou and Machias. Other provisions within the bill include reporting requirements for Maine Veterans’ Homes. LD 2001 requires the organization to report efforts to seek funding and information related to proposals to close existing veterans’ homes…

For the last two school years, Maine has received a waiver from the federal government exempting it from federal reporting requirements related to assessment and accountability. As part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), signed into law by former president Barack Obama in 2015, which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, states are required to develop and submit academic standards to the federal Department of Education (DOE). To promote accountability, states are also required to regularly submit data on assessments and other metrics that show they are meeting standards. Because of widespread school closures caused…

Both the House of Representatives and the Senate met on March 29 for the ninth legislative day of the 130th Legislature’s second session. The Senate finally passed over 30 pieces of legislation, including a bill that will allow college athletes in the state to profit from the use of their name, image, likeness and from autographs. The chamber also finally passed a bill preventing retail stores from using abandoned properties in the valuation of facilities that are currently in use and operation. Both pieces of legislation will be sent to Gov. Janet Mills for signature. The House of Representatives debated…

During a joint session of the Maine Legislature on March 24, the Senate finally passed 15 pieces of legislation. The Senate also tabled a bill that would have allowed municipalities to implement ranked-choice voting in local elections, which the House of Representatives debated and advanced during its March 22 session. Both chambers debated whether to approve moving a legislative concept draft, sponsored by Sen. Cathy Breen (D-Cumberland), from the Committee on Judiciary to the Committee on Health and Human Services (HHS). Titled “An Act to Protect the Reproductive Rights and Freedoms of Maine People,” LD 811 is a concept draft…

Maine’s unemployment rate was 4 percent in February, a small change from January’s rate of 4.1 percent. The number of nonfarm wage and salary jobs available in the state grew by 3,200 in February. Through February, the state’s three-month average unemployment rate was 4.1 percent. February’s labor participation rate was 59.3 percent, unchanged from January. The state’s employment-to–population ratio changed slightly, up to 56.9 percent in February from 56.8 percent in January. Healthcare and social assistance, leisure and hospitality, and construction were the three industries with the largest job gains between January and February. According to the Maine Department of…

Both chambers of the Maine Legislature convened on March 22 for the first of two scheduled sessions this week. The Senate passed to be enacted seven bills and resolves, including one measure that makes permanent changes to the state’s liquor laws that were set to expire in September. In some circumstances, LD 1751 allows on-premises retailers and qualified distilleries to sell liquor for off-premises consumption and to sell cocktails for on-premises consumption. Two other bills, including one to promote labor education within the University of Maine System, were placed on the special appropriations table. An additional bill was placed on…

On March 18, the Maine Legislature’s Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology held a work session on Gov. Janet Mills’ proposal to hold electric utilities accountable. The committee produced a divided report, with three factions voting for three different amendments to the original bill. As originally drafted, LD 1959, a governor’s bill presented to the committee by Sen. Stacy Brenner (D-Cumberland), required the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to create minimum service requirements for transmission and distribution utilities and issue quarterly report cards. The original bill also created a pathway to divest from consistently underperforming utilities and required the PUC to…

During a work session on a bill proposing to return surplus money to taxpayers, Democrats on the Maine Legislature’s Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs (AFA) voted to table a motion to amend the bill to accelerate the process of providing relief to Maine taxpayers by disbursing direct relief checks electronically. LD 327, a concept draft sponsored by Rep. Jeff Hanley (R-Pittston), proposed putting into the General Fund only the amount of money necessary to cover the state’s outstanding obligations and returning 75% of the remaining amount to taxpayers. The final 25% would have been transferred to the Budget Stabilization…

Gov. Janet Mills unveiled her change package to the supplemental budget on March 18, which spends all but $20 million of the state’s projected $1.2 billion General Fund surplus and would increase the amount of direct relief checks Maine taxpayers would receive to $850. The change package includes spending plans for the additional $411.7 million in projected revenue that the Revenue Forecasting Committee announced on March 1. Mills had previously said she would allocate half of the additional projected surplus to direct checks, bringing the total to $750. Her original supplemental budget proposal allocated half of the roughly $822 billion…

The Maine Legislature’s Committee on Labor and Housing (LBHS) on March 16 voted to advance an amended version of Speaker of the House Ryan Fecteau’s (D-Biddeford) bill intended to increase the amount of housing in Maine.  The committee voted 8-3 in favor of advancing LD 2003, which implements some of the recommendations of the Commission to Increase Housing Opportunities in Maine by Studying Zoning and Land Use Restrictions. The amendment, which was also authored by Fecteau, struck several portions of the bill, including a prohibition on municipalities adopting growth caps and a state level permit review board that could overturn decisions…

Maine’s unemployment rate was unchanged from December 2021 to January 2022. The unemployment rate remained at 4.1% in January. The number of unemployed people in the state also remained unchanged from December 2021 at 28,200. According to the Maine Department of Labor (DOL), December’s previously reported unemployment rate of 4.7% was revised to 4.1%. The DOL also reported the state’s labor force participation rate was little changed in January at 59.3%. Maine’s three-month unemployment rate average through January was 4.2%. According to to the DOL, “[a]verages for November to January decreased from the prior three-month period through October for each…

The Maine Legislature’s Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IFW) voted against a bill Monday that would have allowed Mainers to hunt on Sundays. The original language of LD 2014 would have allowed Sunday hunting of wild birds and animals “north of U.S. Route 2 from the New Hampshire border to Bangor, north of Route 9 from Bangor to the Canadian border and within any portion of the White Mountain National Forest in the State.” The bill also would have allowed private landowners in all other areas of the state to hunt on their private property on Sundays, as well…

For the sixth time during the 130th Maine Legislature’s second session, the House of Representatives and Senate met on March 9 to consider pending legislation. The Senate finally dispensed with 24 pieces of legislation, including an emergency bill that allows lobster harvesting to begin at 4 a.m. in September and a bill that requires fireworks sellers to provide customers with a statement that local ordinances may prohibit or restrict their use. The Senate also debated a motion to accept an ought not to pass report on LD 867, which would have put a five-year ban on mandating COVID-19 vaccines. Sen.…

Approximately five months after being forced to vacate the position of state auditor, Matt Dunlap has received internal auditor credentials. Maine law requires anyone who holds the position of state auditor to be certified as a public accountant, internal auditor or information systems auditor. Individuals who lack these credentials have nine months from the date on which they take the oath of office to obtain them. When Dunlap took the oath on January 4, 2021, he possessed none of those credentials but chose to pursue internal auditor credentials. On October 1, 2021, Dunlap was forced to vacate his position after…

With the retail price of gasoline in Maine over $4 per gallon and matching the national average, Republican legislators seek to introduce legislation aimed at reducing the price of fuel. According to GasBuddy.com, as of March 8, the average retail price of gas in Maine was $4.22 a gallon, the highest price in more than a decade. Maine’s prices are slightly above the national average, which was $4.19 as of March 8. On March 6, Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn) submitted an after-deadline emergency bill request to suspend Maine’s gas tax through the end of 2022. “Maine people are struggling to…

The Maine Legislature’s Committee on Labor and Housing held a public hearing March 7 on a bill that would make statewide changes to zoning and land use laws at the municipal level. LD 2003 would implement nine recommendations made by the Commission to Increase Housing Opportunities in Maine by Studying Zoning and Land Use Restrictions in its final report, which was submitted to the legislature in December 2021. The bill would amend the Maine Human Rights Act’s fair housing provisions to add definitions of the terms “character of a location,” “concentrations of the population,” and “overcrowding of land” and prevent…

The Maine Legislature’s Committee on Health and Human Services (HHS) voted to advance two pieces of legislation which would replace the Fund for a Healthy Maine with the Trust for a Healthy Maine and will create a state Office Of Population Health Equity and an obesity advisory council. The committee voted 8 to 5 to pass an amended version of LD 1523, which creates the Trust for a Healthy Maine to receive and distribute funds the state receives from tobacco companies as part of the Master Settlement Agreement. Funds from the trust must be used for tobacco use prevention and…

Maine’s Legislative Council voted unanimously on March 3 to change its requirement that legislators and staff wear masks inside the State House’s legislative spaces. The council voted to tie the policy to the community transmission rate of COVID-19 in Kennebec County as measured by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As long as the transmission rate is not high, masks will not be required in legislative spaces. Should the transmission rate in Kennebec County move to a level where masks are required, the legislative council will hold a discussion before reimplementing mandatory masking. The policy will go…