Author: Libby Palanza

Rhode Island-based U.S. District Court Judge Melissa DuBose presided Friday over the first hearing in Rep. Laurel Libby’s (R-Auburn) federal lawsuit against House Speaker Ryan Fecteau (D-Biddeford) over his decision to block the representative from voting and speaking on the floor of the Maine Legislature. Libby was censured by a party-line vote in February for posting an image on social media that identified a biologically male athlete who took first place in a girls’ track and field contest, and which gained significant traction as it reached up to the highest levels of government and spurred a show-down between Maine Governor…

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) has filed an amicus brief in support of Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn) in her lawsuit against Speaker of the House Ryan Fecteau (D-Biddeford) seeking relief for his stripping her of the right to vote and speak on the chamber floor after she refused to apologize for a viral social media post. FIRE’s self-defined mission is to “defend and sustain the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought.” In their brief, FIRE argues that the House went too far in barring Rep. Libby from voting and participating in floor…

Lawmakers on the Taxation Committee have unanimously rejected two bills that would have imposed new taxes on the cost of hotel rentals in Maine. While one bill sought to give municipalities the opportunity to adopt a two percent sales tax to fund affordable housing initiatives, the other would have mandated an additional three percent sales tax to generate revenue for education. Both of these taxes would have been added to the existing nine percent sales tax on hotel rentals, also referred to as the lodging tax. Absent extraordinary action, neither of these proposals will be considered further this legislative session.…

Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey has joined a coalition of twenty-three states in suing Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over the termination of approximately $11 billion in federal COVID-era grants, $91 million of which had been earmarked for Maine. In March, the Trump Administration cancelled and revoked $11.4 billion worth of COVID-era funding that had originally been scheduled to run through September of this year. A spokesperson for the DHHS explained to NPR why the Department believed it made sense to freeze funding at this juncture. “The COVID-19 pandemic is over, and HHS…

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) delivered remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday in support of a resolution sponsored by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) that would end President Donald Trump’s (R) emergency declaration imposing tariffs on Canada for not doing enough to stop illegal drugs from coming into the United States. The Senate went on to approve this resolution 51-48 with support from all Democrats and four Republicans, including Sens. Collins, Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and Rand Paul (R-KY). On February 1, President Trump declared an emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), citing a lack of effort…

Democratic Speaker of the House Ryan Fecteau (D-Biddeford) has filed his official response to Rep. Laurel Libby’s (R-Auburn) lawsuit against him for violating her rights as an elected legislator by censuring her earlier this year. Rep. Libby was censured by a party-line vote in February brought by House Democrat leadership for posting a viral image on social media that identified a biologically male athlete who took first place in a girls’ track and field contest. After she refused to apologize for the post — a condition of her censure — Speaker Fecteau stripped Libby of her right to vote and…

Maine has been found to have the fourth highest total tax burden in the country, according to a new study published by personal finance website WalletHub. To determine residents’ tax burden, WalletHub calculated property, income, and sales and excises taxes as a share of personal income. The data used for these rankings were collected on March 4 of this year from the Tax Policy Center. Based on these calculations, Mainers bear a 10.64 percent overall tax burden, annually paying 4.4 percent of their income in property taxes, 3.02 percent in income taxes, and 3.48 percent in sales and excise taxes.…

The Maine Judiciary Committee released updated language Monday morning for a bill aimed at addressing the lack of state-provided attorneys for criminal defendants ahead of this week’s work session. Originally introduced earlier this month by Sen. Anne Carney (D-Cumberland) and Rep. Amy D. Kuhn (D-Falmouth), this legislation look to make notable changes to the process for ensuring that those who cannot afford an attorney are provided one. The updated language shared by Sen. Carney and Rep. Kuhn in their role as Judiciary Committee Chairs significantly pairs back this bill, striking out several pages of text and reducing it primarily to…

Maine lawmakers have introduced a bill that would exempt any money earned by kids from state income tax. This proposal would make any income earned by someone under the age of 18 years tax-free, either for the individuals themselves or by those who claim them as dependents. If approved, these changes would go into effect beginning on January 1, 2026. Although this legislation is primarily led by Republican lawmakers, it also has support from both Independent and Democratic members of the House. Sponsoring this bill was Rep. Benjamin C. Hymes (R-Waldo) and Senate Minority Leader Trey Stewart (R-Aroostook) alongside Reps.…

A public hearing is now on the books for a series of constitutional amendments that would give Mainers the right to popularly elect key constitutional officers, including the Attorney General and Secretary of State. Because several separate resolutions have been introduced so far this session that all effectively aim accomplish this same objective in slightly different ways, the State and Local Government Committee has opted to conducted a consolidated hearing where testimony will be heard on all bills simultaneously. The hearing is set to begin at 10am on Monday, April 7 in Room 214 of the Cross Building, which is…

Nearly two-thirds of Mainers agree with President Donald Trump (R) that biological men should be barred from participating in women’s sports, according to the newest Pine Tree State Poll, a States of Opinion Project, conducted by the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Survey Center. While 64 percent of respondents said that biological men “definitely” or “probably” should not participate in women’s sports, only 29 percent said that they “definitely” or “probably” should. A somewhat higher percentage of Mainers were okay with biological women participating in men’s sports. Source: Pine Tree State Poll, a States of Opinion Project, University of New…

Republican lawmakers are taking steps to make Maine’s new Paid Family and Medical Leave Program voluntary. Currently, all employers and employees are required to participate in the program, but some legislators are looking to change that. This program, enacted last year as part of a spending bill, has imposed a one percent payroll tax on most working Mainers and their employers to fund paid leave for all employees statewide, with benefits not scheduled to begin until May of 2026. Mainers began contributing to the program on January 1 of this year, sixteen months ahead of when benefits are first scheduled…

Maine lawmakers in the state Senate have rejected a push to call for an Article V Convention to amend the U.S. Constitution. The now-defunct request would have called specifically sought to call an Article V Convention to implement campaign finance reform. This, however, is not the only Article V resolution on the table in Augusta this year, as lawmakers are still considering the possibility of requesting a Convention to propose the imposition of term limits on members of Congress and Supreme Court Justices. In order for an Article V Convention to be called, thirty-four state legislatures — representing at two-thirds…

Maine’s Judiciary Committee is set to hold a massive public hearing this Friday on a slate of abortion-related legislation. The hearing is set to begin at 9:30am in State House Room 438 and is expected to go until sometime between 5pm and 6pm that night. Mainers may begin arriving as early as 8am to sign up to testify. Based on sign up order, those looking to offer testimony will be assigned a group number that will determine when they will be called to speak. Due to the volume of public testimony that is expected Friday, the Legislative Analyst for the…

Republican lawmakers in Maine have proposed an amendment to the state’s constitution that would prohibit the governor from calling the Legislature into a special session within 90 days of adjournment. This, in effect, would likely prevent or deter the kind of parliamentary maneuvering that was seen this past week with respect to the $11.3 billion partial biennial budget — a budget that has set the table for massive tax increases in the new special session by failing to fund MaineCare for FY 2027. Following extensive debate on the floor of the House and Senate, a substantial two-year budget bill was…

Democrat lawmakers are now looking to amend Maine’s constitution to cap property tax increases for senior homeowners. Sponsored by Sen. Joe Baldacci (D-Penobscot), LD 1304 would amend the state constitution to give the Legislature authority to cap property tax increases for homeowners over the age of 65 to two percent annually. Under the proposed language, the state government would be required to reimburse municipalities for at least 90 percent of the lost revenue using funds from a two percent tax on lottery tickets and sports betting. Cosponsoring this resolution are Rep. Dani L. O’Halloran (D-Brewer), Sen. Tim Nangle (D-Cumberland), Rep.…

A Maine Republican representative has filed an application to begin collecting signatures for a People’s Veto of the $11.3 billion two-year, party-line budget approved last week. In Maine, a People’s Veto allows voters to “repeal a piece of legislation passed by the legislature” by using “the initiative and referendum process.” To earn a place on the ballot, these petitions must each receive more than 67,000 signatures, a number that is calculated based on the turnout levels from the most recent gubernatorial election. Submitted by Rep. Gary A. Drinkwater (R-Milford), this application to begin collecting signature’s for a People’s Veto petition…

Lawmakers on the Veterans and Legal Affairs (VLA) Committee are divided along partisan lines over whether or not to advance a proposal to repeal ranked choice voting. While all Republicans on the committee voted in support of doing away with the controversial system, all Democrats opposed this effort. LD 234 — An Act to Eliminate Ranked-Choice Voting — was sponsored by Rep. Richard H. Campbell (R-Orrington) and cosponsored by Rep. Amy Bradstreet Arata (R-New Gloucester), Rep. Irene A. Gifford (R-Lincoln), Rep. Randall Adam Greenwood (R-Wales), Rep. Abigail W. Griffin (R-Levant), Rep. Shelley Rudnicki (R-Fairfield), Rep. Michael Soboleski (R-Phillips), and Rep.…

This past week in Augusta, Democrat lawmakers pursued a relatively obscure parliamentary maneuver to pass an $11.3 billion spending bill without any Republican support. But how did we get here from the $120 million supplemental spending bill that was being debated earlier this month? After significant back and forth between chambers, this bill was placed in the legislative files as dead legislation, putting an end to the possibility that it could be adopted. Two days later, the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee offered a more than 400-page amendment to a previously-introduced concept draft, morphing it into a partial biennial budget.…

President Donald Trump signed an executive Thursday that represents the first step toward officially abolishing the federal Department of Education (DOE). Flanked by students and educators in a White House signing event, President Trump moved closer towards fulfilling a promise to return decision-making and resources for education from the federal government to the states. “Our Nation’s bright future relies on empowered families, engaged communities, and excellent educational opportunities for every child,” the president wrote in his executive order. “Unfortunately, the experiment of controlling American education through Federal programs and dollars — and the unaccountable bureaucracy those programs and dollars support…

A new bill introduced this week looks to amend the laws governing Maine’s new Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) Program to allow employers who had a “substantially equivalent” private plan in place by January 1 of this year. Currently, Maine employees and employers are required to make non-refundable contributions to the new paid leave program, even if the employer intends to substitute a private plan. This program, enacted last year as part of a spending bill, has imposed a one percent payroll tax on most working Mainers and their employers to fund paid leave for all employees statewide, with…

Republican lawmakers are pushing for Maine to eliminate the state’s vehicle excise tax and replace it with an annual mileage-based fee. Drivers in Maine currently have to pay an annual excise tax on their vehicles, the amount of which is calculated based on a vehicle’s age and manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP). LD 1194 — sponsored by Sen. Joseph Martin (R-Oxford) and cosponsored by Rep. James E. Thorne (R-Carmel) — would phase this tax out over the next five years, reducing it by 20 percent each year. In its place, the state would begin collecting a mileage-based fee every year,…

Democrat lawmakers are now looking to extend funding that makes community college free for all Maine residents — a benefit that was introduced as an extraordinary measure three years ago. To qualify for the proposed program, students would need to (1) enroll in an associate degree, diploma, or certificate program at a participating institution, (2) live in Maine for the duration of their enrollment, and (3) accept all available sources of funding offered to them. For these students, the payment of all tuition and mandatory fees would be waived. Once granted, a waiver would be valid for up to twice…

The State of Maine has now awarded the last of the $60 million relief package approved last year in response to the destructive storms that swept through the state in the winter of 2023, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. This final round of funding, worth a total of $2 million, was allocated across 40 businesses and non-profit organizations throughout the state. Distributed by the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), this represents the second and final batch of awards to be given out through the Business Recovery and Resilience Fund (BRRF). The BRRF was first established…

Maine lawmakers are on track to reject a proposal to soften the restrictions surrounding candidates’ ability to communicate with voters at the polls on election day. Members of the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee are divided along partisan lines over whether or not the state should amend the restrictions surrounding candidates’ ability to interact voters at the polls on election day. Sponsored by Sen. Jim Libby (R-Cumberland) and cosponsored by Rep. David Boyer (R-Poland) and Rep. Kimberly J. Pomerleau (R-Standish), LD 199 sought to allow candidates to communicate more extensively with voters at the polls. The proposed language would explicitly…

GOP lawmakers are looking to reinstate the property tax stabilization program for Maine’s older homeowners that previously had been repealed after just one year. Referred to the Taxation Committee Tuesday, LD 1144 was sponsored by Sen. Jim Libby (R-Cumberland) and cosponsored by Sen. Bruce Bickford (R-Androscoggin) and Sen. Trey Stewart (R-Aroostook). Originally introduced in 2022, this program allows eligible seniors to stop their property tax bills from increasing year over year, locking in the cost as of the preceding tax year. Should this law be approved, seniors would be able to apply for the program starting with the 2026 property…

A new Republican-led bill introduced on Tuesday looks to amend the citizens petition process with respect to agency rule making in Maine. Under current Maine State Law, agencies are required to begin appropriate rule making proceedings upon receipt of a petition with 150 valid signatures. This process was recently invoked by the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) to prompt the Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) to consider adopting a California-style electric vehicle (EV) mandate. Had the rule proposed in the petition been approved, 51 percent of new car sales in Maine would have needed to be comprised of EVs…

Lawmakers on the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee have unanimously voted to recommend that a bill allowing candidates for Attorney General and Secretary of State to participate in the Maine Clean Elections Act (MCEA) not be passed into law. LD 454 was sponsored by Sen. Joe Baldacci (D-Penobscot) and, if approved, would have given candidates running for these key constitutional offices the right to access public campaign financing. Because the Attorney General and Secretary of State are currently selected by legislators — and not by popular election — this change would not have gone into effect unless the state constitution…

A public hearing has been scheduled next week for a bill that aims to support Maine’s hospitality industry by eliminating the sales tax on prepared foods, including meals sold in restaurants. The official summary of this legislation indicates that the purpose of this change would be to “mak[e] dining out more affordable,” as well as potentially to boost tourism. Because LD 908 was originally introduced by Sen. Joseph Martin (R-Oxford) as a concept draft, the final language of the proposed bill has not yet been released. Having become a controversial tool in recent years, the Joint Rules Committee recently approved…

Maine Democrats have proposed levying an additional four percent tax on income earned over $1 million to fund public education. Sponsored by Rep. Cheryl A. Golek (D-Harpswell), LD 1089 would impose this new “surcharge” on income beginning with that generated this year. The four percent tax would only be applied to the portion of a Mainer’s income that is above the $1 million threshold, meaning that everything up to that point would not be subject to this additional fee. As the law is currently written, revenue collected from this tax could only be used to fund public pre-kindergarten through grade…

The public will now get a chance to weigh in on whether to give Maine voters the opportunity to approve or reject pay raises for elected officials in the state, including legislators and the governor. Sponsored by a group of GOP lawmakers, LD 775 would put the pay raise legislators already approved earlier in the session on next ballot as a referendum question. The State and Local Government Committee will be holding a public hearing on this bill at 1pm on Monday, March 24 in Room 214 of the Cross Building, which is located directly across from the State House.…

Democrat lawmakers in Augusta have introduced a bill that aims to prohibit “housing discrimination” based on a person’s source of income under the Maine Human Rights Act. If approved, this law would prevent anyone looking to sell or rent a property from refusing to rent to, or engage in housing negotiations with, individuals because of their income source, so long it is legal and rightfully obtained. For example, landlords and property owners could not discount potential tenants or buyers because a portion of their income is sourced from a public assistance program, non-governmental organization (NGO), or the Social Social Security…

Mainers gathered in Augusta Wednesday for a public hearing on two bills that look to allow cities and towns throughout the state to adopt a local option sales tax on short-term lodging. Both laws up for consideration this week would give municipalities the option of imposing a two percent sales tax on the cost of hotel rentals. While one proposal — sponsored by Rep. Charles A. Skold (D-Portland) — would restrict the use of these funds to qualified affordable housing initiatives at the local level, the other — sponsored by Rep. Gary Friedmann (D-Bar Harbor) — would give cities and…

Northern Light Inland Hospital and its associated Waterville clinics are slated to be shut down and will halt patient care on May 27 before fully closing their doors on June 11, its administration said on Thursday. According to the announcement, Lakewood Continuing Care, a 105-bed facility, will remain open and will not be affected by these changes. A statement posted on the Northern Light Health Facebook page explained that the 48-bed hospital has been struggling under the weight of financial pressures and labor shortages. “Like hospitals and healthcare systems nationwide, Northern Light Health continues to feel the immense pressure of…

Funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for Maine universities was restored Wednesday following a brief pause by the federal government on Monday. U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued a statement on Wednesday as news of that the funding pause had ended broke. The University of Maine System (UMS) announced Monday that the USDA had temporarily halted funding, apparently in connection to an investigation announced by the agency in February. The USDA announced publicly on February 22 that it would be initiating a review of UMS’ compliance with Title IV and Title IX,…

Democrat lawmakers in Maine are looking to impose an additional four percent tax on capital gains earned by residents over a certain threshold. Capital gains refers to the increase in the value of an asset between the time it is acquired and when it is sold. These assets include a wide range of investments, including stocks, bonds, or real estate, as well as items purchased for personal use, like furniture or a boat. Short-term capital gains — or those earned on an asset owned for less than a year — are taxed alongside all other income in accordance with an…

Maine lawmakers are now looking to have the final say over what civil lawsuits are brought by the state’s Attorney General. In recent years, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey has pursued litigation on a host of controversial topics, as well as joined a number of suits challenging the policies of President Donald Trump’s (R) administration. [RELATED: Crusading AG Frey Leaves Maine Behind in His Quest to Slay Dragons Across America] This year, Attorney General Frey has filed lawsuits against the Trump Administration for the president’s executive order ending birthright citizenship, as well as for allowing Elon Musk and the Department…

Democrat lawmakers are looking to add new penalties and enforcement measures to Maine’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Program that went into effect earlier this year. The bill introduced by President of the Senate Mattie Daughtry (D-Cumberland) and cosponsored by Rep. Kristen Cloutier (D-Lewiston) would also establish a Bureau of Paid Family and Medical Leave within the Maine Department of Labor (MDOL) to administer the program. This program, enacted last year as part of a spending bill, has imposed a one percent payroll tax on most working Mainers and their employers to fund paid leave for all employees statewide, with…

Taking your car in every year for its inspection sticker is a familiar ordeal to all Maine drivers, but some lawmakers are looking to make this a less frequent experience. Under LD 1010, sponsored by Rep. Chad R. Perkins (R-Dover-Foxcroft), drivers would only need to get their inspection stickers updated every other year. Cosponsoring this bill are Rep. Roger Clarence Albert (R-Madawaska), Rep. Quentin J. Chapman (R-Auburn), Rep. Randall Adam Greenwood (R-Wales), Rep. Michael J. Lance (R-Paris), Rep. Richard G. Mason (R-Lisbon), Rep. James Lee White (R-Guilford), and Sen. Craig Hickman (D-Kennebec). Click Here for More Information on LD 1010…

The federal government has temporarily halted millions of dollars in funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the University of Maine System (UMS). The USDA announced publicly on February 22 that it would be initiating a review of UMS’ compliance with Title IV and Title IX, citing “the State of Maine’s blatant disregard for President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) 14201, Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.” Title IV refers to a subsection of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibiting discrimination on the basis of “race, color, or national origin.” Title IX is a federal law barring schools and educational…

Maine’s Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee voted Wednesday to recommend that millions in proposed cuts to certain child care programs included in the state’s proposed biennial budget be scrapped. These cuts, worth more than $36 million in total, were originally proposed as part of an effort to address the massive budget shortfall that Maine is currently facing. For the upcoming 2026-2027 budget cycle, Maine is looking at a $450 million “structural deficit,” where spending is projected to far outpace revenue unless changes to either side of the equation are made. The decision to eliminate these proposed cuts came shortly…

Democratic lawmakers have proposed replacing Maine’s statewide minimum wage with a regionally based structure tied to an assessment of the living wage for the area of the state where one is based. Under this legislation, Maine would be divided into three regions: coastal, northern, and Portland metropolitan. Each of these sub-divisions would be subject to a different minimum wage as determined by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Living Wage Calculator. These new wages requirements would take effect on January 1, 2026. Beginning the following year, the minimum wage in each region would be indexed to the cost of living,…

A group of Maine Democratic lawmakers have introduced a bill that would allow municipalities to adopt a local option sales tax to fund affordable housing initiatives. If approved, this law would give cities and towns the option of imposing a two percent sales tax on the cost of hotel rentals. While the majority of revenue generated would be returned to municipalities, 15 percent would be reserved for the Maine State Housing Authority and administrative costs. To opt into this program, residents would need to approve of the sales tax in a referendum vote. To be valid, the total number of…

Criminal defendants in Maine will now be released from jail if a lawyer is not provided within 14 days, and charges must be dropped for those who have been incarcerated for more than 60 days without receiving legal representation. Those who are released from jail under this new order will be subject to conditions of release similar to those who are granted bail. These changes are the result of an order published Friday by Kennebec County Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy. At the end of January, Justice Murphy heard arguments in a lawsuit filed two years ago by the American…

The United States Supreme Court ruled Wednesday in support of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), rejecting the argument made by two veterans that the denial of their claims deserved deeper review by the courts. When veterans apply for service-related benefits from the VA, they are entitled to receive the “benefit of the doubt” if the evidence supporting and opposing their claims is roughly balanced. In practice, this means that the VA is obligated to grant a veteran’s request for benefits if the evidence for and against their claim is nearly equal. At the center of this case is the…

Some Maine students are granted the ability to attend a public school outside of their home district through what is known as a Superintendent Agreement. Under current state law, however, students may be denied such a transfer if either of the superintendents involved deems that it is not a child’s “best interest.” All it takes is a thumbs down from either superintendent for the transfer to be blocked. State law does not specify what actually constitutes a transfer being “in the student’s best interest,” leaving this language almost entirely up to a given superintendent’s discretion. A bill introduced by Rep.…

Nine Republican lawmakers are looking to completely phase out Maine’s income tax by 2030 and reduce the state budget proportionally, according to a bill they introduced this week. Based on their plan, beginning in 2026, state income taxes would gradually be phased out over the course of several years, with Mainers paying a smaller and smaller percentage of the state income tax until it is eliminated entirely in 2030. If approved, this legislation would result in the elimination of state income tax both for individuals and corporations. In conjunction with this, the Bureau of the Budget would be directed to…

A group of Republican lawmakers have introduced a bill aims to eliminate the eight percent sales tax on prepared food, including meals sold in restaurants. The official summary of this legislation indicates that the purpose of this change would be to “mak[e] dining out more affordable,” as well as potentially to boost tourism. The Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) would be directed under this legislation to launch an advertising campaign to “encourage tourism in Maine and promote dining establishments as tax-free, with the exception of alcoholic beverages.” To offset the loss of revenue as a result of this…

Child care workers gathered at the State House Tuesday morning to protest tens of million dollars worth of cuts that were included in the proposed biennial budget. To allow workers to participate in Tuesday’s protest, a number of child care centers throughout the state were closed or only open for part of the day. According to a Portland Press Herald report, as many as 200 workers from at least 15 child care centers throughout the state were expected at the State House as of Monday evening. Concerns primarily centered around the $30 million worth of proposed cuts to the Early…

Maine is currently facing a significant housing crisis, and researchers at a state-based think tank have written a report illustrating how the situation has been exacerbated by some of the policies being pursued at the state and local level, and suggesting what can be done to remedy it. In their report — titled Under Construction: Fixing Maine’s Self-Imposed Housing Crisis — James Siodla, Ph.D. of Colby College and Harris Van Pate, J.D of the Maine Policy Institute take a look at the impact of various housing policies that have been implemented throughout the state. The researchers then go on to…

Maine lawmakers are again considering proposals to allow the State Police to require the use of an electronic inspection program for the state’s annual vehicle safety inspections. If approved, this would create an electronic surveillance system to track vehicle inspections that mechanics around the state would be required to use, if directed to by the State Police. More specifically, an “electronic inspection program” is defined in these proposals as a program designated by the Chief of the State Police “that uses electronically generated data as part of an inspection and permits the creation and exchange of an electronic record for…

Maine voters could soon have the opportunity to approve or reject pay raises for elected officials in the state, including legislators and the governor, should a new initiative make it to the ballot this November. Sponsored by a group of GOP lawmakers, a new bill would give Mainers a say in whether or not legislators and the state’s chief executive will be receiving a pay raise. This comes after it was revealed earlier this year that state senators and representatives were set to be given a 61 percent pay raise beginning this session, as well as a significantly higher level…

A Democrat-led bill restructuring Maine’s income tax brackets is officially set to go before the Legislature’s Taxation Committee for a public hearing today. If approved, this proposal would result in higher taxes on the state’s individuals who earn more than $144,500 per year. The public hearing for this bill will be held on Thursday, February 27 at 1pm at the State House in Room 127. Testimony can also be submitted online at: www.mainelegislature.org/testimony LD 229 — An Act to Bring Fairness in Income Taxes to Maine Families by Adjusting the Tax Brackets and Tax Rates — was sponsored by Rep.…

A group of Republican lawmakers are looking to eliminate Maine’s income tax and require the state to develop zero-based budgets for the next two bienniums. Under the proposed law, the state government would be prohibited from collecting income tax from residents as of January 1, 2026. The state would also be directed to develop a zero-based budgets for fiscal years 2026-27 and 2028-29. From that point on, all departments and agencies in the Executive, Legislative and Judicial Departments of State Government would be required to create a zero-based budget at least once every eight years. For the purposes of this…

Signed by former President Joe Biden (D) in January, a law co-authored by U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) allowing public employees and their spouses access to increased social security benefits has now taken effect. Based on a statement from the Social Security Administration released Tuesday, President Donald Trump’s (R) administration is supportive of this policy. Approved by significant margins in both the House and Senate, this bill repealed two statutes reducing the amount of Social Security benefits that public employees and their spouses were eligible to receive. Known as the “Social Security Fairness Act,” this law eliminated the Windfall Elimination…

A group of Democrat lawmakers have proposed a plan to stabilize property taxes for Maine seniors that would be funded by a local option sales tax. LD 559 — sponsored by Sen. Donna Bailey (D-York) — would allow municipalities to impose a one percent sales tax on prepared food and living quarter rentals and use the revenue to offset the cost of stabilizing the property tax bills for eligible homeowners who are 62 years of age and older. Cosponsoring this legislation are Sen. Chip Curry (D-Waldo), Sen. Tim Nangle (D-Cumberland), Sen. Joe Rafferty (D-York), Sen. Cameron Reny (D-Lincoln), Rep. Victoria…

One Bangor Democrat has now proposed exempting new cars from Maine’s annual vehicle safety inspections, making the legislative push to axe the requirement a bipartisan issue after a Sanford Republican introduced a similar measure earlier this year. Under the latest proposed bill, cars would not be required to undergo an annual safety inspection for the first three years after it is manufactured. That said, this exemption would be nullified if the vehicle were involved in a crash or natural disaster, as well as if the car is sold to another owner. LD 661, sponsored by Rep. Amy J. Roeder (D-Bangor),…

Supplemental appropriations took center stage Tuesday afternoon as lawmakers debated what has become a highly controversial piece of legislation. By early Tuesday evening, state lawmakers had yet to come to an agreement on how to move forward. Later that night, lawmakers voted along party lines to allow the spending bill to advance without Republican support, a departure from Leadership’s original strategy for the proposal. Although Republicans are a minority in both the House and Senate, their support was initially seen as crucial by those looking to allow state agencies access to supplemental funding before the late spring. While the proposed…

Republican lawmakers are making a push to repeal Maine’s new mandatory Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) Program, which went into effect last month. This program, enacted last year as part of a spending bill, has imposed a one percent payroll tax on most working Mainers and their employers to fund paid leave for all employees statewide, with benefits not scheduled to begin until May of 2026. Mainers began contributing to the program on January 1 of this year, sixteen months ahead of when benefits are first scheduled to become available. Should either of the bills introduced by Republican lawmakers…

In December, Maine saw an unemployment rate of 3.2 percent, representing little change from the previous month, according figures released by the Maine Department of Labor (MDOL). Also largely consistent with November’s statistics was Maine’s workforce participation rate, which came in at 60.2 percent. Labor force participation rates are representative of the proportion of working-age individuals who are either employed or actively searching for work. Although there are a number of different ways to calculate the labor force participation rate, the MDOL arrives at its statistics by considering all individuals over the age of 16. Consequently, retirees and other elderly…

Two Democratic lawmakers are attempting to prevent Maine business owners from having a say in when their employees take leave under the state’s new Paid Family and Medical Leave program. The program, enacted last year as part of a spending bill, has imposed a one percent payroll tax on most working Mainers and their employers to fund paid leave for all employees statewide, with benefits starting in May of 2026. The law and related rules underlying this program currently require that employees’ leave must be scheduled in such a way that it does not create “undue hardship” for their employers.…

As many as a half dozen bills so far are on the table in Augusta during this legislative session aimed at providing state-level property tax relief to Maine homeowners by increasing and expanding the homestead exemption in a variety of ways. By lowering the tax-assessed value of Mainers’ homes, the homestead exemption helps to reduce the total property tax bill for which homeowners are responsible. Currently, the homestead exemption allows Mainers to take $25,000 off the total tax-assessed value of their homes. While some of the proposed bills would increase the value of this exemption for all Maine homeowners, others…

Republican lawmakers in Augusta have introduced a bill that would reverse the changes made by a controversial abortion law signed into law just shy of two years ago. The 2023 law, known as LD 1619, allowed women to have an abortion “after viability” if it is deemed “necessary in the professional judgment of a physician.” Previously, Maine law prohibited abortion after the point of viability except in cases where the life or health of the mother was in jeopardy. With these changes in place, Maine currently has one of the nation’s least restrictive abortion policies. LD 682, sponsored by Sen.…

The Maine Department of Labor (MDOL) announced Thursday that twelve insurance policies have been approved as substitutes for the new state-run Paid Family and Medical Leave Program. An updated list of private plans eligible for substition will be maintained on the MDOL’s website at: www.maine.gov/paidleave/docs/2025/employerresources/ListofApprovedandCertifiedInsuredPlans.pdf. Under this mandatory program, Maine workers will be eligible beginning in the spring of 2026 to take up to twelve weeks of paid leave to care for a sick family member, as well as to bond with a newborn baby or newly adopted child. Also eligible for leave are those who are experiencing a serious…

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) alerted providers last week that unless lawmakers approve the proposed supplemental spending bill for FY25, many MaineCare payments will temporarily be withheld. This supplemental spending bill, known as LD 209, has proven to be controversial among lawmakers as it makes its way through the legislative process. One of the largest line items in the bill is a nearly $118 million appropriation from the General Fund for MaineCare, Maine’s Medicaid program, which is currently underfunded. According to the statements released this past week by DHHS, any delay in the receipt of this…

A question on whether Maine should require some form of valid identification in order to vote, or voter ID, will officially be on the ballot this year in Maine, as the Secretary of State has now certified the petitions collected and submitted as part of a grassroots effort to let Mainers decide if some form of credible verification of a voter’s identity should be required at the polls. Led by Dinner Table Action Executive Director Alex Titcomb and Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn), the effort to get a voter ID question on the ballot was accomplished with minimal funding and hundreds…

Maine lawmakers may soon be calling on the United States to convene an Article V convention to amend the nation’s Constitution. Should this effort be successful, amendments concerning term limits for members of Congress and Supreme Court Justices, as well as campaign finance reform, could potentially be on the table. If enough state legislatures issue similar requests, Article V of the Constitution requires that a convention be held. In order for one to be called, thirty-four state legislatures — representing at two-thirds of the nation — must pass requesting applications. Although the resolutions now before the Maine State Legislature specify…

As you prepare your annual return, you may already be sensing what a national financial website has found for yet another year in its comparison of how much Americans are taxed in each state: Mainers shoulder some of the nation’s highest tax burdens, according to a recent study conducted by personal finance website WalletHub. The rankings released Tuesday are based on the ratio of residents’ tax bills to the average price of the taxed item. Using this ratio, Maine was found to have the fifth highest vehicle tax rate and eighteenth highest property tax rate in the nation. Other methods…

When you run for office without the backing of a political party, it can seem like a steeper climb so shouldn’t independents be allowed a leveling advantage when it comes to financing their campaigns? Two Democratic lawmakers are looking to increase the campaign contribution cap for unenrolled candidates running for office in Maine. Under state law, candidates are limited by caps in the amount of money from any given individual or political action committee (PAC) during an election. LD 390 — An Act to Raise the Contribution Cap for Unenrolled Candidates — sponsored by Sen. Stacy Brenner (D-Cumberland) and cosponsored…

A Democrat lawmaker has proposed allowing candidates for Attorney General and Secretary of State to participate in the Maine Clean Elections Act (MCEA), which provides taxpayer funding for qualifying candidates, should these become popularly elected positions under the state constitution. LD 454 — An Act to Allow Candidates for Secretary of State or Attorney General to Participate in the Maine Clean Election Act — was sponsored by Sen. Joe Baldacci (D-Penobscot). If approved, this bill would give candidates running for these key constitutional offices the right to access public campaign financing. Because the Attorney General and Secretary of State are…

A group of Republican lawmakers are looking to end the controversial practice of same-day voter registration in Maine. Rep. Barbara A. Bagshaw (R-Windham), together with eight Republican co-sponsors, are pushing legislation that would reinstitute time limits on when voters must register to vote in order to participate in a given election. “I recently had favorable communication with four town clerks from municipalities in Maine who support eliminating Election Day voter registration at the polls,” Rep. Bagshaw told the Maine Wire.” “They felt that, administratively, it would be a lot easier on them to manage and we discussed a potential compromise,”…

The annual tradition of visiting an auto mechanic to get an inspection sticker could come to an end if a group of Republican lawmakers succeed in repealing Maine’s auto inspection requirement. Under a bill introduced by Rep. Ann Fredericks (R-Sanford), the mandatory safety inspection requirement would be repealed for the majority of cars that are driven by Mainers on a daily basis. “Other states have already abolished this antiquated requirement that is an inconvenience,” Fredericks said. From Frederick’s perspective, advancements in safety standards and auto-making technology mean that annual inspections should no longer be necessary for most personal vehicles, as…

An automotive trade association based out of Washington D.C. has sued Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey over the enforcement of a “right to repair” law approved by voters in 2023. The complaint alleges that enforcement of the law right now would violate the Constitution’s Due Process Clause, as well as the Supremacy Clause. It is also argued that the law is currently unenforceable due to alleged violations of the Maine Administrative Procedures Act (APA) by Attorney General Frey. Question 4 — approved by 65.3 percent of voters — required car manufacturers to standardize on-board diagnostic systems, as well as allow…

Maine may gradually increase its current limit on charter schools if lawmakers pass a Republican-led bill introduced in late January. Several Republican lawmakers have proposed a bill that would increase the state’s limit on charter schools by one every time that it is reached, allowing for a continually greater number of these schools to operate simultaneously in Maine. Charter schools are independently run public schools that are free of charge for students to attend. Sometimes, these institutions may have a specific educational focus, — such as technology, the arts, or ecology — while others maintain a more traditional academic scope.…

Springing forward and falling back may soon be a thing of the past in Maine if lawmakers advance either of the proposals introduced by Sen. Rick Bennett (R-Oxford). While one bill would allow the state to observe Eastern Standard Time (EST) year round, the other would establish Daylight Savings Time (DST) as the official setting for the state’s clock, pending federal approval. DST refers to the time setting adopted by most states in the spring, when clocks are set an hour ahead. Right now, Mainers — like Americans in most U.S. states, with the exclusion of Hawaii, parts of Arizona,…

A Republican lawmaker has proposed amending Maine’s constitution to clearly state that only United States citizens may vote in state and local elections. Earlier this month, Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn) introduced LD 175, titled Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine to Ensure That Only Citizens of the United States May Participate in Elections. If approved, this resolution would allow Mainers to decide if they wanted to amend the state’s constitution to include language specifying that only U.S. citizens have the right to participate in state and local elections. This would replace the constitution’s existing wording, which states that…

Are you frustrated with the unorthodox was Mainers elect federal officials or do you think it works well? Members of the public will have the opportunity on Monday, February 3 to make their voices heard on a new bill that would repeal the state’s controversial ranked choice voting (RCV) system. The hearing is set to begin at noon in State House Room 437 and will be hosted by the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee. Testimony may also be submitted online at www.mainelegislature.org/testimony. LD 234 — An Act to Eliminate Ranked-Choice Voting — was sponsored by Rep. Richard H. Campbell (R-Orrington) and…

A medical ambulance plane carrying a young child and her mother crashed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Friday night in a neighborhood near the Roosevelt Mall. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a total of six people, including a doctor, paramedic, pilot, and co-pilot, were aboard the plane at the time of the crash. There were no survivors. The plane erupted in a fireball as it crashed to the ground just thirty seconds after taking flight. The debris field was extremely large and several nearby homes caught fire as a result of the incident. JUST IN: New video of the plane…

Several of the tax increases and changes included in Gov. Janet Mills’ (D) proposed biennial budget are set to have a public hearing on Monday, February 3. Among the proposals up for discussion are increased taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products, changes to the state’s cannabis taxes, and the imposition of a five and a half percent sales tax on streaming service subscriptions. The public hearing is scheduled to begin at 1pm in State House Room 228. Testimony can also be submitted virtually at www.mainelegislature.org/testimony. Earlier in the day, starting at around 11am, relevant state departments and agencies will…

Democrat lawmakers in Augusta have introduced a bill that would impose a three percent sales tax on hotel rentals in order to increase the amount of state funding available for public schools. If approved, an additional three percent sales tax would levied on the cost of renting a room in a hotel or other lodging place beginning on January 1, 2026. Under current law, hotel rentals are already subject to a nine percent sales tax, also known as a lodging tax. The supporters of the proposal intend for the additional funds to be “credited directly” to the Maine Department of…

An effort is underway to give Maine citizens the right to elect their constitutional officers, including the Secretary of State, Attorney General, and Treasurer. Currently, lawmakers in the House and Senate are responsible for selecting individuals to fill these critical roles, with votes held every two years during the Legislature’s First Regular Session. Nationwide, Maine is one of only a handful of states to this, making it the exception rather than the rule. A group of Republican lawmakers, however, have now proposed a series of amendments to the state constitution that would allow Mainers to popularly elect who serves in…

Officials announced Thursday morning that there not believed to be any survivors from the crash that occurred late Wednesday night in the Washington D.C. area as a passenger was on final approach to the Reagan National Airport. An American Airlines flight out of Wichita, Kansas collided midair around 9pm Wednesday with a military Blackhawk helicopter over the Potomac River. There were 60 passengers and 4 crew members aboard the flight involved in the crash, and the helicopter carried three U.S. soldiers. Information is slowly becoming available about the victims of this tragedy. Six of those on the plane had ties…

Maine elementary and middle school students are continuing to struggle academically, according to the 2024 Nation’s Report Card. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) — commonly known as the Nation’s Report Card — has been used to gauge students’ level of academic achievement since 1969. NAEP describes itself as “the largest nationally representative, continuing evaluation of the condition of education in the United States.” Maine’s fourth graders are having an especially hard time in both reading and math, performing worse in comparison to both prior years’ scores and their counterparts nationwide. Eighth graders in Maine also had a poor…

An American Airlines flight out of Wichita, Kansas crashed in the Washington D.C. area Wednesday night near the Reagan National Airport after colliding midair with a military Blackhawk helicopter. American Airlines has said that 60 passengers and 4 crew members were aboard the flight involved in the crash. As of 11:30pm Wednesday night, officials have not publicly confirmed any injuries or fatalities in connection with the crash. Washington D.C. police launched a search and rescue operation in the Potomac River in conjunction with other emergency response agencies. Footage of the scene shows a massive response to the incident with what…

The Maine Department of Labor (MDOL) released two guides Monday for employers looking to opt out of the state’s new Paid Family and Medical Leave Program in favor of using their own private plan, though concerns about an overlap in payments and a challenge to the constitutionality of the new benefit persist. MDOL’s guides come just a couple weeks after the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and Bath Iron Works sued the agency, alleging that the rules it adopted late last year to govern the program are inconsistent with the law establishing the program. While the law guarantees that businesses…

Gov. Janet Mills (D) delivered her 2025 State of the Budget Address to a joint session of the Maine Legislature Tuesday night. In order to reach the chamber, though, the governor had to skirt a crowd of Mainers who had gathered to protest her proposed budget just outside its doors. Demonstrators told the Maine Wire that they had expected to be able to silently protest from the chamber’s upper gallery, but found out they would not be able to do so when they arrived. Unlike in prior years, on Tuesday night the gallery was closed to the public during Tuesday’s…

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt of New Hampshire held the Trump Administration’s first official press briefing Tuesday afternoon. At just 27 years old, Leavitt is now the youngest White House Press Secretary in United States history. Leavitt studied communications and political science at Saint Anselm College, a Catholic institution in her home state of New Hampshire, where she was regularly involved with the New Hampshire Institute of Politics. While a student, Leavitt interned at Fox News during the 2016 election cycle. After graduating, she began working for President Donald Trump (R) under former press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. After leaving…

The United States Supreme Court is set to consider the constitutionality of the nation’s first religious charter school. Originating in Oklahoma, this case focuses on St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School and its application for public funding through the state’s charter school program. Although charter schools operate independently from the public school system, they are funded with taxpayers’ dollars and are free for any student to attend. Oklahoma’s top court stuck down the school’s application to participate in the charter program this past June, arguing that charter schools must be non-sectarian — or non-religious — due to their relationship…

Republican lawmakers have proposed creating a minimum “student wage” in Maine, allowing employers to pay some high school students a lower rate than is currently mandated by state law. Under this legislation, students could be paid at a rate half that of the current state minimum wage — or $7.33 an hour — for at least two years while they are in high school. Once students graduate from high school — regardless of how long they have been employed — they must be paid Maine’s standard minimum wage of $14.65 an hour. LD 112 — An Act to Promote Opportunities…

Maine lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill that would incrementally increase the state’s property tax homestead exemption over the next several years. By lowering the tax-assessed value of Mainers’ homes, the homestead exemption helps to reduce the total property tax bill for which homeowners are responsible. Currently, the homestead exemption allows Mainers to take $25,000 off the total tax-assessed value of their homes. Under the proposed legislation, this would increase by $10,000 annually beginning in 2026 until it reaches a total of $95,000 in 2033. At this point, the homestead exemption would continue to increase annually in accordance with the…

The Senate confirmed Pete Hegseth as the nation’s Secretary of Defense in a vote held late Friday night. With three Republicans opposing Hegseth’s nomination — including Sens. Susan Collins (R), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) — Vice President J.D. Vance stepped in to break the tie. This is only the second time in this nation’s history that the vice president has had to cast a tie breaking vote for a cabinet nominee, the first being when then Vice President Mike Pence voted to confirm Betsy DeVos as the Secretary of Education in 2017. #BREAKING: U.S. Senate CONFIRMS Pete…

Some Maine students are granted the ability to attend a public school outside of their home district through what is known as a Superintendent Agreement. Although current state law requires these contracts to be reviewed annually, a bipartisan bill introduced earlier this month would allow these agreements to automatically be renewed each year. While these agreement could still be terminated under certain circumstances — for example, if a student is not regularly attending class or is consistently disruptive — making renewal automatic would ease the process for many Maine families making use of this program. LD 218 — An Act…

A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s (R) Executive Order redefining birthright citizenship. This comes just days after several lawsuits were filed against the president for allegedly violating the Fourteenth Amendment and federal law by declaring that the children of those who are in the country illegally or temporarily are not guaranteed United States citizenship. Whether or not the children of illegal aliens, visa-holders, and those with pending asylum claims will automatically become U.S. citizens will depend on how courts — potentially including the U.S. Supreme Court — ultimately interpret the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Senior U.S.…

A group of Democratic lawmakers have put forward a plan to restructure Maine’s income tax brackets, a proposal that will result in higher taxes on the state’s individuals who earn more than $144,500 per year. LD 229 — An Act to Bring Fairness in Income Taxes to Maine Families by Adjusting the Tax Brackets and Tax Rates — was sponsored by Rep. Ann Higgins Matlack (D-St. George). The progressive tax scheme is also cosponsored by Rep. Anne P. Graham (D-North Yarmouth), Rep. Lori K. Gramlich (D-Old Orchard Beach), Rep. Julia A.G. McCabe (D-Lewiston), Rep. Amy J. Roeder (D-Bangor), and Rep.…

Lawmakers in Augusta will be considering a proposal to establish “hope accounts” for Maine students who either are home-schooled or attend a private school. These hope accounts would allow parents who do not send their children to public school to use a portion of funds that would otherwise have gone to their local school districts for alternative education-related expenses, such as home-schooling materials or private school tuition. The Hope and Inclusion Scholarship Program — proposed by a group of Maine Republican lawmakers — is similar to other education savings account (ESA) programs that have already been implemented in seventeen states…

A group of Maine Republicans have introduced legislation that would withdraw the state from the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, an agreement among the states that could bring about sweeping changes to how the President of the United States is elected. If enough states were to join the Compact, it would effectively override the electoral college by guaranteeing that the winner of the national popular vote would always be elected president, regardless of who earned the most electoral votes. In April of last year, Gov. Janet Mills (D) allowed the Compact to become law without her signature, officially making Maine…

The State of Maine, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine (ACLU Maine), have filed lawsuits against the Trump Administration over an Executive Order signed Monday redefining birthright citizenship. “That’s a big one,” President Donald Trump (R) said as an aide handed him the Executive Order. “We’re the only country in the world that does this,” said President Trump. “It’s ridiculous.” Donald Trump just signed an executive order ending birthright citizenship for illegal immigrants.This is one of the most important issues he can pick a fight on. It will be challenged immediately, and we need to stand…

A group of Republican lawmakers in Maine are hoping to repeal Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) this legislative session. LD 234 — An Act to Eliminate Ranked-Choice Voting — was sponsored by Rep. Richard H. Campbell (R-Orrington) and cosponsored by Rep. Amy Bradstreet Arata (R-New Gloucester), Rep. Irene A. Gifford (R-Lincoln), Rep. Randall Adam Greenwood (R-Wales), Rep. Abigail W. Griffin (R-Levant), Rep. Shelley Rudnicki (R-Fairfield), Rep. Michael Soboleski (R-Phillips), and Rep. Tiffany Strout (R-Harrington). In the wake of the November 5 election — during which a number of critical state, local, and federal races were on the ballot — ranked choice voting…

A federal judge has denied a Belfast church’s request to halt the sale of a former University of Maine (UMaine) property after the school reneged on their initial decision to sell to the church. Calvary Chapel Belfast’s legal team has subsequently signaled that they intend to continue fighting the school’s ability to sell the former Hutchinson Center to another buyer while their case is pending before the courts. Federal Judge Stacey Neumann ruled against the church Friday morning, denying their request for a temporary restraining order that would halt the sale of the property to another buyer while the church’s…

The Maine State Chamber of Commerce and Bath Iron Works (BIW) have sued the Maine Department of Labor (MDOL) over their rules implementing the state’s new Paid Family and Medical Leave Program. In the lawsuit, the Chamber of Commerce, which represents large businesses in Maine, and BIW, a subsidiary of defense contractor General Dynamics, allege that portions of MDOL’s recently announced rules contradict the law that established the new program. Separately, BIW argues that the new program represents a violation of Maine businesses’ constitutional rights. The emerging legal battle stems from a program that was the brainchild of Senate President…