Author: Libby Palanza

A federal court of appeals released an opinion Friday siding with the Maine Lobstermen’s Association in their lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service, a subagency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In September of 2021, the Maine Lobstermen’s Association filed a lawsuit against the regulator alleging that their efforts to protect the North Atlantic right whale were unlawful. The North Atlantic right whale has been on the endangered species list ever since the classification was established, and according to a recent report, cited in Friday’s decision, there are only about 368 still alive today. The lawsuit filed…

Municipalities across the state were granted a reprieve last week when LD 1706 was signed into law, extending the deadline for towns and cities to bring their local housing ordinances into compliance with LD 2003, the affordable housing legislation passed last year. Originally, municipalities only had until July 1, 2023 to figure out how to incorporate the bill’s mandates into their existing local ordinances. In light of LD 1706, however, “municipalities for which ordinances may be enacted by the municipal officers without further action or approval by the voters of the municipality” have until January 1, 2024 to make the…

The state of Maine has lurched from short-term spending agreement to short-term spending agreement, often using pricey borrowing to pay for Maine’s roads and bridges for years. But Republican lawmakers said Friday they’ve finally won support for a GOP idea that will dedicate tax revenue to an infrastructure spending fund. Under the terms of the supplemental spending bill Republicans and Democrats agreed to this week, the state will dedicate 40 percent of the sales tax collected on vehicle purchases, as well as 40 percent of the sales and use taxes collected by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, to the Highway…

Maine’s school rank 34th among all 50 states in the nation when it comes to education, according the 2023 Kids Count Data Book published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Maine’s Department of Health and Human Service Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew touted the report this week in an email to DHHS employees, noting that Maine ranked 12th in an overall measure that included child poverty, health care, and family health. The Annie E. Casey Foundation is a philanthropic organization based in Baltimore that focuses on “developing a brighter future for millions of children and young people with respect to their educational,…

The State Legislature has rejected a bill that would have expanded school choice in Maine by creating an Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program. The vote fell strictly along partisan lines in the Senate, and nearly along partisan lines in the House. The only Republican to vote against the bill was Rep. Abden Simmons (R-Waldoboro), who just flipped District 45’s seat from blue to red in a special election held last Tuesday. After publication of this story, Rep. Simmons stated that his vote was cast in error. Although he initially attempted to have his vote changed, he ultimately decided not to…

Democratic House lawmakers on Thursday killed a bill that would have guaranteed parents’ “fundamental right to make decisions regarding the upbringing, education and well-being” of their children. The parental rights bill, LD 1800, died after the House voted to kill it Thursday, with all present Republicans voting in support and all Democrats against. The Senate had earlier voted against the bill, also along strictly partisan lines. Under this bill, parents would have been given the right “to access all information regarding the school activities,” including “all teaching or instructional materials, required textbooks, course syllabi, lesson plans and other teaching aids…

St. Dominic Academy in Auburn filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Mills Administration and the Maine Human Rights Commission alleging that state has engaged in religious discrimination against the Catholic school. The lawsuit names Maine Department of Education Commissioner Pender Makin as well as Maine Human Rights Commissioners Jefferson Ashby, Edward David, Ann O’Brien, Mark Walker, and Thomas Douglas, and alleges multiple human rights violations. [RELATED: Maine Education Chief: “Academic Learning” Takes Backseat to Social-Emotional, Gender, and Race…] Joining St. Dominic Academy, which is run by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Portland, are Maine parents Keith and Valori Radonis. The…

Whether Maine will hike the statewide hourly minimum wage to $15.00 per hour is in Gov. Janet Mills’ hands after lawmakers voted this week on a proposal that would also establish new annual cost of living adjustments. The bill, LD 1376, passed by only a single vote in the House of Representatives, with a handful of Democratic lawmakers bucking party leadership to oppose the bill. The Senate approved the bill by a larger margin Tuesday. Originally, the bill contained language that, in addition to raising the minimum wage to $15 at the start of next year, would have mandated an…

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D) is going head-to-head with No Labels, the political third party that has pledged to run a “Unity Ticket” in 2024 should the two major parties “select candidates the vast majority of Americans don’t want to vote for.” Secretary Bellows has challenged the validity of No Labels’ 6,000-plus enrollment in the state, claiming that the group misled voters to believe they were signing a petition to support the party, not changing their party registration. These concerns prompted her to send a cease-and-desist letter to the No Labels Party, as well as individual letters to…

State lawmakers are considering a proposal to let cities and towns create areas where narcotic users can consume the illegal drugs without fearing arrest. A bill under consideration in the Maine State Legislature, LD 1364, would authorize municipalities to open so-called “safe consumption sites,” also known as safe injection sites. The bill outlines a number of requirements which must be met in order for a safe injection site to be approved, including the provision of “a hygienic location supervised by a health care professional and other trained staff where a client may self-administer previously obtained drugs” and “sterile drug use…

The South Portland City Council is set to hold a workshop on Thursday to discuss implementing a citywide “Pay As You Throw” (PAYT) program for trash removal, intended to be coupled with a curbside food waste collection program. The meeting’s agenda says the purpose of the upcoming workshop is to “provide information to Councilors and the public about the rationale for a PAYT program and what options exist.” Sustainability Director Julie Rosenbach and Sustainability Program Manager Susan Parmelee will be present at the workshop to share additional information and answer questions. A memo from Rosenbach and Parmelee, attached to the…

Over the past few years, corporate leaders have worked to acclimate to a culture wherein there seemed to be an expectation that brands take a stand on every hot-button topic. This, however, may no longer be the case. American executives and business owners are rethinking their embrace of hot-button left-wing causes — or any political causes, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Chief Executive of PPG Industries Tim Knavish was quoted by the Wall Street Journal concerning his process for reevaluating the company’s strategy for getting involved in politically charged conversations. “We run a business. We don’t…

Maine had the third highest percentage of out-of-state campaign contributions during the 2022 election cycle at 67.82 percent, according to a recent report from the campaign finance transparency group OpenSecrets. OpenSecrets is a non-profit organization that specializes in the tracking and analysis of campaign finance data. Out-of-state campaign contributions to federal races have become increasingly common nationwide over the last two decades, due in large part to the ever increasing cost of running for federal office. OpenSecrets reported that in 2000, the average winner of U.S. Senate races spent $7.3 million. Today, the same campaign costs $26.5 million, more than…

State lawmakers are considering a bill that would increase the cost of vehicle inspection fees and create a new surveillance program that would require auto mechanics to submit information about inspections to the Maine State Police. Rep. Bruce White (D-Waterville) originally proposed the bill, LD 900, to streamline and modernize the vehicle inspections process. But it would also give the Maine State Police the power to create an electronic surveillance system that would track vehicle inspections. The original bill provided that participation would be voluntary for auto mechanics; however, an amendment filed over the weekend would allow the Maine State…

The Maine State Legislature voted this week to kill LD 1636, “An Act to Ensure the Right to Work Without Payment of Dues or Fees to a Labor Union.” The bill, sponsored by Sen. Eric Brakey (R-Androscoggin), would have prohibited both public and private sector employees from being required to either join a union or pay union dues as a condition of their employment. In testimony before the Joint Standing Committee on Labor and Housing, Sen. Brakey explained that the bill was designed to protect the “unalienable” right to work for “those who are compelled to pay dues or fees…

Able-bodied adults without children will not be required to work or seek employment for a few more years following a party line vote in the Maine House of Representatives to kill LD 784, “An Act to Establish Welfare Work Requirements for Able-bodied Adults Without Dependents.” Sen. Eric Brakey (R-Androscoggin), the sponsor of the bill, said in his testimony before the Committee on Health and Human Services that work requirements align with the goal of the program. It was one of several bills Brakey proposed this session to reform Maine’s various welfare programs. “For those who are able-bodied and capable of…

Officials within the Biden Administration are preparing for the possibility that the Supreme Court will strike down its large-scale student loan forgiveness program, according to reporting from the Wall Street Journal. It is expected that the Supreme Court will soon issue a decision regarding the Biden Administration’s plan to eliminate an estimated $430 billion in student loans. Should the Court ultimately kill this program, sources told the Wall Street Journal that the administration is likely going to pursue more targeted policy options aimed at helping those who will soon be required to resume student loan payments following the expiration of…

The Maine State Legislature is expected to soon put its seal of approval on LD 1101, “An Act to Support Lower Home Energy Costs by Establishing a Home Energy Scoring System.” If signed into law, the bill would require the Efficiency Maine Trust to establish a “home energy scoring system” by June 30, 2024 that would evaluate the energy efficiency of residential buildings. Think social credit score but for how well a residential building is living up to the greenhouse gas emissions goals set by politicians in Augusta. The Efficiency Maine Trust will have the freedom to decide on the…

Democrats in the State Senate and House of Representatives have officially voted to kill bill that would have required public schools to put curriculum materials and other school records online for parents to see. L.D. 1199, “An Act to Provide Transparency in Public School Curricula,” was sponsored by Rep. Rachel A. Henderson (R-Rumford). The bill would have required school boards to make publicly available online by October 1 of each school year “curriculum and library-related materials,” including teaching materials, a list of required textbooks, syllabi, lesson plans, tests, and “a list of books available in the library and the intended…

Officials at Gardiner Area High School have implemented a temporary policy banning the display of all flags on school grounds — aside from the American flag — following a recent clash between students putting up LGBTQ+ flags and those hanging Trump flags, according to reporting from WGME. From WGME: School officials say the incident that sparked the ban was when students put up and removed flags inside the school with competing political and social messages. School leaders say the incident led to students picking sides and even what the superintendent described as a heated altercation. Some are upset about how…

Democrats are poised to kill a resolution from Rep. Katrina J. Smith (R-Palermo) that would have instructed the Maine Department of Education to adopt rules that block public school teachers from engaging in political, ideological, or religious indoctrination. “This resolve protects every viewpoint, because it keeps every personal opinion out of the classroom,” Rep. Smith said in her testimony before the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs. Smith’s resolution would have instructed the State Board of Education to adopt clear rules and enforcement mechanisms to ensure “appropriate and professional ethical behavior by teachers” by prohibiting them “from using the classroom…