All posts tagged "Commentary"

Governor Mills extends state tax filing deadline, deems firearm retailers ‘non-essential’ businesses

Governor Janet Mills announced Thursday she is extending the state of Maine’s income...

New documentary ‘America Lost’ explores America’s forgotten cities

With recent reports of staggering numbers of new U.S. unemployment claims–including over 21,000...

Governor Mills takes emergency action on medical licensing, telehealth

Governor Janet Mills issued an executive order today that eases occupational licensing rules...

Gov. Mills issues new mandate for nonessential businesses to close for two weeks

Maine Governor Janet Mills and Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center...

A Colorado election clerk’s perspective on using RCV in his state’s elections

Throughout the country, including here in Colorado, special interests are promoting new voting...

Maine’s certificate of need law could hinder the state’s COVID-19 response efforts

As policymakers and public health officials at the local, state and federal levels...

Letter offers recommendations to assist Governor Mills in Maine’s COVID-19 response efforts

Maine Policy Institute sent a letter to Governor Janet Mills today thanking her...

Maine Legislature acts on COVID-19, gives Gov. Mills broad authority to respond

The Maine Legislature adjourned Tuesday evening after a marathon session where the body...

Proposed expansion of the Prescription Monitoring Program violates patients’ rights

I am gravely concerned about provisions in LD 2117 which would mandate that...

Early adjournment could stop bill seeking to expand welfare eligibility

The announcement of an early conclusion to Maine’s legislative session amid public health...

Maine Legislature to adjourn Tuesday due to coronavirus

The Maine Legislature will prematurely adjourn Tuesday in response to the coronavirus, Maine’s...

Congress should seek a real solution to surprise medical billing

Like many average Americans, health care and its costs are a significant issue....

The left is making big push to raise taxes on hardworking Mainers

Maine Rep. Benjamin Collings of Portland held a press conference last week to...

The Maine Heritage Policy Center changes name to Maine Policy Institute

The Maine Heritage Policy Center announced Monday it is changing its name to...

Cartoon: TCI Gas Tax

SEIU pledges $150 million to defeat President Trump in 2020

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s Janus decision in June of 2018,...

Portland tries to prevent signature gathering for RCV veto on Super Tuesday

The City of Portland – Maine’s most liberal municipality – tried to prevent...

Proposed bill would boost salaries of Maine’s governor, lawmakers and judges

Lawmakers on Maine’s State and Local Government Committee held a public hearing Monday...

Proposed bill would fleece taxpayers to please public unions

Lawmakers on Maine’s Labor and Housing Committee will hold work a work session...

Focus shifts to Governor Mills on TCI gas tax

The pressure is on Janet Mills as the public comment period on the...

Lawmakers exploring a $23 million ‘pack tax’

On Wednesday, lawmakers on Maine’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee held a public...

Public control isn’t the answer to concerns about Maine’s power utilities

This item was originally published in the Portland Press Herald. Maine consumers –...

Lawmakers looking to nickel and dime Mainers with a local option sales tax

Lawmakers on Maine’s Taxation Committee will hold a work session Thursday to debate...

New report highlights the downfalls of establishing a state-owned utility

A recent report by London Economics International (LEI), a Boston-based financial advisory firm...

Lawmakers wasting time on cage-free egg bill

Maine has a $232 million annual transportation funding shortfall. Nursing homes that care...

Whoops, we forgot to fix the roads

A little over one year into her tenure as governor, Janet Mills is...

Maine wants to tax your streaming subscription

Lawmakers on Maine’s Taxation Committee will hold a work session Tuesday to debate...

Clean energy bill would replicate Blaine House solar project blunder

This session, lawmakers on Maine’s Energy, Utility and Technology Committee is considering LD...

Bill establishing automatic, continuous absentee voter status reeks of fraud

Lawmakers on Maine’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee held a public hearing Wednesday...

Ranked-choice voting in Alaska: RCV fails to deliver on its promises to voters

This op-ed was originally published in the Anchorage Daily News on February 9, 2020. In...

Maine unions want to set education policy at your school

Who should be in charge of local education policy? Should it be parents...

Briefs filed in Maine workplace freedom case

Twenty-two public policy organizations filed amicus briefs last week urging the U.S. Supreme...

The nanny state wants to take away your vape

Lawmakers on Maine’s Health and Human Services Committee held a public hearing Wednesday...

Campaign launched to repeal ranked-choice voting for presidential elections

On Tuesday, February 4, the Maine Republican Party announced they are launching a...

After massive spending increase in biennial budget, Governor Mills wants more

Governor Janet Mills released a supplemental budget proposal Monday that calls for $127...

Federal anti-smoking bill would infantilize adults

Just over a month ago, Washington policymakers worked across party lines to raise...

Maine’s high court strikes down warrantless blood tests

On Tuesday, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court struck down a law requiring police...

Bipartisan bill would unleash tiny homes in Maine

Lawmakers on Maine’s Transportation Committee will hold a public hearing Thursday on LD...

Bill seeks to limit Mainers’ free speech within 60 days of an election

Maine’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee is holding a public hearing Wednesday on...

Broadband expansion and budget priorities

Maine’s Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology is holding a public hearing Tuesday...

Lawmakers to consider ending waiting lists for disabled Mainers

Lawmakers on Maine’s Health and Human Services Committee will hold a public hearing...

Proposed bill would allow Maine farmers to keep their mislabeled food products

Maine’s Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry held a public hearing Thursday on...

Gov. Mills attempts to appease critics, stretches the truth in first State of the State address

Maine Gov. Janet Mills delivered her first State of the State address Tuesday...

Regional coalition pushes back on regional gas tax hike

Organizations representing each New England state convened in Boston last week to voice...

Southern Maine lawmakers want to build a taxpayer-funded convention center in Portland

The Maine Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee is holding a public hearing...

Liberal lawmakers propose creating new commission to propose ‘fair’ and ‘equitable’ tax increases

Members of the Maine Legislature’s taxation committee will hold a public hearing Tuesday...

Are Maine’s clean energy policies working?

The Big Picture Since 2005 Maine’s carbon dioxide emissions have fallen 41 percent,...

Pay attention to looming gas tax increase

Progressive lawmakers are in pursuit of an ever-expanding state government in Augusta. Their...

Lawmakers to address the grave emergency of electric school buses

Lawmakers on Maine’s Education and Cultural Affairs Committee are holding a public hearing...

Governors, elected officials across New England lining up to oppose the TCI

The Transportation and Climate Initiative, a regional coalition of 12 states and Washington...

Progressives, impeachment and the Constitution

“In republican governments, men are all equal; equal they are also in despotic...

Maine professor suing faculty union appeals his case to the Supreme Court

Jonathan Reisman, an associate professor of economics and public policy at the University...

Minimum wage and overtime changes come with unintended consequences

On January 1, the state’s minimum wage and overtime exemption thresholds increased by...

The new year brings changes to state and local laws

In addition to resolutions, 2020 brings new changes to state and local laws....

Gas tax coming, and it won’t be used to repair highways

Gasoline taxes may rise 17 cents a gallon and go up from there...

Age to purchase tobacco products rises from 18 to 21 nationwide

In December, President Trump signed a $1.4 trillion spending package that included a...

Understanding Governor Mills’ 10-year economic plan

Governor Janet Mills earlier this month released her 10-Year Economic Development Strategy for the state,...

The individual mandate is unconstitutional. What’s next?

On December 18, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit...

Cartoon: Hard to please this Christmas

Cartoon by Sam G. Pilgrims

Cartoon: The TCI is a T-A-X

Cartoon by Eric Allie

Governor Mills finally resolves inauguration debt and receives $2,000 fine

On Wednesday, the Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices fined Governor Janet...

TCI would raise gas prices by up to 17 cents per gallon, do little to curb emissions

The Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI), a regional collaboration of 12 Northeast and...

TCI policy design would punish Mainers with new gas tax

The Transportation and Climate Initiative on Tuesday released a draft Memorandum of Understanding...

Occupational licensing reform shouldn’t be a partisan issue

This piece was first published in the Sun Journal. “We will develop a...

Maine must fund waitlists for people with intellectual disabilities

On October 8, 2019, the Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) released...

Plan for universal health care in Maine calls for massive tax increases

The 129th Maine Legislature’s Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee met Monday...

Like others that preceded it, Governor Mills’ economic plan will be a bust

Governor Mills on Wednesday released her 10-year economic development plan for Maine, the...

Congress needs to know its place

“…the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good...

Lawmakers approve more fake emergencies for consideration in upcoming session

Maine’s Legislative Council convened last Friday to consider appeals made by lawmakers regarding...

Want a new mobile phone? First, give the state your face

Last week, the government of China initiated a mandate that every new SIM...

Leg Council rejects crucial workforce development bill, denies public employees their First Amendment rights

The majority members of Maine’s Legislative Council voted Friday to kill along party...

New California law threatens workers in the ‘gig economy,’ and it’s spreading to other states

A new law that changes how workers are classified in the “gig economy”...

Public unions want more special favors from Maine lawmakers

On October 23, Maine’s Legislative Council voted to advance LR 3100, a legislative...

How to fix Maine’s transportation funding shortfall

In June, Gov. Janet Mills signed LD 945, a resolve that created the Blue...

A local option sales tax would not help the average Maine town or taxpayer

The Maine Heritage Policy Center on Monday released a new policy brief, “A...

Law, oaths and the truth

In today’s partisan, impeachment-centric political climate, the following have become figurative lapel pins...

Should a prescription be necessary to purchase vape products?

Last month, Maine’s Legislative Council allowed LR 2765, “An Act To Enact Restrictions...

Is it feasible to provide a universal basic income in Maine?

Earlier this year the legislature passed LD 1324, a bill that creates an 11-person...

Video: Understanding the Transportation & Climate Initiative

Governor Janet Mills is considering entering Maine into the Transportation & Climate Initiative,...

Portland City Council allows RCV expansion to proceed after activists fail to obtain ballot access

On Monday, Portland City Councilors voted unanimously to put a measure on the...

Ratepayers will suffer if state government forcibly consumes the assets of CMP and Emera Maine

During the First Session of the 129th Legislature, Rep. Seth Berry introduced LD 1646,...

Should the government be able to use facial recognition technology?

The Portland City Council voted Monday night to postpone consideration of a proposal...

Maine should end the practice of home equity theft

In Maine and 12 other states, local governments have the ability to steal...

New report shows Maine could boost revenue through licensing reform

It’s no secret that the fees and requirements necessary to obtain an occupational...

Briefs submitted in Maine school choice lawsuit

The Maine Heritage Policy Center and EdChoice recently filed an amicus brief in Carson...

Socialism and unintended consequences

“One of the sad signs of our times is that we have demonized...

Maine doled out more than $31 million in tax abatements in 2018

In 2015, the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) released Statement Number 77, advising...

Public workers are working hard to protect their rights after the Janus decision

In 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that requiring public-sector workers to...

RCV triggered in Portland mayoral election while NYC voters approve the flawed system

On Tuesday, Portland residents went to the polls to cast their ballots to...

Gas and diesel tax outlined in TCI framework would hurt Maine’s most vulnerable

The following letter was submitted by The Maine Heritage Policy Center to the...

As 2020 approaches, threat of Health Insurance Tax looms

With the fourth quarter underway, small-business owners in Maine and across the country...

What’s wrong with ranked-choice voting: Let us count the problems

The following piece highlights The Maine Heritage Policy Center’s recent report “A False...

To help small farmers, this Maine city needs to update its zoning regulations

Over the last few months, the debate regarding the future of Auburn’s Agriculture...

Is a remedy for tiny homes on the horizon?

Last week, Maine’s Legislative Council admitted a bill into the second session that...

Leg Council rejects universal recognition, undermines public employees’ First Amendment rights

The Legislative Council on Wednesday met to vote on nearly 400 bills submitted...

Legislative Council approves dozens of non-emergencies

The Legislative Council convened Wednesday to consider roughly 400 bill requests submitted by...

New clean energy initiative could increase gas and diesel prices for Maine consumers

In June 2010, under Governor John Baldacci, eleven states and the District of...

Here are some of the ’emergencies’ lawmakers want to debate in the Second Session

It is everyone’s favorite time of the legislative cycle – preparing for the...

People’s Veto effort to repeal vaccine mandate qualifies for March 2020 ballot

Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap confirmed Thursday his office had certified the...

Alaska state employees union wants the courts to suppress its members’ First Amendment rights

This summer, Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson released a formal opinion that said...