AUGUSTA - The Maine House tonight passed a supplemental budget to fill a $78.5 million gap in the state's 2013 fiscal year. The bipartisan vote was 75-61. The Senate passed the measure earlier today, 19-16.

The bill, LD 1746, which had been under consideration for weeks by the Appropriations...

To the Kennebec Journal

Reflections on the action-packed 125th Maine Legislature

By Rep. Karen Foster

In the fall of 2010, Republicans fought for and won majorities in both houses of the Maine Legislature for the first time in decades. Everywhere I went during that election seas...

AUGUSTA - Residents of Rep. Beth O'Connor's district overwhelmingly think lawmakers should focus more on cutting taxes and regulations than on preserving public benefits. Additionally, three out of four respondents to a recent survey rejected transferring money from other programs to fill chronic sh...

AUGUSTA - Constituents of Rep. Deborah Sanderson, by a 70 percent to 30 percent margin, say lawmakers should focus more on cutting taxes than on preserving public benefits. By the same margin, they favor realigning MaineCare benefits with national averages through the elimination of optional service...

AUGUSTA - Residents of Rep. Joyce Maker's legislative district think that MaineCare has reached a size that cannot be sustained, that public school students should be allowed to enroll in any school that has room, and that the Department of Education should develop protocols for head injuries to hig...

AUGUSTA - Scarborough residents strongly favor performance evaluations for school teachers and principals, increased funding for the highway budget and the issuing of bonds to expand the supply of natural gas in Maine.

They also rate education as a more important issue than economic or envir...