April 24, 2013

AUGUSTA - Along party lines, majority Democrats in the House today voted against LD 831, a private sector Right-to-Work bill, and LD 786, which would have eliminated the union monopoly over bargaining rights for public sector workers. Both bills, sponsored by Rep. Lawrence Lockman (R-Amherst), have been the source of much public debate in recent weeks as they made their way through the committee process. Democrats said "no" to LD 831 by a vote of 92-53, and LD 786 by a vote of 89-56.

LD...

April 10, 2013

AUGUSTA - Senator Troy Jackson (D-Aroostook) today presented LD 443, a concept draft bill that would roll back important, bipartisan reforms made to the workers' compensation insurance system in 1992 and 2012. House Republican Leader Ken Fredette (R-Newport) issued the following statement in response:

"We went from having two dozen workers' comp insurers in Maine in the late 1980s to three in 1992, with two of them filing papers to leave and the third threatening to do the same just befor...

January 24, 2013

AUGUSTA - By all accounts, Jay Martin was a competent, knowledgeable, and responsive Small Business Advocate for the Office of the Secretary of State. The Legislature created the position in 2011 as a result of the findings of a bipartisan regulatory reform commission.

In addition to over 16 years of experience in the restaurant industry, Martin was instrumental in expanding the Bangor-based publication Coffee News into a national franchise and assisting United Cerebral Palsy of Maine i...

December 11, 2012

AUGUSTA - House and Senate Republican leaders today named their appointees to the Apportionment Commission, which will convene throughout the winter and spring to redraw the state's House and Senate districts. The Maine Constitution requires redistricting every 10 years in order to ensure that state legislative districts comport with population changes. The commission is made up of 15 members, three of whom are named by House Republicans, two by Senate Republicans, one is the Maine Republic...

October 11, 2012

To the Portland Press Herald

By Rep. Amy Volk

Thanks to action by the Maine Legislature, state income taxes are going down next year.

Middle-income families can expect a cut of about 15 percent, while families in the top 10 percent will see an average reduction of 8.4 percent. According to Maine Revenue Services, some 460,000 households will see an average cut of $337 in 2013. Moreover, for approximately 70,000 low- and even moderate-income Mainers, income tax liability will be e...

July 22, 2012

AUGUSTA - State Rep. Amy Volk, a first-term legislator from Scarborough, posted an outstanding voting record during the 125th Legislature, voting on 95.7 percent of the 369 roll call votes held in the House.

Rep. Volk said that lawmakers faced many tough votes in the 125th, but in the end the state will be financially stronger and better able to support schools and the safety net for the most vulnerable Maine residents.

"We began this session facing a huge deficit and runaway costs i...

May 9, 2012

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 environmental concerns and believe the Legislature should focus on cutting taxes and regulations (57.3 percent) over preserving public benefits (42.7 percent).

Those are some of the results of a constit...

April 13, 2012

AUGUSTA - Governor LePage has signed into law a bill sponsored by Rep. Amy Volk that seeks a comprehensive evaluation of state investments in economic development.

"We have a lot of economic development programs in the state, but we're not doing a great job at measuring their effectiveness," said Rep. Volk (R-Scarborough). "One of the principles of good business is that you have to measure results to get maximum performance. With this law, we begin a new era of making sure the state is get...

March 26, 2012

To the Portland Press Herald

By Rep. Amy Volk

I recently had the pleasure of attending the State Chamber's Leadership Summit at Sunday River. We spent hours discussing Maine business issues, and one of the "takeaways" was that we don't talk nearly enough about Maine's success stories.

We've all heard about Maine's low "business friendliness" ranking in Forbes magazine. In fact, it makes front page news. In some categories, however, we are already at or near the top of the charts....

November 30, 2011

House Republican Office

November 21, 2011

For more information:

Jay Finegan, 287-1445

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ray Wallace sworn in as Legislature's newest member

AUGUSTA - State Rep. Ray Wallace was sworn into office today by Governor Paul LePage after winning a special election to fill a vacant seat in House District 24.

Rep. Wallace (R-Dexter) said he was motivated to run for office by the reform agenda championed by the Republican majorities in the House and Senate...

May 5, 2011

AUGUSTA - Landmark legislation to revamp Maine's health insurance market cleared a critical hurdle today in the House of Representatives by a vote of 76-72. The measure, designed to generate more competition and bring rates closer to national norms, now moves to the Senate. Final enactment votes in both bodies could come as early as next week.

"The people of our state are the winners today," said House Speaker Robert Nutting. "For years, reasonable proposals to fix a dysfunctional health insur...

March 28, 2011

AUGUSTA - State Rep. Amy Volk has proposed legislation to provide a 50 percent income tax credit to Maine residents age 60 and older starting with the 2011 tax year. Nonresident taxpayers and part-year resident taxpayers over age 60 also would receive a 50 percent credit on income taxes due in Maine.

Rep. Volk's bill, LD 805, is titled An Act to Decrease the Tax Burden on Maine's Seniors. It has been referred to the Legislature's Taxation Committee, which has scheduled a public hearing on ...

February 15, 2011

By Rep. Amy Volk

We've all been there. Sometimes, there are no good choices. No matter what decision you make, someone will be unhappy.

As a new legislator, that is exactly where I have found myself. State budgets are always difficult. We all knew going into this legislative session that tough choices awaited us. Difficult cuts were made in the last Legislature, but federal stimulus money cushioned the blow. With stimulus cash all but gone, state governments nationwide are in the same bi...

January 19, 2011

AUGUSTA - State Rep. Amy Volk has been named to the new Joint Standing Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development, which was created by the merger of the Labor Committee with another panel that focused on business and development issues.

"I'm very pleased to be on a committee that deals with economic development," said Rep. Volk (R-Scarborough), a first-term legislator. "My campaign pledge was to create a better business climate in Maine, and serving on this committee ...