AUGUSTA - The Maine House voted on Tuesday to give initial approval to a measure sponsored by Rep. Traci Gere, D-Kennebunkport, that would expand the current sales tax exemption for nonprofit housing developers.

LD 1732 would amend the exemption to allow nonprofit developers to serve households with incomes up to 120% of the area median income as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, an increase from the current threshold of 80%.

AUGUSTA - The Maine House and Senate gave unanimous approval this week to a bill, LD 1389, sponsored by Rep. Scott Cuddy, D-Winterport, that would strengthen maritime education in Maine by restructuring the funding and supervision model of the Maine Ocean School (MOS) in Searsport.

AUGUSTA - The Maine House advanced a proposal sponsored by Rep. Amy Roeder, D-Bangor, Tuesday that would help Mainers more easily access emergency supplies of chronic maintenance medications.

AUGUSTA - The Maine House voted on Tuesday to advance a bill from Rep. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, to increase wages for intensive case managers (ICMs) within the Department of Health and Human Services.

AUGUSTA - The Maine House of Representatives gave initial approval on Tuesday to a bill sponsored by Rep. Colleen Madigan, D- Waterville, that would institute workload limits for child protective services caseworkers.

LD 1825 would require the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that caseworkers within the Office of Child and Family Services are not working more than 60 hours over seven consecutive days or 70 hours over eight consecutive days.

AUGUSTA - In a bipartisan 90-47 vote, the Maine House advanced a proposal on Tuesday from Rep. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, that would protect public safety facilities from sudden utility service disconnection.

AUGUSTA - In a strong bipartisan vote, the Maine House advanced a proposal on Tuesday from Rep. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, that would limit liability exemptions for electric utilities when their negligence of overhead high-voltage lines contributes to personal injury or damage to facilities. The vote was 101-33.

AUGUSTA - The Maine House gave initial approval Tuesday to a proposal sponsored by Rep. Grayson Lookner, D-Portland, to define solitary confinement as a means of better understanding its use in Maine's correctional facilities. The proposal was advanced by a vote of 78-58.

AUGUSTA - The Maine House voted Tuesday to give initial approval to a measure sponsored by Rep. Raegan LaRochelle, D-Augusta, that would safeguard state funding for public education. The vote was 99-38.

AUGUSTA - In response to the fire that devastated the Penobscot McCrum processing plant in Belfast early in the morning on Thursday, lawmakers representing Waldo County communities in the Maine Legislature, Sen. Chip Curry, D-Belfast, Rep. Scott Cuddy, D-Winterport, Rep. Jan Dodge, D-Belfast, Rep. Sherman Hutchins, R-Penobscot, Rep. MaryAnne Kinney, R-Knox, and Rep. Paige Zeigler, D-Montville, have released the following joint statement: