AUGUSTA - Gov. Janet Mill's signed Maine's two-year state transportation budget into law last week, allocating roughly $1.8 billion in state and federal funds to the state's transportation needs. Earlier in the month, the budget received unanimous, bipartisan approval from both the House and the Senate.
AUGUSTA - A measure to help achieve greenhouse gas emissions reduction levels in decisions made by the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and prioritize equity and environmental justice among state agencies, LD 1682, sponsored by Rep. Vicki Doudera, D-Camden, was signed into law last week by Gov. Janet Mills.
AUGUSTA - On Wednesday, the Legislature's Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee voted to fund a bill from House Speaker Ryan Fecteau of Biddeford. The bill shifts Maine's reliance on emergency-only dental coverage to a preventative dental care model to improve health outcomes and save the state money over time.
AUGUSTA - A proposal by Rep. Lori Gramlich, D-Old Orchard Beach, to help victims of childhood sexual abuse access justice is now law. Gov. Janet Mills signed the bill Monday.
"As a kid, I knew I couldn't change what happened to me, but I also knew that, when I was a grown-up, I would do my best to make things better for others," said Gramlich. "As a social worker, I have worked my entire professional life to affect systemic change and to give voice to fellow survivors."
AUGUSTA - A bill from Rep. Lynn Copeland, D-Saco, to support the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' shore damage mitigation project at Camp Ellis was signed into law yesterday.
"This bill is the next step to combat the ongoing erosion caused by the jetty in Camp Ellis, which has been a decades-long mitigation effort," said Copeland. "This is what my neighbors sent me to Augusta to do, and it has been my primary focus since I was sworn into office."
AUGUSTA - A measure to protect survivors of economic abuse from long-term consequences, LD 947, sponsored by Rep. Laura Supica, D-Bangor, was signed into law this month by Gov. Janet Mills.
AUGUSTA - On Monday, the Legislature's Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee voted in favor of several line items in the budget change package, including funding K-12 public schools at 55 percent, and increasing revenue sharing to 4.5 percent for 2022 and 5 percent for 2023. All of today's committee votes were unanimous, 12-0.
AUGUSTA - A measure sponsored by Rep. Kristen Cloutier, D-Lewiston, that will reduce barriers for career advancement and strengthen Maine's workforce by expanding English language acquisition and workforce training programs was signed into law last week by Gov. Janet Mills.
AUGUSTA - A bill from Rep. Paige Zeigler, D-Montville, to increase the membership of the Lincolnville Sewer District Board of Trustees from three members to five was signed into law by Gov. Mills last week.
LD 1625 came at the request of the chair of the Board of Trustees, Paul Lippman, who shared with Zeigler the difficulty in finding trustees, the amount of work the board handles and why two additional members would be beneficial for all.
AUGUSTA - A bill, sponsored by Rep. Mike Sylvester, D-Portland, to foster the development of a new green energy economy in Maine by promoting manufacturing education and employment was signed into law this month by Gov. Janet Mills.
"My son and I thought up the bill one day while he was hanging out with me at work," said Sylvester. "He was studying wind and solar power at school and asked me why we couldn't make these products in Maine. We decided that Maine should make and develop the tools of a green economy and be the seller rather than the buyer."
