• Read more about Perry bill to allow for indoor entry areas within retail marijuana stores signed into law

AUGUSTA - A measure to allow for controlled, indoor entry areas inside marijuana retail stores, sponsored by Rep. Joe Perry, D-Bangor, was signed into law Monday by Gov. Janet Mills.

"The bill provides a commonsense approach that allows marijuana businesses to have a controlled space directly inside their store where the identification of a purchaser can be verified while awaiting entry," said Perry. "Customers will no longer need to wait on sidewalks and in parking lots during severe weather, and businesses are able to maintain their safety and security."

• Read more about Two-year transportation budget is signed into law

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.

• Read more about Doudera bill to have state agencies prioritize environmental justice signed into law

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.

• Read more about Speaker Fecteau's bill to expand preventative dental care to 217,000 Mainers voted into budget

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.

• Read more about Gramlich measure to provide justice to survivors of childhood sexual abuse becomes law

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."

• Read more about Measure to mitigate shoreline damage in Saco Bay signed into law

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."

• Read more about Supica bill to protect survivors of economic abuse signed into law

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.

• Read more about Appropriations Committee cements 55 percent education funding, increased revenue sharing in budget plan

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. 

• Read more about Cloutier bill to expand workforce training program signed into law

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.

• Read more about Measure to increase number of board of trustees signed into law

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.