Governor Mills Activates Maine National Guard
On Friday, Governor Janet Mills announced that she has activated the Maine National Guard and placed them on standby status to support law enforcement, if needed, in advance of potential events at the State Capitol next week. The Governor activated the Guard out of an...
Governor Mills Welcomes PUC’s Request for Proposals to Further Develop Clean Energy in Maine
Governor Janet Mills released the following statement Friday afternoon on the Maine Public Utilities Commission’s (PUC) issuance of its latest request for proposals for renewable energy: The request for proposals issued by the PUC is the result of legislation, LD...
Governor Mills to Update Vaccine Plan
Governor Janet Mills said Tuesday that she will update Maine’s coronavirus vaccination plan in the coming days in response to new federal guidelines advising states to prioritize vaccinations for those 65 and older and those with pre-existing conditions. Maine had...
New UMaine equipment will turn twigs and tree bark into jet fuel and heating oil
With help from federal funding, two forest bioproducts processing plants at the University of Maine will upgrade their equipment to expand their research into finding renewable energy uses for wood byproducts, such as jet fuel or home heating oil. The university’s...
Senate President and Speaker of the House Unveil LD 1 Monday
Senate President Troy Jackson and Speaker of the House Ryan Fecteau announced the first bill for the 130th Maine Legislature on Monday morning during a press conference. LD 1 would create a COVID-19 patients bill of rights. The proposal will be the first bill of the...
Governor Mills Submits Budget Proposal to the Legislature
On Friday, January 8, Governor Mills submitted her new two-year biennial state budget proposal to the Legislature for fiscal years 2022-2023 and a supplemental budget proposal for fiscal year 2021. The proposed budget keeps state spending in check without raising...
Minimum Wage increased January 1
Changes to state minimum wage laws went into effect at the start of the new year. Maine’s hourly minimum wage went from $12 to $12.15. Starting in 2021, Maine will now begin increasing the minimum wage based on the price of living index in the state each year. For the...
USDA REOPENS HBIIP PROGRAM
The USDA opened a new, 30-day application period that began on December 21, 2020 to provide retailers one more opportunity to apply for grant money still available under its Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP). These funds provide a second chance...
130th Maine Legislature Update
The Maine Legislature in a “normal” year would have gone into session on Wednesday, January 6, 2021. The Legislature did not go into session this past week. It’s expected that this unusual legislative session will start to pick up by the end of the month as...
Secretary Bellows takes office as 50th Secretary of State
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows took office today, Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, becoming the first woman elected to the post by the Maine Legislature. Governor Janet Mills conducted the formal swearing-in of all the constitutional officers, which includes Secretary...
Maine paid leave law goes into effect January 1
Maine’s mandatory paid leave for workers went into effect on January 1. The paid-leave law that went into effect Friday allows workers to accrue one hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked, up to 40 hours per year, at businesses with more than 10 employees. The...
Bill Titles Have Been Released
Last week the Office of the Revisor of Statues released the list of preliminary bill titles for the First Session of the 130th legislature. There were a total of 1689 submissions before cloture on December 18. A In the coming weeks it is expected that the...