The State and Local Government Committee endorses a measure that would direct Secretary of State Matt Dunlap to design a flag for the state’s bicentennial in 2020.
Scott Thistle
Scott Thistle is the State House reporter for the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. He has covered politics and government in Maine since 2006. Prior to that he served as the State House reporter for the Duluth News Tribune in Duluth, Minnesota. A Maine native, Thistle has worked in journalism since 1990, when he got his start at a weekly newspaper in rural Oxford County, Maine. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and an active volunteer with the National Ski Patrol. He resides with his wife, Amy and his two sons Finn and Kai, in Auburn, Maine. @thisdog
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Legislature’s watchdog committee urged to make protecting children a priority
Lawmakers on the Government Oversight Committee also are told that many of the changes they approved after the deaths of two girls in 2017 and 2018 are in the works.
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Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Lawmakers consider bill to make gender discrimination unconstitutional in Maine
Though Maine passed the Equal Rights Act in 1974, it was never ratified by enough states to become U.S. law. Supporters now want to make sure its protections are enshrined in the Maine Constitution.
Posted inCops & Courts, Local & State, Politics
Bill to require all Maine police to wear body cameras ignites debate
Supporters say Sen. Susan Deschambault’s bill would promote transparency, but critics raise concerns about how much it would cost and whether it could lead to invasion of privacy.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Proposal for new state flag based on vintage design gets a wave of support
Some suggest that the ‘old’ design be rolled out for Maine’s bicentennial celebration in 2020 and put to voters.
Posted inLife & Culture, Local & State, News
Lawmaker wants to redesign Maine’s state flag
Rep. Janice Cooper says a streamlined, 1901 version of the flag that features a star and a pine tree is one that resonates with both conservatives on the right and “Portland hipsters.”
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Maine legislative committee again rejects voter identification bill
Conservative lawmakers long have pushed for requiring government-issued photo IDs at the polls, despite a lack of evidence of voter fraud.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Supplemental budget supports medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorder
The Legislature’s budget-writing committee approved a $7.5 million spending package that will end time limits on Medicaid eligibility for Methadone treatments established under former Gov. Paul LePage.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, Politics
Updates proposed to Maine’s bottle bill include bigger deposits, higher handling fees
The redemption centers that handle bottles and cans say they can’t cover rising costs, such as the new minimum wage, with the fees that are fixed by state law.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, Politics
Do auto inspections make driving safer? Bills to scrap them reveal a difference of opinion.
The Legislature’s Transportation Committee hears arguments on proposals to repeal the inspection requirement for most vehicles.