The first-of-its kind training will be supplemented by increased security in the Burton Cross Office building next to the State House and a new mobile phone app to send alerts about threats in the Capitol complex.
maine legislature
Lawmakers narrowly advance Midcoast senator’s bill to add right to abortion to Maine Constitution
Democratic Sen. Eloise Vitelli’s bill now faces an uphill climb, as it requires supermajorities to clear the Legislature.
Feds deny request to accelerate work permits for Maine asylum seekers
The state asked for a waiver of the federal six-month waiting period to let asylum seekers go to work, but no such provision exists in federal law.
Party-line committee vote spells trouble for proposed constitutional right to abortion
The bill now goes to the Senate, where at least two Republicans would need to join with Democrats to get the two-thirds threshold needed for the constitutional amendment.
Maine Republicans oppose background checks for private gun sales
The governor’s office said Republicans mischaracterized the background check proposal and incorrectly stoked fear that it would lead to a registry of firearm owners.
Mills administration to study how state pay stacks up against private sector wages
The administration says it has increased wages 24% in the past 5 years, but union leaders say the pay gap has continued to grow.
Maine governor seeks to navigate treacherous terrain of gun reform
Gov. Janet Mills’ proposal to require background checks for some private firearm sales gives new momentum to an idea that has been defeated multiple times. But political analysts say proponents still will have to overcome Maine’s tradition of hunting and gun ownership.
Lawmakers considering proposal for state board to permit affordable housing
The bill from Rep. Traci Gere, D-Kennebunkport, would give developers proposing affordable housing in areas identified for growth an alternative pathway to having their projects approved.
Lawmakers considering rewrite of voter-approved right to repair law
Right to repair advocates are concerned that the bill would gut the core tenets of the existing law, but legislators are concerned that the law puts consumers and their privacy at risk.
National gun safety group focuses on reforms in Maine
Everytown for Gun Safety is joining with Moms Demand Action and a Maine state senator to push for significant reforms in Maine to prevent more violence like the mass shooting in Lewiston.