Tuesday, Democrats in the Maine House killed a bill that would have asked Maine voters if they wanted to allow Mainers living in the Second Congressional District to have a say in the referendum questions that appear on the ballot. LD 31 would have asked voters if they want to amend the Maine Constitution to require that an equal number of signatures required to qualify a referendum for the ballot come from… Read More

Rep. Brad Farrin of Norridgewock was joined by representatives from the Maine Bureau of Veterans Services, a bipartisan group of legislators and medical professionals from Maine at a press conference celebrating LD 1327 becoming law.   LD 1327 “An Act To Allow Former Military Medical Personnel To Perform Certain Medical Services” became law on March 4. The bill gives former United States Army medics, United States Air Force medical technicians, United States… Read More

On Tuesday, February 27, Rep. Patrick Corey (R) of Windham will propose an emergency bill that would make sweeping enhancements to the overall safety to Maine’s public schools. The measure is awaiting approval by the Legislative Council as an after deadline bill.  Rep. Corey has worked closely with the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine on an outline of what the legislation will include.   The bill would: Provide 20 million dollar General Obligation… Read More

“Homecare” referendum seeks to impose a $310 million annual tax hike on 70,000 Mainers This afternoon, a group of progressive activists delivered signatures to the Secretary of State’s office to put one of the largest tax increases in Maine history on the ballot this November. Although the group claims their proposal would raise $132 million annually, the actual numbers show that the group is being disingenuous about their figures. Last fall, the… Read More

AUGUSTA – On Thursday, January 25, the bipartisan Legislative Council will hold a vote on LR 2863, Representative Matthew Pouliot’s (R-Augusta) bill to protect minors from sexual predators, following a series of disturbing events within his community. As an after deadline bill, LR 2863 must get approval from the Legislative Council in order to be considered by the full Legislature this year. “It came to my attention last week that a registered sex… Read More

Thursday, LD 1327 “An Act To Expedite Healthcare Employment For Military Veterans” sponsored by Rep. Brad Farrin of Norridgewock advanced out of the Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee with unanimous support.   The bill allows a former United States Army medic, United States Air Force medical technician, United States Navy corpsman or United States Coast Guard health services technician to perform certain medical services under the supervision of a person… Read More

This afternoon, a group of seven House Republicans questioned the constitutionality of LD 1686 “An Act To Amend the Laws Regarding Distributed Energy Generation and To Eliminate Gross Metering” during a public hearing in front of the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee. The bill proposes to raise revenues from one group of electric ratepayers and redistribute those funds to another class of ratepayer. This fee would be mandated providing no way for… Read More

With Congress on the verge of passing the historic Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Maine House Republican Leader Ken Fredette has introduced a bill aimed at providing additional tax breaks for Maine’s families. Rep. Fredette’s bill would: Double the amount of the earned income tax credit a taxpayer may claim to 10% of the federal earned income tax credit. In addition, the bill enacts a new child tax credit that allows a… Read More

  Surrounded by family and friends, Rep. Rick Mason was sworn in as the newest member of the Maine House of Representatives this morning by Governor Paul LePage.  Rep. Mason was elected in a special election last month to represent the people of Lisbon, finishing the term started by his late wife, the Honorable Gina Mason, who passed away unexpectedly in September.   “I want to thank everyone for their prayers, love… Read More

House Republican leaders Rep. Ken Fredette, Rep. Ellie Espling and other House Republican caucus members are working to make changes to the referendum process in Maine to prevent out of state special interests from gaming the system as well as to ensure that legislation presented to the Maine people at the ballot box is in line with the Maine Constitution.   House Republican Leader Rep. Ken Fredette of Newport is introducing legislation… Read More