(Updated Tuesday at 10:02 a.m. with response from Democratic leaders) State House truism: The budget writing committee, officially known as the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee, doesn’t play politics. At least publicly. Except, of course, when it does. The idea that the panel responsible for writing and passing the state budgets doesn’t engage in the […]

(I should have noted this before that audio clips are courtesy of MPBN, which recorded the entire floor debate; also I’ve expanded Lance Harvell’s comments to better reflect what he meant to say during his floor speech. — S.M.) State Rep. Diane Russell, D-Portland, on Thursday accused the Republican minority leader in the House of […]

Dropping the “morning” from the Briefing today for obvious reasons: Backroom: After holding a heavily attended public hearing last week over a bill designed to prevent a $40 million cut in municipal aid, the Legislature’s budget-writing committee is retreating to the back room to begin negotiations over how such a proposal would work.  On Tuesday the committee […]

The evolving case of disappearing documents and an unorthodox health grant award process at the Maine Center for Disease Control took another intriguing turn on Monday. The Maine Democratic Party announced that it had filed a Freedom of Access Act request seeking communications between the LePage administration and officials at the CDC and the Department […]

The Republican Governors Association on Monday released its first ad bolstering the reelection campaign of Gov. Paul LePage.  The 3-minute spot, part of the RGA’s “American Comeback” series spotlighting reforms of GOP governors, retraces LePage’s now familiar personal story of his abusive father and his rise from poverty to governor. That story is parlayed into […]

As Maine Goes, the conservative web forum that shuttered last year after a 15-year run, has relaunched.   Lance Dutson, a Maine-based political consultant and web developer, purchased the site from Scott Fish, who launched AMG in 1998 as an email newletter. Over time the site grew into the go-to place for conservative political chatter […]

There will be at least two Democratic candidates vying for the Senate District 25 seat this year, but Senate President Justin Alfond, D-Portland, says he’s not endorsing either of them. Alfond, in a press statement issued by the Maine Democratic Party, said he he’s staying neutral in a Democratic primary that is expected to include […]

Vote delayed: All eyes were supposed to be on the Health and Human Services Committee Wednesday as lawmakers prepare to vote out another Medicaid expansion bill. But according to an email sent Wednesday morning by the spokeswoman for House Speaker Mark Eves the committee won’t pull the trigger after all (UPDATE: The committee tabled the bill […]

Weed and bears: Interesting story out of Florida about how supporters of Republican Gov. Rick Scott are fretting over a potential medical marijuana referendum. The fear among conservatives in Tallahassee is that weed supporters will be a boon for Democratic get-out-the-vote efforts and help topple Scott. It’s an interesting theory and one that raises questions about […]

The Department of Health and Human Services fulfilled to multiple Freedom of Access Act requests for all drafts of its Medicaid expansion feasiblity study.  All four versions are post below, from final draft to first draft.  Read ’em, download ’em, scrutinize ’em. Do what you want. They’re your documents.  Alexander Group report Draft 4   […]