It’s been relatively placid at the State House. Democratic lawmakers aren’t blasting Gov. Paul LePage and the governor has refrained from barbs against liberals. After all, he might need a few of them if he wants to pass his budget. But the armies for both sides are marching. The governor’s town hall meeting in Westbrook ended […]

Forget whoopie pie vs. blueberry pie. It’s time for black lab vs. shelter dog (or Golden retriever, or border collie, etc…) On Wednesday, the Legislature’s State and Local Government Committee will hear public testimony on a bill by Sen. David Dutremble, D-Biddeford, that would designate the Labrador retriever as Maine’s official state dog. It seems […]

It’s still a little early, but the paid advocates whose clients could be affected by Gov. Paul LePage’s budget are already lining up to influence the state lawmakers charged with approving the spending plan. The names of the lobbyists will be familiar to those who regularly comb through the disclosure lists posted by the Maine […]

Good morning and happy Friday. The legislative schedule is very light today as no committee hearings or meetings are scheduled. Thursday was a relatively busy day, however, a budget briefing by the LePage administration to the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee was postponed. That briefing will be held on Thursday. * * * The Center […]

  Good morning, hope you like the white stuff because there’s a little bit more on the way. Legislative offices will open late and and hearings are postponed Wednesday after the blizzard wiped out everything on Tuesday. It will be relatively quiet at the State House, but that should begin to change next week. First […]