Increasing Use of “Concept Draft” Reduces Legislature’s Transparency, Undermines Public Hearings

A “concept bill” is basically a detail-free statement of intent, like “An Act to Reform Education.” Under current rules, lawmakers can supply the text of the bill at the last possible minute making public scrutiny difficult if impossible.…

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Angus King’s “Enemies List” Targeted Journalists, Ordinary Mainers for Facebook, Twitter Censorship

Sen. Angus King’s 2018 campaign targeted journalists and ordinary Mainers for censorship if their posts showed they were critical of the Senator or supported his opponents……

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Angus King’s list of ‘suspicious’ Twitter accounts included political critics

Sen. King’s 2018 campaign flagged hundreds of social media accounts in communications with Twitter, including those run by the Maine Republican Party and conservative activists.…

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Maine Democrat Resigns Amid “Clean” Elections Fraud Investigation

Rep. Clinton Collamore Jr. (D-Waldoboro) resigned his recently won seat in the Maine House today after pleading not guilty to state charges of defrauding program that uses taxpayer dollars to pay for campaigns.…

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Maine GOP chair ousted after bad 2022 election

Former Maine Assistant House Minority Leader Joel Stetkis ousted Maine Republican Party Chair Demi Kouzounas on Saturday after a bad 2022 election for the party.…

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Governor Mills to Deliver State of the Budget Address on Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Gov. Mills will discuss the challenges Maine faces, highlight her budget proposal, & outline actions her Admin. is taking to strengthen the economy & improve the lives and livelihoods of Maine people…

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Maine Democrats still have no plan for big FTX executive donation

The Maine Democratic Party said it has made no decision on what it will do with a $100,000 donation from an executive at the bankrupt crypto firm FTX.…

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Mills vs LePage was most expensive governor’s race in Maine

More than $28.5 million was spent by candidates, party committees and outside groups to influence the race, according to the reports. That included just about $8.3 million spent by the candidates.…

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Maine lawmakers reach deal on heating aid package after long hearing

After Democrats agreed to a key demand for a public hearing, the top Republican in the Maine Senate voted to advance a heating aid package, paving the way for passage when the Legislature convenes early next month.…

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Maine Democratic Party chair won’t run again after big 2022 election wins

Rep. Drew Gattine, D-Westbrook, took the party reins after being termed out of his Maine House seat. Now that he’s been elected to the House again, he is forgoing a bid for a new term as party chair to focus on his legislative duties.…

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Maine Sen. Susan Collins, lawmakers unloading FTX founder’s contributions

Lawmakers who accepted piles of cash from Samuel Bankman-Fried, including Sen. Susan Collins, now can’t move fast enough to offload their contributions from the disgraced crypto mogul to anywhere else but their own campaign coffers.…

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Top Maine Democrat signals he’ll meet key GOP demand to break heating aid impasse

Senate President Troy Jackson said that his party wants to hold a hearing on a stalled heating aid bill in a development that could secure support from Senate Republicans who voted down a $473 million package last week.…

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Dropping middle-class relief checks may not solve Maine’s heating aid impasse

Maine state senators from different parties proposed reining in relief payments under a stalled heating aid bill, but it was panned by top Democrats for……

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This may be Maine lawmakers’ best path to a heating fuel relief deal

In the week since Maine Senate Republicans voted down a $473 million heating aid bill led by Gov. Janet Mills, there has been little positive movement on the issue.…

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Maine lawmakers want Janet Mills to govern like a centrist in her 2nd term

Even as disagreements grow across the aisle in Augusta, many Legislators seem united on one front: Wanting Gov. Mills to take a middle road in a politically and geographically diverse state.…

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Maine heating aid bill won’t pass before January without Senate Republicans’ support

Mills placed blame for the heating aid bill failure squarely on Senate Republicans. She called on them to reconsider their votes against the package, which would deliver $450 relief checks to most Mainers and heating assistance to low-income households & money for emergency housing.…

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State panel levies $10,680 in fines against group that backed Democratic candidates

The Maine Ethics Commission voted Wednesday to fine a group that supported Democratic state legislative candidates nearly $11,000 for failing to disclose its top donors and for filing a late report.…

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Maine GOP: Not Our Fault We Lost Big Races

The Maine Republican Party is not to blame for Maine Republicans losing early and often on Election Day, according to Maine GOP Chair Demi Kouzounas and GOP Executive Director Jason Savage.…

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$86K in Unspent GOP PAC Money Raises Questions for Maine Republicans

Question swirl among Maine Republicans following the transfer of over $86k from helping elect Republicans to the House of Representatives to the personal PAC of a former House Minority Leader.…

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Top FTX Executive Nishad Singh Gave Maine Democrats $100,000

Nishad Singh, a member of Bankman-Fried’s core inner circle, gave Maine Dems $100k in August 2022 — $90k of which was transferred to the Maine Democratic State Committee…

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