Republican voters will have to settle 9 State House primary races on July 14, while Democrats will select 25 nominees, including 7 races with 3 candidates each.
maine legislature
Cost of reopening schools during pandemic could exceed $300 million
Maine’s education commissioner tells lawmakers that schools face a heavy lift in procuring personal protective equipment, expanding bus fleets and filling vacant positions.
Flood of absentee ballots could delay primary election results
Maine voters have already requested more than 100,000 absentee ballots for the July 14 primary, and local election officials say it will be a ‘daunting’ task to process those ballots so that results are known on election night.
Jim Fossel: Bipartisan consensus possible on police reform
But as long as the Maine Legislature is not in session, no laws can pass here.
Rep. Fecteau: Unemployment system failed Mainers in 2017 and once more in 2020
Though $802 million in benefits have been paid out, too many Mainers remain in limbo because of a faulty system installed under the LePage administration.
Maine CARES Act funding to flow to unemployment trust fund
Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services Commissioner Kirsten Figueroa told lawmakers the state will use $270 million of $1.25 billion in federal aid to keep the state’s unemployment trust fund solvent.
Sen. Timberlake: Gideon focusing on U.S. Senate campaign at expense of Maine people’s needs
The Maine House speaker wants the federal government to step up COVID recovery efforts when she hasn’t lifted a finger here.
Panel recommends ways for Mills to address racial disparities in Maine
The state commission is urging several steps, including using federal CARES Act funding to support a response to the COVID-19 pandemic for minority populations in the state.
Would-be Clean Elections candidates find it harder to qualify during pandemic
Social-distancing requirements and other restrictions have made collecting $5 qualifying contributions needed to obtain public financing more difficult.
Commentary: Let’s offer Maine’s front-line employees a real choice during COVID crisis
State leave and unemployment policies can be changed to better serve both workers and employers at places like Tyson Foods.