By Ramona du Houx February 11, 2022 In a 10-2 vote, a bipartisan majority of the Legislature’s Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee voted last week to advance a bill sponsored by Rep. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, that would protect public safety facilities from sudden utility service disconnection. As amended, LD 1847 would require a public utility to provide 60 days’ advance written notice to public safety facilities of its intent to terminate or disconnect service, as well as to obtain prior authorization from the Public Utilities Commission and the Department of Public Safety. A committee amendment also requires that the utility carry out the law without demanding additional guaranteed profits as part of future rates. At the bill’s public hearing last month, Berry […]

JANUARY SALES SET SECOND-HIGHEST NUMBERS ON RECORD February 18, 2022 Maine realtors experienced the second-best January sales month on record for single-family existing homes last month. According to Maine Listings, while the statistics technically indicate a decline of 7.2 percent in sales compared to January 2021, overall numbers are still affected by the COVID-19 pandemic years. Madeline Hill, 2022 President of the Maine Association of REALTORS® and Designated Broker at Roxanne York Real Estate on Bailey Island, explains. “Buyer demand remains strong for residential real estate in Maine. Home sales in January 2022 are above the pre-pandemic January 2020 sales volume by nearly 10 percent but are 7.2 percent lower than January a year ago. Markets remain strong statewide but are constrained due to the low availability […]

February 4, 2022 Ramona du Houx GWI, Arctaris, and the Finance Authority of Maine will form a public-private partnership to bring affordable, high-speed internet to East Millinocket, Millinocket, and Medway, as well as parts of Belfast and South Portland. “Ensuring that Maine people and businesses have access to high-speed, affordable broadband is vital for our state’s economic recovery and future prosperity, which is why my Administration has prioritized improving connectivity across Maine,” said Governor Janet Mills. “Public private partnerships like these help drive forward these efforts, and I applaud GWI, Arctaris, and FAME for working together to expand access to low-cost, high-speed broadband, particularly in the Katahdin region.” GWI and Arctaris will build more than 240 fiber-optic route miles, and the networks […]

February 19, 2022 A study published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in August 2021 found the Gulf of Maine, which stretches from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia, is warming faster than 99 percent of the world’s oceans. With warming oceanic temperatures comes sea level increases. Portland, Maine experiences flooding during high tides now on a regular basis. Sam Belknap, a Senior Community Development Officer at The Island Institute, a Rockland-based nonprofit organization aimed at helping Maine’s island and coastal communities tackle environmental and socio-economic issues, said every coastal community in Maine is facing a unique set of challenges incited by the climate crisis Taking the initiative to see how important coastal infrastructure could be impacted puts communities in […]

01/18/2022 AUGUSTA – Secretary of State Shenna Bellows testified in favor of a bill to advance an electronic lien and title system at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles during a public hearing in the Legislature’s Transportation Committee on Thursday. The bill, L.D. 1843, https://legislature.maine.gov/LawMakerWeb/summary.asp?ID=280082219 “An Act To Allow the Secretary of State To Use an Electronic Lien Titling Program for the Purposes of the Maine Motor Vehicle Certificate of Title and Antitheft Act” was introduced by Rep. Mike Perkins, R-Oakland. “When I started as Secretary of State, we had a titles backlog of 78,000. This meant people were waiting weeks for titles, and it was reportedly having a negative impact on dealer sales,” said Secretary Bellows. “We made a number of changes at BMV […]

01/14/2022 AUGUSTA, MAINE – Plummeting temperatures combined with gusty winds will create very cold to dangerously cold wind chills as low as -40F across sections of Maine this evening into tomorrow morning. The Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is urging people to use caution during these extreme temperatures. The National Weather Service in Caribou says expect to see snow and blowing snow in far eastern Washington County beginning this afternoon. Aroostook County is also concerned about white-out conditions. “We are looking at another round of dangerously cold temperatures. I again urge Mainers to use extreme caution, look in on your neighbors and stay safe,” said MEMA Director Peter Rogers. Citizens are encouraged to stay tuned to alerts and warnings through media […]

Senators Manchin and Sinema need to vote for the Build Back Better Act January 14, 2022 In 2021, the expanded monthly Child Tax Credit (CTC) drastically reduced child poverty, provided a buffer against rising costs, and dramatically improved the overall wellbeing of children in America. But that lifeline ended December 15th for more than 200,000 children in Maine and tens of millions of families across the country, because Congress failed to pass Build Back Better Act. The Center on Poverty & Social Policy at Columbia University reported that the child tax credit reached 61.1 million children, lifting about 3.6 million kids out of poverty. A U.S. Census Bureau report found that most families were using the payments for necessities like food, rent and utilities. […]

January 14, 2022 Maine Attorney General Aaron M. Frey filed a Complaint and Consent Judgment today in Kennebec County Superior Court resolving alleged unfair and deceptive practices in connection with Navient’s student loan serving business. The settlement will require court approval. According to the attorneys general, the interest that accrued because of Navients forbearance steering practices was added to the borrowers loan balances, pushing borrowers further in debt. Had the company instead provided borrowers with the help it promised, income-driven repayment plans could have potentially reduced payments to as low as $0 per month, provided interest subsidies, and/or helped attain forgiveness of any remaining balance after 20-25 years of qualifying payments (or 10 years for borrowers qualified under the Public Service Loan […]

Augusta, MAINE – Following engagement with Maine’s hospitals, Governor Janet Mills announced today that the 169 members of the Maine National Guard she activated earlier this week will deploy to 16 health care facilities across the state beginning January 20, 2022. Governor Mills activated the additional Guard members in response to record-high COVID-19 hospitalizations in Maine, the majority of which are among people who are not vaccinated. As of today, there are a near record high 424 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Maine, including 109 in critical care and 57 on ventilators, leaving only 46 adult intensive care unit (ICU) beds available in Maine. “I am grateful to the Maine National Guard and to health care workers across the state who are working day and night to […]

January 12, 2022 AUGUSTA – The Department of Secretary of State and Senator Louis Luchini, D-Ellsworth, proposed several changes to Maine’s election law to increase access to voting and streamline election administration. L.D. 1830, “An Act To Amend the Election Laws” https://legislature.maine.gov/LawMakerWeb/summary.asp?ID=280082180 is the Departments agency bill which traditionally is introduced each year to update Maine election laws. Among other issues, this bill addresses proof of identity for tribal members, the right to vote for residents of nursing homes and other residential care facilities and petition forms. Specifically, the legislation allows identification cards from federally recognized Indian tribes to be used as proof of identity when registering to vote. The bill also updates laws about voting on-site in nursing homes that pre-dated […]

January 12,2022 AUGUSTA – House Majority Leader Michelle Dunphy, D-Old Town, introduced LD 1780, An Act To Allow Unorganized Territory School Staff to Receive Annualized Pay, before the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs on Tuesday. The bill would allow unorganized territory school staff to have the option to receive annualized pay. This option would give teachers and critical support staff, including education technicians, bus drivers and janitors, the opportunity to receive a consistent year-round income. Currently, schools in unorganized territories are at a disadvantage for hiring quality staff, as there are many surrounding school districts who already provide this option. The legislation would also ensure that school staff do not have to decide between forgoing insurance coverage during the […]

January 11, 2022 AUGUSTA – Rep. Richard Evans, D-Dover Foxcroft, introduced legislation Tuesday to improve health care affordability and increase options for comprehensive coverage for individuals and small businesses in Maine. If passed into law, LD 1778 would require the Office of Affordable Health Care, an independent, nonpartisan agency, to analyze barriers to affordable health care and develop proposals on potential methods to improve affordability and coverage. Speaking before the Legislature’s Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee, Evans said that without access to affordable health care, Maine families and communities suffer. “Access to affordable health care is not just an issue of quality of life. It is an economic imperative,” said Rep Evans. “I think we can all agree that Maine’s local, […]