Maine Democrats say Sen. Susan Collins’ efforts to justify her procedural vote to advance Senate Republicans’ budget bill don’t hold water — and Collins needs to be held accountable for her role in advancing the bill, which will gut essential programs and harm tens of thousands of Mainers. “She voted to advance this bill because…
Gov. Janet Mills has vetoed legislation that would have given farmworkers in Maine the right to engage in concerted activity, such as discussing unsafe conditions or organizing for better treatment. LD 588, An Act to Enact the Agricultural Employees Concerted Activity Protection Act, would have created a new legal framework allowing farmworkers to act collectively…
The Maine Legislature on Monday voted down several attempts to significantly scale back the state’s new paid family and medical leave program, signaling continued support for the new program, which will start paying benefits in 2026. The Senate voted 20-14 to advance a bill by the original Senate sponsor of the paid family leave program,…
One of my favorite Substack writers is Samuel James (who happens to be from Portland) and his column, “Banned Histories of Race in America.” And one of my favorite series of his is, “How Everything is About Race.” Once a month, he takes three random topics that seemingly have nothing to do with race and…
The House on Tuesday failed to override Gov. Janet Mills’ veto of a bill that would have allowed farmworkers in Maine to gain protections under some of the state’s wage and overtime laws — a result that means agricultural employees in the state still won’t have access to basic labor rights. The vote was 61-61,…
One possible solution to help address the state’s dire housing shortage and unaffordability crisis is to better know who exactly runs Maine’s rental market. Democratic Rep. Amy Roeder of Bangor is sponsoring legislation, LD 1905, to create a statewide landlord registry to centralize information about the property owners and business interests that control the rental…
Legislation was introduced in the Maine State Legislature last week to give hourly workers mainly in the service industry predictable schedules and some degree of control over their lives outside of work. In a public hearing before the legislature’s Labor and Housing Committee on Thursday, Sen. Mike Tipping (D-Orono), the committee’s Senate chair, introduced a…
After a legislative campaign to grant migrant farmworkers in Maine full employment rights was blocked nearly two years ago, there is some hope that the effort will get a second chance this year. Two of the leaders of the Maine Legislature’s Labor and Housing Committee told Beacon they are bringing the issue back before the…
Mainers struggling to afford housing, joined by advocates and state lawmakers, held a rally at the State House on Tuesday saying it’s not late to take action on the state’s housing crisis. “Something has to change, soon,” said Tobin Williamson, the advocacy director for the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition (MIRC). “The affordable housing crisis is…
Buoyed by a projected $822 million surplus, Democratic Gov. Janet Mills unveiled a budget plan this week that many in her party applauded for funding several long-sought priorities including free community college, free school meals, and raising wages for child care and direct support workers. While the governor’s supplemental budget proposal touches many issues, she…