Tag Archives: tax reform

Study shows Collins’ health care fixes could offset mandate — if they pass

Good morning from Augusta. An analysis released Tuesday showed that two Affordable Care Act fixes backed by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins could offset the premium impact of repealing the law’s individual mandate — but only if they can pass and that’s a big if. The analysis didn’t examine the individual mandate’s repeal, but it can […]

Communication breakdown: Letter contradicts LePage claim that budget writers dodged him

Republicans and Democrats alike have raised concerns in recent weeks that progress on the biennial state budget bill has been hampered by Gov. Paul LePage’s refusal to allow Maine Revenue Services to run numbers related to the various tax reform proposal that have been under discussion recently. That kind of analysis, which leads to estimates […]

Daily Brief: Train bills rolling through Augusta; a case study on the LePage budget

Howdy from Augusta, where discussions about extending passenger and freight rail service to the Lewiston-Auburn area are heating up with a request for the state to allocate $1 million toward planning for the project.  The bill by Rep. Jared Golden, D-Lewiston, would provide one-time funding for final engineering design and environmental assessment for the state-owned […]

Daily Brief: Rhode Island vs. Maine in a battle for New England’s seniors

Good morning.  I’m not sure how it looks where you are, but here in Central Maine, as of Thursday morning, the snow is just starting to hit. If the weather cooperates, budget negotiators in Augusta will entertain dozens of  members of the public for the third day in a row as the Appropriations Committee opens its doors for […]

Daily Brief: LePage targets 2016 for income tax-killing constitutional amendment

Good morning from the State House, where lobbyists are making their policy pitches to lawmakers, legislative committees are taking up a handful of noteworthy bills, and Gov. Paul LePage is boosting a private nonprofit’s efforts to help Maine high school students succeed.  The Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence will be in the Hall of […]

Daily Brief: LePage declares emergency, shuts down state offices

Expecting an onslaught of snow and wind, Gov. Paul LePage on Tuesday announced that he had declared a state of emergency, shutting down all state offices and urging Mainers to stay off the roads.  “Travel conditions will be life-threatening, and widespread power outages are probable,” LePage wrote in the emergency proclamation. Much of the state is braced for a snowstorm […]

Daily Brief: Expect construction traffic! Plus, the politics of tax reform

Good morning from the state’s capital city, where yesterday’s seemingly endless snowfall has abated just in time for the 74th annual Maine Agricultural Trades Show to kick off at the Augusta Civic Center. Gov. Paul LePage is scheduled to attend the opening day of the show, hosted by the state’s agriculture department. Meanwhile, lawmakers on the budget-writing […]