A bill sponsored by Rep. Grayson Lookner, D-Portland, would limit police use of facial recognition technology to investigations of only the most serious crimes.
Scott Thistle
Scott Thistle is the State House reporter for the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. He has covered politics and government in Maine since 2006. Prior to that he served as the State House reporter for the Duluth News Tribune in Duluth, Minnesota. A Maine native, Thistle has worked in journalism since 1990, when he got his start at a weekly newspaper in rural Oxford County, Maine. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and an active volunteer with the National Ski Patrol. He resides with his wife, Amy and his two sons Finn and Kai, in Auburn, Maine.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Lawmakers vote to study security at State House complex
The State and Local Government Committee endorses the bill on a party-line vote after one lawmaker testifies about run-ins with a man now charged in the Jan. 6 insurrection at U.S. Capitol.
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Posted inElections, Local & State, News, Politics
Legislature rejects bill to make Election Day a state holiday
But a bill to boost pay for school support staff to $16 an hour advances in what was likely lawmakers’ last meeting at the Augusta Civic Center.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News, Politics
Divided tax committee endorses surcharge bill for high-wage earners in Maine
The Legislature’s Taxation Committee voted 6-5 Tuesday to advance a bill that would tack a 3% surcharge on taxable income over $200,000.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Bill would end use of student restraint and seclusion in Maine schools
The measure has the support of advocates for the disabled, but school administrators and some parents said the bill would prohibit some of the only techniques that work in dangerous situations.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Maine lawmakers could head back to the State House soon
The Legislature has been meeting at the Augusta Civic Center to maintain distancing, but new federal and state guidelines have prompted legislative leaders to begin planning for a return to the Capitol.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Gov. Mills proposes $187 million increase in school funding in updated state budget
The plan would fund education at the voter-approved level of 55% for the first time, provide more money to cities and towns, and put a record amount in the state’s ‘rainy day’ fund.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Bill seeks to boost Maine’s child care system and workforce
House Speaker Ryan Fecteau’s measure would devote $5 million a year to boost training and pay for child care workers.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Schools and Education
Bills would mandate Holocaust and Black history education in Maine
The legislation before the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee would require all Maine public schools to include curriculum on genocide and Black history in their courses of study.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Legislature delays floor session after two members test positive for COVID-19
The House and Senate floor sessions scheduled for next Thursday at the Augusta Civic Center have been postponed until May 19.