Alex Lear

1 day ago | centralmaine.com | Alex Lear

Maine legislators heard testimony on more than a dozen bills Wednesday aimed at amending, delaying or outright repealing the state’s fledgling paid family and medical leave program. As business leaders prepared for a slate of afternoon hearings before the Legislature’s labor committee, the broad-based Maine Paid Family Leave Coalition held a noontime rally outside the State House to defend the program against what coalition members say are attempts to destroy it.

1 day ago | centralmaine.com | Alex Lear

An emergency law allocating $3.5 million to address Maine’s public defense crisis took effect Wednesday without the governor’s signature. Maine is struggling to provide legal representation to everyone who has a constitutional right to a court-appointed lawyer if they can’t afford one on their own. The situation had grown so dire that a judge in Kennebec County recently ordered that people who have waited longer than two weeks for a lawyer start to be released from jail.

2 days ago | centralmaine.com | Alex Lear

A proposal to better gauge Maine’s progress in addressing its housing crisis won legislative committee approval Tuesday, but without Republican support or a mandate that all municipalities participate. As submitted, LD 1184 would have required all cities and towns to report annual home construction data — including building, demolition and occupancy permits — to the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development.

3 days ago | centralmaine.com | Alex Lear

The American Civil Liberties Union is suing to reinstate the status of any international student in New England who has had their visa wrongfully revoked. The ACLU says it is representing more than 100 international students in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Puerto Rico who had their immigration status terminated, although it is unclear if any international students in Maine have been impacted.

1 week ago | centralmaine.com | Alex Lear

Academic associations that represent University of Maine System schools and several other public and private universities are challenging a recent Department of Energy directive that will limit the amount of grant money that can be used by colleges and universities for administrative purposes. The department announced Friday that it would limit “indirect support” for department-funded education costs to 15%, an action that it said would save $405 million.