📄 Bills begin to run through the Legislature. Here are some highlights.
◉ To-go alcohol is coming to Maine in perpetuity. Last week, the Legislature sent a bill from Sen. Brad Farrin, R-Norridgewock, that would continue the pandemic-era policy, to Gov. Janet Mills' desk. It will allow bars and restaurants to sell alcohol, including cocktails and growlers, for off-premises consumption, jumping off past temporary measures on the subject.
◉ Libertarian-leaning Republicans are having some success in the Democratic-led Legislature. Sen. Eric Brakey, R-Auburn, got a bill aimed at increasing contraception access through a legislative committee early this month, while nine members of the Judiciary Committee endorsed a bill from Rep. David Boyer, R-Mechanic Falls, that would drop a requirement for lawyers to attend law school.
◉ Boyer also had success with a measure that would force governors to fill vacancies in the U.S. Senate with politicians who have the same political affiliation as the senator leaving the office. A legislative committee voted 9-2 last week to endorse a version of that measure.
🚢 The Navy boss comes to Maine's border shipyard today.
◉ Adm. Michael Gilday, the chief of naval operations, will will join U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire, at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery for an afternoon tour and news conference.
◉ Gilday, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, made headlines in recent days for defending a non-binary sailor whose story was shared by the Navy's public-relations arm, leading to criticism from some Republican senators. |
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