| 🗞 The Daily Brief is made possible by Bangor Daily News subscribers. Support the work of our politics team and enjoy unlimited access to everything the BDN has to offer by subscribing here. |
|
| 📷 A Mega Millions sign displays the estimated jackpot of $1.35 billion at the Cranberry Super Mini Mart in Cranberry, Pennsylvania, on Jan. 12, 2023. (AP photo by Gene J. Puskar) |
|
💰 We know Maine's share of taxes on the Mega Millions jackpot.
◉ The winner of the January jackpot came forward this week to claim the $1.35 billion prize as a one-time lump-sum payment through a Delaware company that allows for anonymity.
◉ The lump-sum payment is good news for Gov. Janet Mills' budget, meaning the state will bring in $51 million in one-time taxes on the prize during this two-year budget cycle. The federal government will take roughly $173 million.
◉ If the winning ticket were not purchased in Lebanon but a mile away in New Hampshire, the winner would be even richer due to our neighbor's lack of a state income tax. But the winner probably does not mind the tax bill.
4️⃣ Another effort to lengthen legislative terms probably isn't going anywhere.
◉ Four-term limits were imposed on Maine legislators in a 1993 referendum whose effect on State House politics is often hotly debated among observers. Both parties have skeptics on term limits, but they have long been a distinct minority, and there has been little movement toward changing them.
◉ A bipartisan group of sponsors led by Rep. Bruce White, D-Waterville, have a constitutional amendment proposal printed this week to increase term limits to four years, up from two years now. Sen. Brad Farrin, R-Norridgewock, is behind the bill, just as he was on the last attempt to do this back in 2019.
◉ But that try showed the hard road that these changes face in Augusta. Despite a bipartisan mix of sponsors including then-House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford, it only won 20 votes in the House and was swiftly killed in the Senate without a roll-call vote. |
|
📱Want daily texts from me tipping you to political stories before they break?
Get Pocket Politics. It is free for 14 days and $3.99 per month if you like it. |
|
What we're reading
🌬️ Maine's offshore wind plan will take years to execute.
🔑 Bangor is close to passing a tenants-rights ordinance without rent control.
🏙️ Neon signs and new color schemes harken back to the Queen City's heyday. Here's your soundtrack.
🥶 It's going to be a frigid weekend in Maine.
📝 The BDN's Valerie Royzman, the daughter of Ukrainian immigrants, reflects on the anniversary of Russia's invasion. |
|
| 💰 Want to advertise in the Daily Brief? Write our sales team. |
|
|
|
