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What we're reading
— Collins thinks Elon Musk should allow former President Donald Trump back on Twitter after the world's wealthiest man takes over the platform. The senator responded to questions from The Huffington Post by criticizing the standards that led Trump's account to be banned after the Jan. 6 attacks but allow Russian government sites to use the platform.
— Political watchers blame a tight schedule, thousands of bills, personal politics and other hurdles of the State House for many of Maine's long-term but "not terribly sexy" problems going unsolved in the Legislature.
— After legislative Democrats raided reserves to spend $30 million to fund bills beyond the $12 million allotted in a recent spending bill, the top Senate Republican and Democrat took shots at each other. Let the campaign begin.
— The foreign workers who backstop Maine's tourism economy are still in short supply. These visa workers typically make up 10 percent of the hospitality workforce and some employers are preparing to get none at all. Slow processing at embassies and the war in Ukraine are among the reasons.
— Bangor will repeal its first-in-the-state ordinance banning flavored tobacco because it did not give enough notice to businesses. Councilors will likely try to pass a new one that complies with state notice requirements. |
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The vetoes begin
Maine's governor handed down her first veto since January, leading to criticism from a fellow Democrat. Gov. Janet Mills' first veto since lawmakers mostly wrapped up work for 2022 claimed a bill from Rep. Rebecca Millett, D-Cape Elizabeth, that would add three nonvoting faculty and employee members to the University of Maine System board of trustees.
Mills said in a Tuesday veto message that board should not have members who have a financial interest in debates. Millett called the message "nonsensical," saying it was designed to allay concerns about an earlier bill. Lawmakers will return on May 9 to handle vetoes from the governor with more likely coming.
BDN writer Caitlin Andrews contributed to this item. |
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Follow along today
12:30 p.m. Mills will sign two affordable housing bills into law at a news conference at the Hodgkins School Apartments in Augusta. They include a reform bill from House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford, that will take on single-family zoning and make a host of other changes. |
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📷  Lead photo: A child rides a toy car in a courtyard of a shelter in Juarez, Mexico, Tuesday, March 29, 2022. The majority of people staying at the shelter are women and their children from Mexico and Central America who have been expelled under Title 42 authority or were still waiting to try for asylum, the shelter’s director said. (AP photo by Christian Chavez) |
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