11/16/2007
from the Kennebec Journal
Sport of Kings
New Medicaid billing system inspires doubts among some
Christmas spirit
Guidance counselor: Dismiss complaint based on criticism of same-sex marriage
CHELSEA: 'Practice burn' provides thrill for 9-year-old
Trust eyes orchard purchase
GOLFER OF THE YEAR: Bonenfant rises up Cony ranks
YOUTH SOCCER: Local team gives 'care package' to children in Afghanistan
All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Kennebec Journal
from the Morning Sentinel
YES ON 1 BACKER REBUTS CLAIM
New system for Medicaid payments worries providers
After petition drive, Clinton police force budget will go a third time before voters
A rock musician makes trip home via Black Taxi
MADISON: After revaluation, abatement requests reviewed
Parks to have facelift
GOLFER OF THE YEAR: Sweet does job for Madison
YOUTH SOCCER: Local team gives 'care package' to children in Afghanistan
All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Morning Sentinel
Those are three of 46 bills that got a second chance at life Thursday.
Dozens of legislators and lobbyists came to the Statehouse for "bill appeal day," when lawmakers get one last shot at getting their bills in for consideration next year.
The Legislature reconvenes in January for the second year of a two-year session. The session is supposed to be reserved for emergency legislation and is about two months shorter than the first session.
Sen. Peter Mills, R-Cornville, lobbied for his bill to allow charitable and fraternal organizations to get a low-cost license to host cribbage games. Some local groups have stopped hosting the games in the wake of a state crackdown on gaming.
"This is not an emergency, but it's a crisis," Mills said.
Before he could say more, leaders voted 10-0 to allow the bill to be considered when the Legislature reconvenes.
"The cribbage players of the world appreciate you," Senate President Beth Edmonds, D-Freeport said.
In all, 410 bills will be heard this session. That includes new bills, those carried over from the first session and bills from the governor and executive departments, according to the Speaker's Office.
The number is considerably fewer than the 1,900 that came through the pipeline in the first session.
Rep. Peggy Pendleton, D-Scarborough, tried to get a bill "to protect nurses from mandatory overtime" approved -- a measure she's submitted before.
"I think this is a very very dangerous situation," Pendleton said. "A tired nurse is not an effective nurse."
They rejected the bill 6-4.
But they did vote in Pendleton's bill to address the shortage of lab technicians.
Sen. John Martin, D-Eagle Lake, had good luck.
His bill, which was changed to a study of cultural agency accounting and accountability, earned a 7-3 vote in support. In recent weeks, the agencies have been questioned about whether they appropriately spent $4,000.
Rep. Gary Moore, R-Standish, didn't fare as well. His bill to exempt logging equipment from state sales tax was rejected 7-3.
In the offbeat category, Rep. Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, got all his Democratic colleagues to support his bill to "prohibit the sale of energy drinks to minors."
It got in on a 6-4 vote.
"The reason this in an emergency is I have two kids, and when I'm not with them, I can't stop them from drinking this crap," he said.
Susan Cover -- 623-1056
scover@centralmaine.com
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It got in on a 6-4 vote.
"The reason this in an emergency is I have two kids, and when I'm not with them, I can't stop them from drinking this crap," he said.
Susan Cover -- 623-1056
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It's nice that Susan Cover finds the Legislature such a funny "offbeat" joke. It's just a wild, irrelevant, wacky place. They're such kidders, those kwazy legislators.report abuse
I can see it now, "Man arrested on four counts of providing a place for minors to drink RedBull"
Here we go, one more step closer to being an annex of The Republic of Kalifornia.report abuse
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