Randy Billings is a government watchdog and political reporter who has been the State House bureau chief since 2021. He was named the Maine Press Association’s Journalist of the Year in 2020. He joined the Press Herald in 2012 as the Portland City Hall reporter, where his beat touched on a wide range of topics, including municipal government, immigration, homelessness, housing and social services. Prior to that, he worked at various weeklies as well as business and arts publications. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine, Orono. He lives in North Yarmouth with his wife and two children and enjoys the outdoors and playing his upright bass.
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PublishedJanuary 20, 2022
Committee votes down moratorium on COVID-19 vaccine mandates
The Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee votes 7-5 against a bill that originally aimed to prohibit COVID-19 vaccination mandates for five years.
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PublishedJanuary 20, 2022
Committee’s party-line endorsement of equal rights amendment makes passage appear doubtful
Unified opposition by the Judiciary Committee’s five Republican members is a bad sign for supporters because the proposal needs votes from two-thirds of the Legislature to advance.
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PublishedJanuary 19, 2022
Maine shattered its annual record for overdose deaths in 2021
The 636 deaths, a 23% increase over 2020, are largely the result of fentanyl being added to other drugs. Increased isolation and other pandemic challenges also were factors.
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PublishedJanuary 18, 2022
Mills and LePage pile up campaign funds for gubernatorial race
Since July, Gov. Janet Mills and Paul LePage, a former two-term Republican governor, have raised similar amounts at $1 million and $900,000, respectively. But Mills has more money on hand, with $1.28 million to LePage’s $600,000.
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PublishedJanuary 18, 2022
‘Inevitable digital intrusion’ into Mainers’ privacy drives new push for constitutional amendment
The proposal would add privacy as a natural right in Maine and protect electronic data and communication from unreasonable seizure by the government.
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PublishedJanuary 12, 2022
Harsher punishment sought for those who threaten election workers in Maine
Municipal clerks who administer elections say they’ve noticed an increase in anger among voters, and state officials cite at least two threats to election workers since the 2020 presidential election.
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PublishedJanuary 11, 2022
Lawmakers hear waves of support for equal rights amendment to Maine Constitution
The amendment would expressly prohibit discrimination based on sex – something that came 2 votes shy of passing in 2019, the sponsor says.
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PublishedJanuary 10, 2022
Bill calls for Maine to ban COVID-19 vaccination mandates for 5 years
The bill is unlikely to advance, but it will give Republicans a chance to amplify a chief talking point of former Gov. Paul LePage’s campaign to unseat Gov. Janet Mills.
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PublishedJanuary 6, 2022
Resolution honoring police who defended U.S. Capitol sparks partisan divide in Maine House
A total of 49 House members, all Republican, voted against the resolution, some taking issue with describing the Jan. 6 insurrection as domestic terrorism.
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PublishedJanuary 5, 2022
Child welfare ombudsman’s report lays out familiar problems, challenges facing front-line workers
Most of the findings in Christine Alberi’s report, formally submitted this week, have been the subject of debate among policymakers for months.
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