The legislation by Rep. Kevin O’Connell is part of a broader push to eliminate child marriage in the United States, and elsewhere, to prevent the exploitation of minors, especially girls.
Randy Billings
Staff Writer
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.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Rising power costs help fuel Gov. Mills’ plan to speed transition to renewable electricity
During an address on Tuesday, Gov. Janet Mills announced plans to submit a bill requiring 100% of the electricity consumed in Maine to come from renewable energy sources by 2040 – a decade sooner than previously planned.
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Posted inLocal & State, Politics
Waldoboro lawmaker accused of fraud and forgery continues to collect salary
Democratic Rep. Clinton Collamore Sr. heads to court this week to face 20 counts of aggravated forgery, 11 counts of unsworn falsification and 1 count of violating the Maine Clean Election Act.
Posted inLocal & State
State did not mishandle case of child who died from overdose, report says
Three-year-old Hailey Goding overdosed on her mother’s drugs after state caseworkers had investigated a previous report of drug exposure.
Posted inLocal & State
Lawmakers launch financial probe of Maine Veterans’ Homes
The director of the state’s nonpartisan watchdog agency said he received a whistleblower complaint from someone in a position to know about financial problems, but no details were disclosed.
Posted inLocal & State, Politics
State finds $2.6 million to boost pay for lawyers who represent indigent defendants
The Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services says it will increase its reimbursement rate from $80 an hour to $150 an hour after state officials realized money to pay attorneys had not been carried over from an “orphaned” account it last used in 2019.
Posted inLocal & State, Politics
Maine officials believed relief checks were tax exempt – but never asked the IRS
Lawmakers who negotiated the payments say they believed the pandemic-era aid would be tax-free, but a Maine Revenue Service official says no such assurance was made.
Posted inLocal & State
Committee endorses bill to enhance information sharing about potential criminal activity by police officers
The bill would require a prospective employer to report any suspected or confirmed criminal activity uncovered during a police officer’s background investigation or polygraph exam to the applicant’s current employer.
Posted inLocal & State, Nation & World, Politics
Maine lawmakers renew push for faster work permits for asylum seekers
Efforts dating to 2015 have failed to gain traction in Congress, stalling in the polarized debates over immigration reform and border security.
Posted inLocal & State, Politics
Maine House speaker strips committee assignment of indicted Democrat
Rep. Clinton E. Collamore Sr. has faced calls to resign since being indicted in December on multiple counts of aggravated forgery, unsworn falsification and violations of the Clean Election Act.