A bill sponsored by Rep. Ambureen Rana, D-Bangor, faces a round of final votes in each chamber before it can be sent to Gov. Janet Mills, whose administration opposed the proposal earlier this year.
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 inLocal & State, News, Politics
Latest Maine budget compromise would end free community college for 2026 graduates
The program was a signature policy win for Gov. Janet Mills, who had proposed making it permanent in her budget.
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Maine Senate blocks last transgender sports bill
The bill sponsored by Rep. Richard Campbell, R-Orrington, would have prevented transgender athletes from competing in school sports consistent with their gender identity and had been the only anti-transgender bill to clear a chamber this session.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics, Sports
Bills on transgender athletes in girls sports divide lawmakers in Maine House
Lawmakers in the Maine House of Representatives gave initial support to a bill to bar transgender athletes in girls sports Friday night, while also narrowly rejecting a bill that would require teams be designated male, female or coed.
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Tribal online gaming bill clears hurdle in Maine House
The bill still faces additional votes, and the Mills administration opposed it during a public hearing in March.
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Maine Democrats support high cigarette tax as state budget takes shape
Democrats on the budget committee voted to increase Mills’ proposed cigarette tax increase from $1 a pack to $1.50 a pack — a move Republicans slammed as hurting low-income Mainers.
Posted inElections, Local & State, News, Politics
Maine lawmakers push to expand ranked choice voting to governor’s race
The Maine Law Court issued an advisory opinion in 2017 saying the method would violate the state Constitution, but proponents say a court decision in Alaska dismantled the court’s reasoning.
Posted inElections, Local & State, News, Politics
Brunswick Democrat announces campaign for Susan Collins’ Senate seat
David Costello, 65, says he’s running to ‘end the Trump Administration’s and Republican Congress’s reckless assault on our democracy, environment, and economy.’
Posted inElections, Local & State, Politics
Gorham Republican enters Maine’s 2026 governor’s race
Owen McCarthy, a medical technology entrepreneur from Gorham, said he’s running to ‘rein in runaway spending,’ deliver tax relief to struggling Mainers and small businesses, and ‘crack down on illegal immigration by cooperating with federal law enforcement.’
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Gov. Mills signs minimum wage for Maine agriculture workers into law
Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, said the bill is a ‘long overdue step towards justice’ for workers who are primarily Black, Brown, Latino, and Indigenous laborers who have historically been excluded from labor protections.