New resources have been added to the Resources/Links page.

Maine SBDC Bulletin - Essential News for Entrepreneurs
This pdf explains the services of the Maine Small Business Development Centers.

Legal Aid Resources Available
This is a 2 page pdf that outlines legal resources for low-income and elderly Mainers.

This year a revenue-neutral tax reform package is being proposed. The package is designed to cut the state income tax from 8.5 % to 6.5 %, stimulate economic development, export tax burden, and stabilize revenues.

Click here to take a look at the Tax Reform and Relief Package..

It has been yet another busy week. The Utilities and Energy Committee was invited to a press conference with the Governor and the Premier or New Brunswick on Wednesday. The press conference was about the New Brunswick-Maine Energy Corridor.  This new North-Eastern energy corridor could send 1,500 megawatts of power from New Brunswick to Maine. The plan also involves Irving Oil. Irving Oil will conduct a feasibility study for the first stage of development that includes transmission lines to carry 1,200 to 1,500 megawatts of electricity from wind power and a natural gas-fired co-generation plant. The focus of the energy corridor will be on renewable energies such as wind and tidal power. This is a good thing for Maine and our energy future.

Are you a FairPoint customer? Did you lose your e-mail service during the recent transition? If so, you may be eligible for a rebate from FairPoint. FairPoint officials agreed to the rebates on March 12th at a meeting of the Legislature’s Utilities and Energy Committee. Customers who lost service for a week or more will get one month’s credit on their next bill. Customers who lost service for less than a week will get a $10 credit. The refunds will apply to both commercial and residential accounts. FairPoint has agreed to accept customers word on the outages if they file a complaint. Customers can reach FairPoint’s customer service line at 1-866-984-2001. (more…)

It was another busy week in Augusta. My committee (Utilities and Energy) saw many bills this week. We are seeing a lot of Net Energy Billing and e-911 bills. E-911 is a big issue for many small communities around the state. The costs for e-911 and dispatch in some centers has risen dramatically. This is forcing many communities to shop around for their e-911 services.

The Androscoggin Delegation met with Jonathan LaBonte of the Androscoggin Land Trust to discuss the progress of the Gulf Island Park. The Gulf Island Park will be along the Androscoggin in Greene, Turner and other towns along the river. The park plans are progressing well. From looking at the schedule, it looks as though they will have public scoping meetings sometime this May.

I will be going in front of the Education and Legal and Veterans Affairs on Monday. In Education, I will be talking about LD 735 An Act to Allow Unimmunized Children to Attend School Upon Parental Waiver, and in Legal and Veterans Affairs I will be discussing LD 901 An Act to Restrict the Size of Political Signs on Vehicles. If you would like to present any testimony (support or oppose) on these two issues, please e-mail or call me right away.

On March 31st at 7 pm, there will be a house meeting in support of the Employee Free Choice Act at Jillson’s Farm and Sugarhouse. If you are interested in or support this issue then please join us.

The work session for LD 435 “A Resolve Directing the Department of Transportation to Install a Traffic Light at an Intersection in Sabattus” was this morning. The proposed traffic light would be at the intersection of Route’s 126 and 132. This is a long awaited project. It appears that the public hearing and work session were successful and that the DOT, weather permitting, will be starting on the project before this Fall. Senator Nutting and I worked on this LD together and I want to thank him for his support.

A bill I am co-sponsoring with Senator Lisa Marrache, to allow the parent/guardian of a child to sign a waiver to remove the school from all liability if a child stays in school during a chicken pox outbreak will be going to Public Hearing on March 23rd at 10 am. If this issue is important to you, please call me, e-mail me or plan to attend the public hearing.

My bill on restricting the size of political signs on vehicles will also be going to Public Hearing on March 23rd at 10 am. That will be a busy morning! Once again, if this issue is important to you, please call me, e-mail me or plan to attend the public hearing.

I had an article in the Sun Journal this week about the Senior Farm Share Program. If you are a senior citizen, or you know one that may be interested, you can call SeniorsPlus in Lewiston (795-4010) to find out which farms in your area offer the program.

Have a nice weekend and stay warm! It is cold out there!