Good Morning from Montpelier,This week, the PLC was successful in advancing its priority bill, S. 46, An Act Relating to the Taxation of Vehicles Used for Forestry Operations, through the Senate,...

Good morning from Augusta,It is a brand-new legislative session for the 132nd Legislature as the Governor officially called the Legislature back into a special session after signing the $11...

Good Morning from Montpelier,More progress was made this week in the Vermont Legislature on getting one of the PLC's priority bills through the Senate so it can be sent over to the House. Here is...

Good morning from Augusta,I am sure that it is no surprise to anyone, but the Maine Legislature doesn’t seem to have learned much from the last election and has resorted to some good old fashioned...

Good morning from Augusta,Democrats and Republicans at the Legislature remained deadlocked on the supplemental budget this week which created a diversion for most to focus on other matters. ...

Good Morning from Montpelier,It was another busy week for the Vermont Legislature on one of the PLC's priority bills. Here is a recap of where things stand.S. 46, An Act Relating to the Taxation of...

Good morning from Augusta,Thank you to everyone who took the time to attend our Annual Legislative Breakfast in Augusta on Thursday.  We had a wonderful turnout, and it was great to see everyone...

Good morning from Augusta,On Thursday, of the PLC’s top priorities of the session, LD 417, An Act Regarding the Confidentiality of Certain Records Belonging to the Department of Agriculture,...

Please RSVP by Friday February 28 if you have not already!Join us for a Legislative Breakfast and PLC Board/Member Meeting on Thursday, March 6 beginning at 7:00 AM. All members are invited to...

Good morning from Augusta,The legislature had this week off to coincide with the school vacation break, allowing the legislators time to spend with family. However, policy committees have barely...

Good morning from Augusta,This week at the State House, there was partisan drama revolving around the Governor’s Supplemental Budget.  After a bipartisan unanimous vote in the Appropriations...

Good Morning from Montpelier,The PLC has had a busy week at the Vermont Legislature. Here are a few of the bills and legislative proceedings we are involved with on behalf of Vermont loggers and...

Good Morning from Augusta,On Thursday, there was a public hearing held on one of the PLC’s priority bills for the legislative session, LD 195, An Act to Create the Small Business Capital Savings...

Good Morning from Augusta,On Tuesday, January 28th, the PLC testified in support of LD 88, “An Act Regarding Penalties for Violating the Laws Governing Agriculture and Animals and the Maine Weights...

Good Morning from Augusta,Legislative policy committees are wasting no time diving into important issues.  This week, the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee (AFA) began their review...

Good Morning from Augusta,During January, the first month of the first legislative session, the legislative calendar is usually slower and predominately consists of referencing bills to committees...

Hello from Augusta,I hope you all had a Happy New Year!The 132nd Maine Legislature re-convened on Wednesday, January 8th to start the session after being sworn in on December 4, 2024.  This year...

 Good afternoon from Augusta,I hope all is well, and you are taking advantage of this dry fall weather we are experiencing.  It is no secret that there was an election held on November 5th,...

Good afternoon from Augusta,The 131st Maine Legislature adjourned for the year just after 10pm this past Friday (May 10th) evening, but not without controversy. The Senate convened at 9:30am...

Good morning from Augusta,The 131st Maine Legislature has scheduled what we think is their last day of work on May 10th.  The Senate will convene at 9 am and the House will begin shortly after...

Good morning from Augusta,After a long, dysfunctional week in Augusta, the 131st Maine Legislature adjourned early Thursday morning at about 6 am after one last marathon session that lasted almost 20...

Good morning from Augusta,As of today, there are three scheduled legislative days remaining in the 131st Maine Legislature.  There have been a lot of fireworks over the last week, and we are...

Good morning from Augusta,I hope you are all staying warm and have your power restored from this week’s snowstorm. In Augusta, it is crunch-time and due to the snow, the Legislature was closed...

Good morning from Augusta,We have reached the point in the legislative session where everyone is going 100 mph, but very little is being accomplished.  There are more than 300 bills left to be...

Good morning from Augusta,As we move further into the month of March, the legislature doesn’t seem to be getting any closer to adjourning and finishing up their work.  Each week, there are more...

Good morning from Augusta,With about a month left in the legislative session, the legislature is slowly working on some of the major policy discussions that await them in the next few weeks before...

Good morning from Augusta,This week, the PLC continued to work on several initiatives that will provide a lifeline for contractors' survival due to lost markets and warm/wet weather.   LD...

Good morning from Augusta,This week, the PLC testified in support of LD 2212, “An Act to Strengthen Maine's Agriculture, Food System and Forest Products Infrastructure Investment,” and also...

Good morning from Augusta,The Legislature was in session for three days this week and is very slowly chipping away at all the bills needed to be acted upon by the middle of April. On Thursday,...

Good morning from Augusta,On Tuesday of this week, the PLC testified in support of LD 2191.  The bill, sponsored by Senator Craig Hickman (D-Kennebec), would establish an emergency relief...

Good morning from Augusta,It was another busy week at the State House.  The Labor and Housing Committee had several public hearings on issues regarding employee wage and hour violations...

Good morning from Augusta,It was another busy week at the State House.  The Labor and Housing Committee had several public hearings on issues regarding employee wage and hour violations...

Good morning from Augusta,It was another busy week at the State House.  The Labor and Housing Committee had several public hearings on issues regarding employee wage and hour violations...

Good morning from Augusta,This week, Governor Mills provided the Legislature with her State of the State Address.  She rolled out her speech a little differently than in the past. On...

Good Morning from Augusta, The legislature was in session on Tuesday and Thursday again this week with another light workload.  The bulk of the work remains with committees who are...

Good Morning from Augusta,The legislature was in session on Tuesday and Thursday this week and their calendars were light in terms of workload and the bulk of the work stays focused on committees who...

Good Morning from Augusta,The Legislature is now up and running like the well-oiled machine that it is.  The presiding officers (Speaker and Senate President) have instructed committees to...

Good Morning from Augusta,I hope all of you had a Happy New Year! It is certainly a new year in Augusta as the 131st Legislature convened its 2nd session on Wednesday, January 3rd.  The...

Good Morning from Augusta,I hope you had a great Christmas and took some time to slow down and spend time with your family and friends. We are actively gearing up for another busy legislative...

Good Morning from Augusta,The fat lady has sung and the Legislature is finally Sine Die (Without Day).  One month late and a few hundred thousand dollars later, but what’s money, right when the...

Good Morning from Augusta,One more day closer, but the Legislature is still not Sine Die (Without Day). This past week, the Legislature met on Thursday, July 6th, with significantly reduced...

Good Morning from Augusta,The saga continues and the end is near but not in sight. Unfortunately, the Legislature has still not left town yet and it looks like it’s going to be a few more weeks...

Good Morning from Augusta,I would like to say that the fat lady has sung here in Augusta and the legislature has left town, but I would be Pinocchio.    Unfortunately, it’s Groundhog Day,...

Good Morning from Augusta,It’s been a long week in Augusta filled with late nights and lots of conversations in the halls of the capitol building as the Senate and House managed to put in a full week...

Good Morning from Augusta,The dog days of the 2023 legislative session have arrived as almost all activity has moved to the floor of the Senate and House. This past week, the two bodies met on...

Good Morning from Augusta,The month of June has arrived and it looks like the Legislature has recognized that the end is near and a sense of urgency has finally arrived in the majority party to get...

Good Morning from Augusta and welcome to the long weekend,Five weeks to go until the statutory date of adjournment (June 21) and a sense of urgency is still lacking amongst legislative leadership...

Good Morning from Augusta,The legislative session drags on down here as the realization has come that nearly 50% of the referred bills to committees have not yet been voted out with yea or nea votes...

Good Morning from Augusta,With one month to go until the proposed statutory date of adjournment (June 21), the pace of activity in Augusta is at an all-time high.  Public hearings are still...

Good Morning from Augusta,I apologize for the late legislative update this week, but let’s just say things were quite busy last week with a full legislative schedule and the PLC’s 28th Annual Meeting...

Good Morning from Augusta,It’s hard to believe but the month of April is ending already, and May begins on Monday.  As a result, there are only six to seven weeks left in the 2023 Legislative...

Good Morning from Augusta,This past week, the traditional April school vacation week, was cut short because of the Patriots Day holiday on Monday but was as busy and active as ever as legislative...

Good Morning from Augusta,On Friday afternoon, Governor Mills asked the PLC to meet with her and other representatives of the forest products economy to discuss remedies for logger capacity and the...

Good Morning from Augusta,The Legislature has returned for its special session and is now full speed ahead, with battle lines drawn between Democrats and Republicans toward mid-June when it is...

Good Morning from Augusta,As predicted in my report from last Saturday, the Legislature hit a major speed bump as the Democrats jammed a majority budget down the throats of Republicans one more time...

Good Morning from Augusta,For what might be the first time this year, the Legislature actually met for five straight days without interruption. A minor miracle in terms of legislative business...

Good Morning from Augusta,This past week was another filled with interruptions that seems be representative of a trend this session. Snow mageddon of 2023 came to Augusta this past Tuesday so all...

Good Morning from Augusta,The Legislature is starting to hit its stride as bills and work sessions are being scheduled continuously.  I expect activity will continue at this pace for the next...

Good Morning from Augusta.  PLC Legislative Breakfast 2023Legislative Breakfast underway March 2 2023The PLC held its Legislative Breakfast on Thursday, March 2, 2023 at the Governor Hill...

Good Morning from Augusta.  It has been a slow week here in Augusta as the Legislature was not in session for the February school vacation week and only two Committees (Appropriations and...

Good Morning from Augusta.  Well, wonders never cease in the world of politics.  When you think that people truly understand the issues that loggers are up against, something comes out of...

Good Morning from Augusta.  Our second major bill of the 131st Legislature, LD 180, An Act to Allow a Person to File a Paper Copy of a Timber Harvest Notification, had a public hearing...

Good Morning from Augusta.  Last WeekOur first major bill of the 131st Legislature, LD 108, An Act to Establish a Logger Relations Advocate Within the Maine Forest Service, had a...

Good Morning from Augusta.  And so it begins. On Monday, January 30th, our first major bill, LD 108, An Act to Establish a Logger Relations Advocate Within the Maine Forest...

Good Morning from Augusta.  This was a short week for our elected friends across the street as they weren’t in town for more than a day (Tuesday) as a result of the Martin Luther King, Jr...

Good Morning from Augusta.While not much has changed here from my last report, there is some movement to report.Next week, the Legislature will only meet on Tuesday, January 17th and will be...

Happy New Year everyone and welcome to the first edition of the PLC of Maine Legislative Impact for 2023.  A new, but somewhat similar, circus came to town on Wednesday, January 3rd....