AUGUSTA - Reps. Jan Dodge, D-Belfast, Scott Cuddy, D-Winterport and Paige Zeigler, D-Montville, each received a 100% rating on votes to support state workers, according to a recent scorecard released by the Maine State Employees Association, Local 1989 of the Service Employees International Union (MSEA-SEIU).

AUGUSTA - Reps. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, Allison Hepler, D-Woolwich, Jay McCreight, D-Harpswell, Sean Paulhus, D-Bath, and Denise Tepler, D-Topsham, have all received a 100% rating on votes to support state workers, according to a recent scorecard released by the Maine State Employees Association, Local 1989 of the Service Employees International Union (MSEA-SEIU).

AUGUSTA - The Legislature's Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee will hold a virtual meeting tomorrow, Friday, September 24 at 9 a.m. regarding the recent incidents at Long Creek Youth Development Center. Legislators will be joined by Maine Department of Corrections (MDOC) Commissioner Randall Liberty, MDOC Director of Government Affairs Anna Black, Center for Children's Law and Policy Executive Director Mark Soler and Atlee Reilly, managing attorney at Disability Rights Maine.

AUGUSTA - Rep. Scott Landry, D-Farmington, earned the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine 2021 President's Award for Legislative Service. The award was announced at the organization's annual banquet earlier this month.

AUGUSTA - Rep. Morgan Rielly, D-Westbrook, received the 2021 State Leadership Award presented by America's Service Commissions (ASC) Tuesday in recognition of his commitment to public service and volunteerism.

AUGUSTA - Rep. Jessica Fay, D-Raymond, has been named as the Maine Council on Aging's (MCOA) 2021 "Legislator of the Year." The award recognizes the sustained efforts of legislative leaders who actively champion initiatives to improve the health, safety and economic security of older Mainers.

"I am very honored to receive this award," Fay said. "The Maine Council on Aging is one of the most important advocacy organizations for older Mainers, and their recognition means a lot to me."

AUGUSTA - Rep. Michele Meyer, D-Eliot, has been named the 2021 Legislative Hero to Older Mainers by the Maine Council on Aging. The award recognizes lawmakers who have led efforts to benefit the state's older residents.

AUGUSTA - Rep. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, House chair of the Legislature's Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee, issued the following statement in response to Central Maine Power's announcement that Joseph Purington will assume the role of president and CEO of the company:

"I welcome the news and look forward to meeting with Mr. Purington to hear his thoughts on CMP's worst-in-nation customer satisfaction and obstruction of local renewables, as well as Maine's tenth-highest electricity rates, and our most-frequent and second-longest outages in the nation."

AUGUSTA - Rep. Allison Hepler, D-Woolwich, presented a joint resolution urging Congress to establish a Veterans Service Organization (VSO) to help veterans access housing to the Council of State Governments East (CSG) on Wednesday.

CSG is the nation's largest nonpartisan organization whose mission is to champion excellence in state government. Hepler introduced the resolution to the Maine Legislature in July where it received unanimous approval. The measure was also supported by the Legislature's Veterans Caucus.

Just like every other aspect of life, the legislative session that wrapped up a few weeks ago looked quite different from usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of our committee meetings were held via Zoom, and for several months, the full Legislature convened at the Augusta Civic Center instead of the State House to allow for social distancing. Despite the challenges, my colleagues and I passed several landmark measures that will make a real difference for communities and families across the state.