AUGUSTA- A bill defining intentional releases of more than 15 balloons as an act of littering is now law. LD 1023, sponsored by Rep. Genevieve McDonald, D-Stonington, addresses an issue that fishermen have wrestled with under the radar for years.

AUGUSTA - On Wednesday, the Legislature passed a biennial budget. It includes funding to improve dental health access for Maine adults with low incomes, an initiative from Speaker Ryan Fecteau to shift Maine's reliance on emergency-only dental coverage to a preventative dental care model to improve health outcomes and save the state money over time. The effort had received bipartisan support from the committee earlier this session when public health experts and economists agreed that the investment would save the state money and contribute to positive health outcomes for Maine people.

AUGUSTA - The Maine Legislature has enacted a historic bill Wednesday sponsored by Rep. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, to provide voters with the opportunity to replace Central Maine Power and Versant with the Pine Tree Power Company, a consumer-owned electric utility.

LD 1708 was enacted "under the hammer" in the House and by an 18-14 vote in the Senate. Earlier recorded votes in the House earned support from Republican, Independent and Democratic lawmakers.

AUGUSTA - Today, the Maine Legislature voted overwhelmingly in favor of a strong, responsible bipartisan budget that includes 55 percent state funding for education, a full restoration to revenue sharing by the end of the Fiscal Year 2023, and critical funding for senior living facilities and direct care workers. The vote was 123-23 in the House and 32-2 in the Maine Senate.

AUGUSTA - A bill sponsored by Rep. Jessica Fay, D-Raymond, to make auto insurance companies use appropriate comparisons when determining payouts became law last week.

AUGUSTA - On Wednesday, the Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee voted to fund a bill from House Speaker Ryan Fecteau of Biddeford. The bill shifts Maine’s reliance on emergency-only dental coverage to a preventative dental care model to improve health outcomes and save the state money over time.

AUGUSTA - Today, the Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee reached a unanimous, bipartisan agreement on the budget. The proposal will go before the full Legislature on Wednesday, June 30 for a vote.

AUGUSTA - Rep. Seth Berry's bill to ban misleading winter electricity disconnection threats as part of the collections process was signed into law Thursday.

AUGUSTA - A measure to require law enforcement agencies to adopt policies regarding the execution of unannounced search warrants, LD 1043, sponsored by Rep. David McCrea, D-Fort Fairfield, was signed into law this week by Gov. Janet Mills.

AUGUSTA - A measure by Rep. Allison Hepler, D-Woolwich, to improve the rights and protections for individuals with acquired brain injuries became law this week.

Hepler's bill, LD 559, would ensure that people with "acquired brain injuries" receive the same rights as people with intellectual disabilities or autism by adding "acquired brain injury" to the existing statutes concerning rights for those individuals.