Budget & Taxes

failed · Maine · House Jun 11, 2025

LD 856: An Act To Phase Out The Income Tax

LD 856 would eliminate Maine's individual and corporate income tax through a phased reduction schedule. Starting in 2026, the tax owed would be reduced by 20% each year (80% in 2026, 60% in 2027, 40% in 2028, 20% in 2029), with no income tax imposed beginning January 1, 2030. This applies to all Maine residents and businesses paying income tax under current law. The bill modifies tax brackets and rates for 2017-2029 before fully eliminating the tax.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesBill explicitly phases out Maine's income tax (2026-2030), weakening the state's tax base and fiscal structure per its title and summary.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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failed · Maine · House Jun 9, 2025

LD 1505: An Act To Phase Out The Sales And Use Tax

LD 1505 phases out Maine's sales and use tax by gradually reducing the tax rate by 0.5 percentage points every two years, starting January 1, 2026, until the rate reaches 0% for all taxable categories. It directly affects businesses selling tangible goods, digital products, and taxable services, as well as consumers purchasing these items. The bill requires the State Tax Assessor to publish updated tax rates on a public website every two years before each reduction and submit legislative proposals to adjust tax laws accordingly. This process ensures transparency and administrative updates as the tax is eliminated over time.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesPhasing out sales tax reduces state revenue, weakening the tax system and opposing current fiscal structure.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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failed · Maine · House Jun 9, 2025

LD 1707: An Act To Require A Person To Be A United States Citizen To Receive State Or Local Financial Assistance And To Ensure Municipal Compliance With Federal Immigration Laws

LD 1707 requires all individuals to be U.S. citizens to receive most state or local financial assistance in Maine, including municipal aid programs. The bill exempts general purpose school funding distributed under Title 20-A, Chapter 606-B. It also makes municipalities ineligible for state funding (like revenue sharing or general assistance) if they prohibit local officials from sharing immigration status information with federal authorities, aligning with federal immigration law (specifically the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform Act). This policy directly affects non-citizen residents seeking financial aid and requires municipal compliance with federal immigration information-sharing requirements.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesRestricts state funding eligibility to U.S. citizens, limiting government spending on non-citizens and reducing municipal access to state financial assistance programs.85% confidence ✗ ImmigrationOpposes ImmigrationRestricts non-citizen access to state/local financial aid and mandates sharing immigration status with federal authorities per federal law.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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failed · Maine · House Jun 4, 2025

LD 544: An Act To Create Parity In The Taxation Of Medicine By Exempting Sales Of Cannabis For Medical Use

LD 544 exempts sales of cannabis for medical use from Maine's sales tax, creating tax parity with prescription medicines. The bill amends Maine's tax code to include medical cannabis sales (after January 1, 2026) under the existing exemption for prescription medicines sold by doctors. It directly affects patients certified for medical cannabis use under Maine's Medical Use of Cannabis Act and providers selling to them. This policy change removes a sales tax burden currently applied to medical cannabis, aligning its tax treatment with other prescribed medicines. The exemption applies only to cannabis sold with a medical provider's certification, not recreational sales.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesExempts medical cannabis sales from sales tax, creating parity with prescription medicines and reducing tax burden on patients, aligning with tax relief indicators.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExempts medical cannabis sales from tax, aligning with prescription medicine access to improve patient affordability and treatment access under healthcare policy.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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failed · Maine · House Jun 3, 2025

LD 1273: An Act To Make Paid Family And Medical Leave Voluntary

This bill repeals Maine's mandatory paid family and medical leave program, making participation voluntary instead. It limits the program to employers with 50 or more employees and requires the Department of Labor to refund all contributions made under the previous mandatory system to both employers and employees by June 2026. Unappropriated funds from the leave program must be transferred to the state's general fund by June 30, 2026. The changes take effect retroactively to October 25, 2023.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesBill defunds mandatory leave program by refunding contributions and transferring unappropriated funds to general fund, eliminating dedicated revenue stream for the program.95% confidence ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareRepeals mandatory paid family/medical leave, limits coverage to large employers, and refunds contributions - reducing access to healthcare-related leave benefits and defunding the program.95% confidence ✗ Labor & EmploymentOpposes Labor & EmploymentRepeals mandatory paid leave program, making it voluntary and limiting coverage to employers with 50+ employees, weakening worker protections and reducing benefits.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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failed · Maine · House Jun 3, 2025

LD 1553: Resolution, Proposing An Amendment To The Constitution Of Maine To Require A Supermajority Of The Legislature To Approve Raising Taxes

LD 1553 proposes amending Maine's Constitution to require a two-thirds vote in both legislative chambers to raise existing tax rates or impose new taxes. Currently, legislative consent is required for taxes, but this bill would strengthen that requirement by mandating a supermajority vote instead of a simple majority. The amendment would also allow tax changes to be approved through direct citizen initiative (a public vote) as an alternative to the legislative supermajority. This resolution must be approved by the legislature and then ratified by Maine voters in a statewide election to become part of the state constitution. If adopted, it would directly affect how the legislature passes tax-related legislation.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesRequires supermajority (2/3) for tax increases, restricting legislative ability to raise taxes compared to current simple majority requirement.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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failed · Maine · Senate May 29, 2025

LD 1292: An Act To Codify The Maine Turnpike Authority'S Contributions To The Highway Fund With Regard To The Sensible Transportation Policy Act

LD 1292 codifies a requirement for the Maine Turnpike Authority to transfer excess funds to the Highway Fund on a quarterly basis. It specifies that any revenues or reserves held by the Authority exceeding its approved operating budget, maintenance reserves, debt service obligations, and legislatively approved capital projects must be sent to the Highway Fund. This directly affects the Authority’s financial management and the Highway Fund, which funds state transportation projects. The bill aligns with the Sensible Transportation Policy Act by directing excess turnpike revenues toward broader highway needs rather than remaining within the Authority’s reserves.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesCodifies transfer of Turnpike Authority excess funds to Highway Fund, ensuring fiscal responsibility in transportation funding allocation per Highway Fund requirements.95% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationCodifies transfers of excess Turnpike Authority funds to Highway Fund, directly increasing funding for state transportation projects per Sensible Transportation Policy Act.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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failed · Maine · Senate May 29, 2025

LD 278: An Act To Eliminate The Tobacco Products Tax On Certain Products That Contain Nicotine

LD 278 eliminates the tobacco products tax on items containing nicotine but not tobacco, such as certain nicotine-only e-liquids or nicotine salts. The bill amends Maine's tax code by revising the definition of "tobacco products" to exclude products that contain nicotine without tobacco, while maintaining taxes on traditional tobacco products and nicotine-containing e-cigarettes. This change directly affects manufacturers and retailers selling nicotine products without tobacco, removing their tax obligation under current law. The bill does not alter existing taxes on products like cigars, snus, or e-cigarettes that contain nicotine. (Bill: LD 278, Maine Legislature 2025)

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesEliminates tobacco tax on nicotine products, reducing state tax revenue and weakening tax collection for this category.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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failed · Maine · Senate May 22, 2025

LD 1013: An Act To Protect Taxpayers By Requiring Referenda On Significant Municipal Debt

LD 1013 requires Maine municipalities to hold a voter referendum before issuing bonds totaling $10 million or more. This directly affects all cities, towns, and local governments planning large-scale borrowing projects. The bill mandates that the referendum must be held on the first Tuesday in November, following existing procedures outlined in state law. It aims to give residents a direct vote on significant debt that could impact local taxes and public spending. The policy change applies to all municipal debt exceeding the $10 million threshold, not to smaller projects or existing bonds.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesRequires voter approval for municipal debt >$10M to prevent tax impacts, promoting fiscal responsibility and taxpayer protection per bill summary.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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failed · Maine · House May 20, 2025

LD 542: An Act Regarding Municipal Property Tax Levy Limits

This bill modifies how Maine municipalities calculate their annual property tax levy limits. It requires the State Treasurer to post annual revenue forecasts by April 15th to help towns plan budgets, and establishes a new formula using "average personal income growth" and a "property growth factor" to set the tax limit. The tax limit for a municipality is now based on the previous year's levy multiplied by one plus this growth factor, directly affecting all Maine towns and cities that set property taxes. The changes aim to provide clearer, data-driven guidance for municipal budgeting.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesNew formula ties municipal tax limits to economic growth factors, promoting fiscal responsibility in budgeting.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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