Good morning from Augusta. The Maine Legislature’s watchdog committee may be busier after Friday morning, when they’ll meet to consider two new requested probes from lawmakers on the state’s allocation of timber from public lands and the unemployment system.
Those new investigations are likely to pass the committee. The timber review is being requested by the Legislature’s forestry committee after a tense Tuesday hearing where Gov. Paul LePage clashed with Sen. Tom Saviello, R-Wilton, who has led the inquiry.
The Republican governor denied that the state diverted timber from public land away from two millowners because of political differences on new softwood tariffs, but he also implored the panel to send the issue to the Government Oversight Committee — which runs the independent Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability.
The unemployment review could be more partisan. It’s being requested by Rep. Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford, after issues began in December with Maine’s new online unemployment system. Earlier this month, the Morning Sentinel published a memo saying the Maine Department of Labor destroyed complaints about the system and rolled it out despite employees’ concerns.
The County is pleased to feature content from our sister company, Bangor Daily News. To read the rest of “More investigations loom for busy Maine government watchdog,” an article by contributing Bangor Daily News staff writer Michael Shepherd, please follow this link to the BDN online.
