Golfers will no longer have to smuggle beers onto the course, women will have easier access to the “morning after” pill, and some 17-year-olds will have the chance to vote in Maine primaries.
These are all among the dozens of bills Maine legislators have been working on for the ’04 session. Most of the bills will be in place 90 days upon completion of the session, which is expected to end this month.
Bills passed
- Without a prescription, women were never allowed to obtain the emergency contraceptive known as the “morning after” pill. Maine now becomes the sixth state in the Union to allow pharmacists to dispense the pill without a doctor’s prescription.
- The voting age in the United States is currently 18 years old. That, technically will still be the case, however, if a person is 17 years of age, and is due to be 18 by the time the actual election takes place, he or she will be able to cast a vote in Maine primaries.
- Those garnering minimum wage, now set at $6.25 per hour, will see a twenty-five cent raise if the governor elects to sign the bill. The raise will take place in two phases, with its completion in 2005.
- Golfers in Maine will be allowed to purchase beer from mobile vendors on the links. Many course owners have pushed for this, saying many golfers currently smuggle beers onto the course, giving staff no control over how much they drink.
- A deadly fire in Rhode Island caused by pyrotechnics has brought fireworks under scrutiny in Maine. The bill, among other regulations, will require fireworks shows to carry a $1 million minimum liability insurance coverage. That number doubled from the original $500,000 minimum that the state previously required.
- Among the many educational issues brought to the floor, a plan created by lawmakers will give parents and school faculty an easier process for identifying possible reasons for a student’s truancy. The process will also include a way to correct the problem.
- A law was also passed that will protect children in need of a guardian following instances of extreme domestic violence. The law will require anyone wishing to take custody of a child after a domestic violence death has occurred to undergo criminal background checks.
Joe Bilancieri can be contacted at [email protected]