Central Maine News: LePage Rescinded 2011 Executive Order to Promote Cooperation between Maine + American Indian Tribes

These are some of the stories central Maine is talking about today.

State lawmakers will consider a bill this session that would waive in-state college tuition costs for Maine National Guard members. The bill would provide a 100 percent tuition waiver for certain members of the Maine National Guard. It would apply at any school in the University of Maine System, Maine Community College System and Maine Maritime Academy. A bipartisan group of lawmakers that's backing the bill will join National Guard members on Wednesday at the Statehouse to promote the bill. (AP)

Gov. Paul LePage has rescinded a 2011 executive order that sought to promote cooperation between the state and American Indian tribes. Tribal leaders said that the governor's decision won't have a significant practical impact because, for the most part, the order was never implemented. But Penobscot Nation Chief Kirk Francis says it does "nothing but fuel an already volatile relationship." The governor’s office said the governor rescinded the order because his efforts to "promote collaboration and communication with the tribes have proved unproductive." Also saying Maine's "interests have not been respected" in the relationships between the state and tribes. (AP)

A Maine emergency preparedness conference that is focusing on the impact of climate on emergency management is entering into its second and final day. The Seventh Annual Maine Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference wraps up today at the Augusta Civic Center. They keynote speaker is from the New York State Office of Emergency Management. He will speak about emergency support and coordination in response to western New York lake effect snow. There will also be sessions about flood insurance, the problem of scammers in the wake of disasters and economic and technical resources for rural communities. The State Emergency Response Commission, Maine Emergency Management Agency and the Maine Association of Local Emergency Managers organized the conference. (AP)

Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins are urging federal officials to make it possible for National Park passes to be purchased online or through a phone app. In a letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior and the National Park Service on Tuesday, King and Collins suggest that a pilot program could be set up at Maine's Acadia National Park to test the electronic sale of passes. The senators say visitors could be emailed passes that would then be scanned at the park, like airline tickets. They say doing so would make it easier for people to buy tickets and greatly increase revenue for national parks. They say it's time to move the park system "into this new century." (AP)

A rare copy of the Declaration of Independence will be on display for Hallowell’s Fourth of July celebration this year. Hallowell City Council approved the exhibition of the document for the first time in more than two decades. Hallowell's draft was one of 250 copies ordered in 1776 by the state council of Massachusetts, which included present-day Maine, from a printer in Salem, Massachusetts. State archivist David Cheever says at least 11 copies are believed to still exist, three of which are in Maine. Because Hallowell's copy is estimated to be worth at least $1 million, it will be encased in glass when on display at city hall. (AP)

Republican leaders in the House and Senate are backing Gov. Paul LePage's effort to amend the constitution to abolish the income tax. In a letter sent to the top lawmakers from both parties Monday, LePage urged legislative leaders from both parties to sign on as co-sponsors to his proposal. He says the Maine people agree that the "path to prosperity" is a future with no income tax. The measure, which hasn't yet been printed, would prohibit the state, beginning in 2020, from collecting an income tax. (AP)

The Democratic-led House has dealt a blow to a bill that would prohibit drivers from using hand-held cellphones. The House voted 88-55 against the bill. It received initial approval in the Republican-led Senate last week. Republican Sen. Roger Katz's bill would still allow drivers' to use hands-free devices. The measure faces further votes in both chambers. (AP)

Many Maine employers would be prohibited from considering an applicant's credit history when making hiring decisions under bill lawmakers will begin examining this week. Eleven states currently restrict the use of credit information in employment decisions. It does have some exceptions, like for employers in the financial services industry. The Maine State Chamber of Commerce isn't fond of the idea. Peter Gore, vice president of government relations, says there are good reasons for why an employer would want to run a credit check.(AP)