March brought a flurry of activity in Maine's 2026 governor's race and U.S. Senate primary, alongside a busy month at the State House. Lawmakers weighed bills on SNAP funding, hospital costs, data centers, school funding, housing and more.
Governor's race and Senate primary
Gubernatorial candidate Dr. Nirav Shah unveiled a plan to cut living costs and boost family affordability, southasianherald.com reported. (southasianherald.com)
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson outlined policy proposals including an ICE action plan, WGME reported. (WGME)
Republican gubernatorial candidate David Jones submitted signatures to appear on the ballot, WGME reported. (WGME)
Jason Cherry dropped out of Maine's gubernatorial race and switched to a different campaign, WABI reported. (WABI)
An Emerson College poll found Graham Platner leading both Janet Mills and Susan Collins in Maine's U.S. Senate race, ABC27 reported. (ABC27)
State budget, legislature and taxes
A bill would set aside $87 million in emergency SNAP funding if the federal government fails to deliver, WGME reported. (WGME)
Three bills under consideration in Augusta would increase income tax, WGME reported. (WGME)
On March 19, Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill giving Maine's public defense agency $21 million in emergency funding, the Portland Press Herald reported. (The Portland Press Herald)
A Right to Repair bill covering laptops and phones advanced in the Maine Senate and moved on to the House, newscentermaine.com reported. (newscentermaine.com)
A statewide bell-to-bell ban on cellphones in schools moved a step closer to becoming law, the Portland Press Herald reported. (The Portland Press Herald)
Health care
Northern Light Health pushed back against a bill aimed at cutting insurance costs, WGME reported. (WGME)
Maine hospitals and health advocates debated a bill that would cap hospital prices, the Portland Press Herald reported. (The Portland Press Herald)
Maine raised standards for community paramedics, and some paramedics are now leaving the field, Central Maine reported. (Central Maine)
A former official said it is impossible to solve the problem of health care costs, the Maine Monitor reported. (The Maine Monitor)
The Maine Senate advanced Sen. Bailey's bill to strengthen the state's medical debt law, Saco Bay News reported. (Saco Bay News)
A proposal to cap insulin costs offered new hope to diabetes patients in Maine, newscentermaine.com reported. (newscentermaine.com)
Data centers and energy
A Maine legislative committee backed a bill that would halt a proposed AI data center project in Sanford, Seacoastonline.com reported. (Seacoastonline.com)
A Maine bill would block data centers from receiving state tax breaks, Maine Public reported. (Maine Public)
newscentermaine.com reported on why Maine electric bills are rising and what could bring costs down. (newscentermaine.com)
The Maine Legislature was poised to vote on bills aimed at curbing data center development in the state, Seacoastonline.com reported. (Seacoastonline.com)
A proposed data center moratorium could end a paper mill project in Jay, with a House vote anticipated soon, newscentermaine.com reported. (newscentermaine.com)
Maine's governor backed a job-boosting project at the Jay mill, newscentermaine.com reported. (newscentermaine.com)
Housing, schools and child care
Maine's school funding formula could be changed for the first time in 20 years, the Portland Press Herald reported. (The Portland Press Herald)
Calais would receive more state aid under proposed changes to Maine's school funding formula, Bangor Daily News reported. (Bangor Daily News)
A plan to boost child care in Maine gained support, though its funding remains uncertain, the Portland Press Herald reported. (The Portland Press Herald)
Maine lawmakers advanced a bill to encourage more accessory dwelling units and greater housing density, the Portland Press Herald reported. (The Portland Press Herald)
Portland is considering closing its Cliff Island school, the Portland Press Herald reported. (The Portland Press Herald)
On March 23, Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill into law to make child care more affordable in Maine, WMTW reported. (WMTW)
Courts, elections and oversight
Gov. Janet Mills tapped Christopher Taub for a seat on the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, WABI reported. (WABI)
Mainers will vote on a ballot proposal to ban transgender athletes from girls' sports, the Portland Press Herald reported. (The Portland Press Herald)
Gov. Janet Mills said she would oppose the transgender athlete ballot measure, WMTW reported. (WMTW)
A state audit revealed oversight issues in Maine's major assistance programs, newscentermaine.com reported. (newscentermaine.com)
A court review of Maine's ranked-choice voting expansion began, putting the program under scrutiny, newscentermaine.com reported. (newscentermaine.com)
A lawsuit challenged the validity of signatures for a citizen initiative on transgender athletes in Maine school sports, WMTW reported. (WMTW)
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