Maine Attorney General Opinions
Free plain-English summaries of attorney general opinions issued in Maine, with full citations and the original source on every page.
No Maine opinions match these filters
Try a different search term or clear the filters.
When does a regular legislative bill have to be sent to Maine voters as a 'competing measure' against an initiated bill on the same topic?
When the regular bill deals broadly with the same subject as the initiated bill, particularly in a way that is inconsistent with the initiated bill so that the two cannot stand together (Farris ex rel…
Can the Maine Legislature pass forest-practices amendments while a competing measure on that subject is pending before voters?
No. The Maine AG concluded that the Legislature may not enact legislation inconsistent with a competing measure that is pending before voters in a runoff referendum. The rule from Farris v. Goss (1948…
Does Section 19 of L.D. 1892 (the Compact for Maine's Forests) need a two-thirds vote to be enacted as a competing measure?
The Maine AG concluded that Section 19 of L.D. 1892, which prescribed how the Compact for Maine's Forests would be submitted to voters as a competing measure to the citizen-initiated clearcutting ban …
Does the Maine Legislature need a two-thirds vote to enact a competing measure to an initiated bill?
No. The Maine AG concluded that a competing measure to initiated legislation requires only a simple majority. The constitutional provision authorizing competing measures (art. IV, pt. 3, § 18(2)) does…
How can the Maine Legislature respond to a pending clearcutting initiative without forcing every related bill to go to voters?
The Maine AG told Senate President Butland that any forest-practices bill inconsistent with L.D. 1819 must be submitted to voters as a competing measure (Dorsky rule), unless the Legislature enacts it…
Can the Maine Legislature pass forest-practices legislation at a special session in response to a pending clearcutting initiative?
Yes. The Maine AG told Governor King that the Legislature could enact a competing measure to L.D. 1819 at a special session (not only at the regular session), and that it could also pass legislation c…
Browse Maine opinions by topic
Attorney general opinions in Maine are written by the Maine Attorney General's office in response to questions from state agencies, legislators, and prosecutors. They are not binding like court decisions, but courts and agencies treat them as persuasive guidance on how state law applies. Every opinion above has a plain-English question and short answer, plus a link to the full original text.