Ellsworth American

You have to love the end of session in the Maine State Legislature. In the final 24 hours, they raised taxes on beer, soda and health insurance, reconfigured the education consolidation bill and rearranged the country jail system.

In the midst of the chaos, one truly remarkable thing happened; the education lobby and the state employees association lost a huge battle over retirement funding, LD 1693 - An Act to Restore Equity to the Maine Public Employees Retirement System. In case you were wondering -- any time you see the words "restore equity" in a bill title, hold on to your wallet.