Maine legislators approved a budget on April 9 that is designed to protect family planning and reproductive healthcare, providing millions in annual funding for those services, according to a press release from Planned Parenthood. The budget is part of bill LD 335, sponsored by Rep. Amy Kuhn, which was left as unfinished business by the legislature. However, the bill has taken a new shape in the form of a budget amendment, which means that Maine is on track to become one of the first states to build an allowance for reproductive healthcare into the state budget. 

If enacted, the budget amendment would provide $5 million annually for reproductive healthcare, regardless of federal spending decisions. This comes after the release of the Trump Administration’s budget plan for the 2027 fiscal year, which includes defunding access to birth control and abortions across the nation. According to News Center Maine, taxpayers would likely fill the gap to fund the budget if federal spending were to be reallocated. 

Gianna DeJoy, a PhD candidate in anthropology and environmental policy at the University of Maine, provided written testimony for LD 335 before it became a budget amendment. She expanded on the purpose of the bill over email with the Maine Campus.

“My understanding is that LD 335 itself was reported out of committee but received no action from the full House or Senate, so it was left as unfinished business when the legislature adjourned last week. However, I believe an amendment based on that bill was included in the final supplemental budget,” wrote DeJoy. 

She added that, despite the bill’s lack of final action, its core provisions were incorporated into the supplemental budget.

“So, the budget includes safety net funding for Title X providers, establishes a fund to maintain access to statewide family planning services and pledges $5 million to that fund, which is exactly what LD 335 had aimed to do,” wrote DeJoy. 

She noted that adding the bill to the budget was the most logical route, considering the controversial nature of the bill. She explained that legislators are more likely to vote favorably on a budget plan than on a bill of this type. 

“It makes sense for the spirit of that bill to sort of find new life as a budget amendment since it was directing spending, and because it can be easier for some legislators to vote on controversial issues when they’re folded into a bigger budget package,” wrote DeJoy.

She also mentioned that the bill was publicly supported by various groups and professionals. 

“I just know there was an incredibly wide range of voices that came out in support of the bill when it came up before committee — including LGBTQ advocacy groups, the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, professional associations for pediatricians, nurses, obstetricians and gynecologists, public health professionals,” wrote DeJoy. 

She added that if passed, the budget amendment is likely to benefit those who cannot afford reliable reproductive healthcare services.

“[The bill] just highlights how the services offered by Maine Family Planning and Planned Parenthood are critical to the health and wellbeing of many different populations,” wrote DeJoy. She added that a women’s health clinic “might be a lifeline for the community,” and particularly for people in “medically underserved” areas. 

DeJoy emphasized the need for Maine’s continued support for reproductive healthcare in light of a “hostile and unpredictable federal stance” toward funding such causes.

“This action reaffirms Maine’s position as a safe haven for reproductive rights,” wrote DeJoy.

Earlier this month, Maine was firmly on track to become the first state to institute a moratorium on AI data centers.

The state’s Democrat-controlled legislature officially passed a bill that would ban data centers that carry a load of 20 megawatts or more until November 1, 2027, and create a 13-member council to evaluate the impact of data centers. The bill had moved on to Governor Janet Mills for approval.

But this weekend, Mills vetoed the bill, and Maine joined a growing list of states that have tried and failed to instate a data center moratorium.

Mills’ opposition to the moratorium stems from a single data center project planned in a small town in Franklin County.

“A moratorium is appropriate given the impacts of massive data centers in other states on the environment and on electricity rates,” Mills wrote in a letter announcing her veto decision. “But the final version of this bill fails to allow for a specific project in the Town of Jay that enjoys strong local support from its host community and region.”

The Town of Jay had been reeling from the job loss following the 2023 closure of a mill, and according to Mills, had been looking forward to the hundreds of temporary construction jobs and the several permanent positions that would be created by the data center that is planned for construction on the site of the old mill. Mills said that officials from the Town of Jay, Franklin County Commissioners and the regional Chamber of Commerce all sent letters to her expressing support for the data center project and asking for an exemption.

“I supported the exemption and would have signed this bill if it had included it,” Mills said.

Although she vetoed the bill, Mills announced that she would sign a separate bill that would block data center projects from participating in some state tax incentive programs and would still establish a council that would “examine and plan for the potential impacts of large-scale data centers in Maine.”

If it had passed, the Maine bill would have been the first significant regulatory outcome in the U.S. of rising public dissent against AI and the unprecedented data center buildout it has led to. Artificial intelligence has become a concept particularly unpopular in the public eye, in large part due to its negative impact on mental health, war, the environment, and the job market.

On top of that, local activists around the country are also staunchly against data center projects, worried about the soaring utility bills, water shortages, air pollution and increased local temperature often associated with the mega structures. In some instances, the opposition has even turned violent, like in Indianapolis, where a shooting took place at the home of a local politician who is in favor of a controversial local data center project. Just a few days after the Indianapolis incident, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home in San Francisco was hit with a molotov cocktail.

A big tenet of the anti-AI data center push calls for moratoriums on new project developments to give researchers and policymakers time to catch up to the rapidly evolving technology and understand its true impact on local communities, human health, the economy, and the environment. Moratorium supporters claim that with a clearer understanding of AI’s impact, governments can introduce adequate guardrails to ensure the responsible development of these AI data centers.

Mills’ decision in Maine could soon be judged at the ballot box. The governor is running for the Democratic Senate seat in the upcoming Maine primaries, and is currently trailing her opponent Graham Platner in polls. Platner had recently told the press that he thinks Mills should sign the bill into law.

The results are in for the Maine Lottery’s draw games on Saturday, April 25, 2026.

Here’s a look at winning numbers for each game on April 25.

Winning Powerball numbers from April 25 drawing

04-30-36-52-57, Powerball: 02, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from April 25 drawing

03-06-09-51-65, Powerball: 12

Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 25 drawing

Day: 7-2-3

Evening: 6-7-8

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from April 25 drawing

Day: 7-3-8-5

Evening: 1-5-4-1

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Megabucks Plus numbers from April 25 drawing

08-16-17-32-35, Megaball: 04

Check Megabucks Plus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from April 25 drawing

03-15-23-32-36, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 03

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 25 drawing

03-22-26-44-47, Bonus: 02

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Maine Lottery drawings held?

• Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
• Mega Millions: 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
• Pick 3, 4: 1:10 p.m. (Day) and 6:50 p.m. (Evening) ET daily.
• Lucky For Life: 10:38 p.m. ET daily.
• Lotto America: 10:15 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
• Gimme 5: 6:59 p.m. ET on Monday through Friday.
• Cash Pop: 8:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m. & 11:30 p.m. ET daily.
• Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. ET daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a USA Today editor. You can send feedback using this form.