The Legislature's appropriations committee has begun the long process of crafting the next two-year state budget, which takes effect in July. Public hearings began last week and are expected to continue through mid-March. The Marijuana task force has also begun its work to draft rules and regulations for the implementation of retail marijuana sales, which will go into effect in February of 2018. To stay updated on the work of these committees, along with all other legislative committees, visit legislature.maine.gov/committee/#Committees.

The Maine Supreme Court has issued a procedural order that establishes a schedule for briefings on the matter of ranked-choice voting.

The justices have invited representatives from the Maine Senate, House of Representatives, Governor Paul LePage, the Secretary of State, the Attorney General and other interested parties to file briefs addressing two questions: whether a solemn occasion exists for the Supreme Court to address the matter of ranked-choice voting and whether ranked-choice voting is allowed under the Maine Constitution.

Senate President Michael Thibodeau (R-Waldo) said, "I would like to thank the justices for their prompt response in acknowledging the Senate's request to look into this matter. Lawmakers desperately need guidance from the court as we move forward crafting public policy in order to prevent uncertainty in the outcome of our future elections."

The Law Court has established Friday, March 3, 2017, 4 p.m. as the deadline for submitting briefs.

Oral arguments before the Supreme Court are scheduled for April 13, 2017 at 8:30 a.m. at the Cumberland County Courthouse.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IFW)  is accepting applications for the 2017 Maine moose permit lottery until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 15. According to IFW, "Applicants are awarded bonus points for each consecutive year that they have applied for the lottery since 1998 without being selected and each bonus point gives the applicant an additional chance in the drawing. Bonus points are earned at the rate of one per year for years one to five, two per year for years six to 10, three per year for years 11 to 15 and 10 per year for years 16 and beyond." The drawing will take place on June 17 at Caribou Parks and Recreation. To apply, visit  www.mefishwildlife.com .

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension has released an online guide to help farmers, gardeners and landowners plan for and successfully navigate a drought at extension.umaine.edu/agriculture/programs/drought. Included on the website are information on what to do if your well runs dry or your farm runs out of water as well as information on crop insurance and other federal programs that are available. The guide also provides simple-to-implement measures that can lessen or avoid the impacts of a drought.

The 2017 Engineering EXPO will take place on Saturday, March 4 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Gorham campus of the University of Southern Maine. More than 1,700 children and adults are expected to attend to learn first-hand about the many contributions that Maine engineers make to our communities around the state. Exhibitors will include Maine's top engineering firms, engineering schools, educators, government agencies, industry and engineering societies. For more information, visit the   2017 Engineering EXPO Facebook page.