AUGUSTA — In a show of bipartisan strength Tuesday, the Maine Legislature stood up to Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of a new $6.7 billion state budget that cuts the state’s income tax rate and stretches the sales tax in an attempt to export more of the state’s costs to visitors. The House voted 109-37 […]
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Paul LePage vetoes state budget, issues graphic veto message
AUGUSTA — The Legislature is set to reconvene Tuesday in order to take up a veto of the state’s next two-year budget issued by Republican Gov. Paul LePage on Monday afternoon. The veto follows a failed LePage attempt to make about $60 million in cuts to the budget, when LePage used his executive authority to […]
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Maine lawmakers wait for likely veto of state budget
UPDATED 11:41 A.M.: AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine lawmakers are awaiting Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s likely veto of the state budget less than two days before the July 1 deadline. LePage has until midnight to veto the $6.7 billion budget and is widely expected to do so. He already vetoed 64 lines in the two-year spending […]
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Saviello requests investigation of Paul LePage’s role in Eves firing
AUGUSTA — Republican Sen. Tom Saviello of Wilton has filed a formal request for an independent, nonpartisan investigation of Gov. Paul LePage’s interference in Good Will-Hinckley’s selection of Democratic House Speaker Mark Eves as its new president. Saviello made the request in a letter delivered Monday to the Government Oversight Committee. In the letter, he asked […]
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Maine House leaders urge members to focus on state budget
AUGUSTA — House Democratic leaders on Friday urged members of their caucus to stay focused on the state budget before delving deeper into recent actions by Republican Gov. Paul LePage that have some lawmakers calling for impeachment. House Majority Leader Jeff McCabe, D-Skowhegan, said that while he and other lawmakers were deeply concerned about recent […]
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Mark Eves vs. Paul LePage feud may be politics as usual
AUGUSTA — With House Speaker Mark Eves fired before he started work as leader of Good Will-Hinckley School after Gov. Paul LePage threatened to pull more than $500,000 in annual state funding to his new employer, the bad blood in Augusta has gotten deeper than the flood stage it was at during recent squabbles over […]
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Legislators talk about what it takes to impeach Paul LePage
AUGUSTA — Five lawmakers said Thursday they will attempt to launch impeachment proceedings against Republican Gov. Paul LePage for his alleged role in pushing Democratic House Speaker Mark Eves out of a new job at Good Will-Hinckley School. Independent Reps. Jeffrey Evangelos of Friendship and Ben Chipman of Portland and Democratic Reps. Pinny Beebe-Center of […]
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Maine Legislature still faces potential bond battle
AUGUSTA — It’s been a week since the Legislature blew past its scheduled adjournment date, and it’s going to be at least three more before lawmakers close the door on the session for good. There’s still several bills waiting for final votes, including several high-profile pieces of legislation, such as one to reverse jail consolidation, […]
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Maine lawmakers take timeout in rush to finish work for 2015
AUGUSTA — State lawmakers gave themselves a timeout early Wednesday morning when they voted to extend by five days their current work session and then went on recess until Tuesday, June 30. The Legislature still has before it a host of work, not the least of which is finalizing a $6.7 billion budget package that […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine Legislature extends session for five days to finish work
AUGUSTA — For the second time in less than a week the Legislature voted to extend its lawmaking session for an additional five days with votes early Wednesday morning. Lawmakers are winding up their work in what’s been a contentious, 6-month lawmaking session highlighted by a split between House and Senate Republicans on a budget […]