AUGUSTA — said Thursday the $100 million transportation bond package he’s proposing will fund much-needed infrastructure improvements in the state. But he said the investment in the state’s most heavily trafficked roads, bridges and ports is only “nibbling around the edges” in terms of sparking economic growth in Maine. “This project is one effort from the state’s […]
Paul LePage
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine asks feds to fund Medicaid expansion for 10 years
AUGUSTA — The LePage administration is asking the federal government to pick up 100 percent of Maine’s costs of expanding Medicaid for 10 years, if Maine is to agree to the expansion through the national health insurance law. “We need a longer-term commitment and greater support from the federal government in order to move in […]
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LePage lets 6 bills pass without his signature
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage on Tuesday allowed six bills passed by the Legislature to become law without his signature, but not without renewing his push for fast action on his bill to repay Maine’s $484 million hospital debt. LePage spokeswoman Adrienne Bennett said Wednesday morning the governor chose not to sign or veto any […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage defends his education budget
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage is defending his education funding after harsh criticism by teachers and school administrators. LePage said Tuesday his two-year budget that provides about $84 million more in state funding to schools compared to the education budget when he took office. He says decreases in education funding come from the loss of […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Tuesday is the deadline for LePage to veto 6 bills
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage faces a Tuesday deadline to act on six bills that received unanimous approval in the state Legislature earlier this month. LePage could choose to sign the measures into law, veto them or let them become law without his signature. LePage promised at the start of the month to veto any legislation that came across […]
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How our good governor saved St. Patrick’s Day
(A fable in several parts) Ah, our governor was in fine fettle Thursday afternoon, putting pen to paper while offering — symbolically, of course — a pint of Guinness to his antagonists in the Legislature. At last, Mainers could begin their pub crawls at 6 a.m. on Sundays, but only on days when, like today, […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage official contacted sympathetic talk shows
AUGUSTA (AP) — The administration of Republican Gov. Paul LePage actively courted right-leaning media during the contentious debate last month over a newspaper’s request for public records on Maine’s concealed-weapons permit holders. Governor’s spokeswoman Adrienne Bennett sent emails on Feb. 14 to talk show hosts sympathetic to gun owners in the national debate on gun […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage’s nominee for Maine health board withdraws
AUGUSTA (AP) — A former Republican legislator tabbed to serve on the board of Maine’s Dirigo Health Agency by Gov. Paul LePage has withdrawn his nomination and criticized what he called a “coordinated attack” from three liberal groups that opposed him. Jonathan McKane said Tuesday at a hearing before the Legislature’s Insurance Committee that the […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage accuses Democrats of looking for a ‘sugar daddy’
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage on Wednesday said Democrats are depending on a “sugar daddy” to pay back Maine’s hospitals through their hospital debt payment plan, and he vowed to veto a bill that would allow bars to open at 6 a.m. on St. Patrick’s Day when the holiday falls on a Sunday. In a […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage budget proposal not an example of zero-based budgeting
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage two years ago ordered his state agency heads to start building their budgets from a “zero base,” prioritizing and justifying all programs, activities and expenditure as if they’re starting from zero. But the governor’s budget proposal for the two-year cycle that starts July 1 is a fusion of the zero-base budgeting process […]