AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage on Tuesday expressed frustration with the pace and substance of deliberations over his proposed $220 million cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services. In a highly unusual and unscripted move, LePage walked into the tail end of a joint work session between DHHS staff and the Legislature’s budgetary […]
Paul LePage
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Some LePage DHHS cuts require elusive federal waiver
AUGUSTA — The Legislature could be rolling the dice if it passes Gov. Paul LePage’s proposed Medicaid cuts, several of which would require federal waivers. LePage told reporters this week that the Legislature would have to pass his $220 million in cuts before the state can apply for an exemption from provisions in the federal […]
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LePage says Maine’s welfare numbers are bloated
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — There are more Mainers receiving welfare benefits than there are income tax filers paying taxes, Republican Gov. Paul LePage said Saturday. But Democrats said LePage’s numbers are deceptive and not entirely truthful. In reiterating his call for the need to cut human services programs to save money, the governor said in […]
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Childless adults tell of dire circumstances loss of MaineCare would cause
“If I lose my MaineCare, that’s it,” she said. “I’m on oxygen, I’ll have no way to get my oxygen, no way to get my medications, no way to go to the doctor.” Bouchard is one of about 19,000 childless adults who are slated to lose MaineCare coverage under the proposal. Known as “noncategoricals,” they […]
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LePage stands by MaineCare cuts, asks to oversee MaineHousing
AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage reiterated the need for a sweeping overhaul of MaineCare at the State House on Thursday, while elsewhere in the building scores of opponents testified before lawmakers for a second day. At a public hearing on the governor’s proposed cuts to MaineCare, many spoke out against planned funding rollbacks for […]
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BEP scrutinizes plan to expedite wetlands permitting
AUGUSTA — The Board of Environmental Protection on Thursday scrutinized a proposal designed to loosen permitting requirements for people who want to build near so-called moderate-value wetlands. The proposal, part of a legislative directive last session to expedite permitting, had set environmental groups on high alert after the Department of Environmental Protection submitted a plan […]
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LePage, Democrats dispute origin, magnitude of DHHS shortfall
AUGUSTA — As lawmakers on Tuesday dissected the causes of a projected $220 million budget shortfall in the state’s Department of Health and Human Services, the political jockeying stepped up in earnest over the LePage administration’s proposal to remove more than 65,000 Mainers from the state’s Medicaid program. Lawmakers on the Legislature’s budgetary committee grilled […]
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Public hearing elicits strong opposition to governor’s DHHS cuts
AUGUSTA — The words didn’t come easily for Tina Gray. At first, they didn’t come at all. Gray was one of the first of more than 140 people to testify before lawmakers Wednesday against Gov. Paul LePage’s proposal to cut $220 million from the state’s Medicaid program and strip more than 65,000 people of health […]
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Maine lawmakers begin review of Planning Office dissolution
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers on the Legislature’s budgetary committee Tuesday questioned the LePage administration’s proposal to dissolve the state’s planning agency while creating a new department designed to bolster the governor’s streamlining efforts. The administration outlined its proposal to panelists on the Appropriations Committee. The plan includes dismantling the State Planning Office and redistributing its duties […]
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Environmental group says LePage ‘green’ order promotes destructive logging
AUGUSTA — A national environmental group says Gov. Paul LePage’s recent executive order expanding the standards for “green” timber required for state construction projects would lead to unsustainable wood harvesting. Last week, the governor announced the broader standards for timber used in new or expanded state building construction. The administration said the order would bolster […]