AUGUSTA — An unprecedented spree of vetoes by Republican Gov. Paul LePage is taking a toll on the Legislature in more ways than one. LePage on Thursday issued 64 line-item vetoes in a $6.7 billion, two-year spending package, objecting to what he considers wasteful spending. He also said he intended to waste lawmakers’ time. A […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage vetoes 64 lines worth $60 million in $6.7B budget
AUGUSTA — Angry that lawmakers presented him with a “business-as-usual budget” at the last minute, Republican Gov. Paul LePage on Thursday vetoed 64 items listed in the two-year, $6.7 billion state spending plan the Legislature has approved that includes income tax cuts and more money for schools. The governor vetoed about $60 million worth of […]
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LePage uses toy pig, Christmas tree to protest secret budget deal [Video]
AUGUSTA — Republican Gov. Paul LePage called on the people of Maine to hold state lawmakers accountable for crafting secret budget deals in closed-door meetings and beyond the view of the public. LePage on Wednesday stood before a small artificial Christmas tree decorated with the photos of a bipartisan group of lawmakers who LePage said […]
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Right-to-die bill fails in Legislature
AUGUSTA — Maine lawmakers have defeated a bill that would have allowed doctors to provide lethal doses of medication to terminally ill patients. Republican Sen. Roger Katz’s bill died Tuesday because the Senate and House failed to agree on the bill. The Republican-controlled Senate narrowly rejected the bill with an 18-17 vote earlier this week. […]
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How LePage could use line-item vetoes on budget [Analysis]
AUGUSTA — Despite the fact that most of Gov. Paul LePage’s budget priorities were pushed out of consideration weeks ago, his influence over negotiations was evident even in the final moments before the House and Senate took their long-awaited enactment votes early Wednesday morning. And now that the budget is back in LePage’s hands, he […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Budget in LePage’s hands after Legislature passes $6.7 billion plan
The deal, finalized around 12:30 a.m., culminated months of sometimes acrimonious negotiations over the contentious two-year spending plan, which began in January when Gov. Paul LePage proposed sweeping changes to the state’s tax code and social safety net programs. The final deal approved by the Legislature is significantly less broad than LePage’s plan, but Republicans […]
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Transparency advocates question secret budget deal
AUGUSTA — Legislative leaders on both sides of the political aisle Tuesday defended a $6.7 billion state budget and tax bill crafted largely in secret negotiations between party leaders, saying they ran out of time to follow a more public process. Changes to a budget bill that was previously approved on a 9-4 bipartisan vote […]
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Maine House OKs budget deal that includes tax cuts, welfare reform
AUGUSTA — A two-year state $6.6 billion budget deal tentatively agreed to by Maine’s top Democratic and Republican lawmakers and awaiting votes in the Legislature will include income tax cuts and welfare reforms but not to the extent Republican Gov. Paul LePage wanted. Lawmakers did accept some of LePage’s budget proposals including the elimination of the […]
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Price tag holds up handgun bill
AUGUSTA — Despite winning majority votes in the Maine Legislature, a bill doing away with permit requirements for those carrying a concealed handgun might be holstered because of its price tag. The bill, LD 652, will cost the state more than $200,000 a year in lost permit and fine revenue and could cost as much […]
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Legislature overturns eight more LePage vetoes
AUGUSTA — The Maine House of Representative has overridden Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s rejection of eight more bills. Among the vetoed bills overturned by the Democratic-controlled House on Monday is one that seeks to ensure that standardized tests taken by children ages 4 through 9 can’t be used to restrict their entrance into kindergarten or […]