AUBURN — The Auburn School Committee has rescheduled when they’ll take up revenue projections for the upcoming school budget. Because Gov. Paul LePage is holding a town workshop from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 11, at Edward Little High School, the budget workshop will be moved to later that night. The committee’s regular meeting […]
LePage
Posted inMaine
Rotundo: LePage budget ‘shreds’ mental health safety net
AUGUSTA — The Democratic House chairwoman of the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee says the governor’s budget would “shred” Maine’s safety net for people with mental illnesses. State Rep. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston, said in a statement late Thursday that a proposal by Gov. Paul LePage’s administration that would reduce by 10 percent the Medicaid reimbursement rates for […]
advertisement
Posted inMaine
Maine hospitals say proposed LePage budget will cost them $55 million a year
AUGUSTA — Hospital executives and their representatives lined up Wednesday to say a proposed two-year budget offered by Republican Gov. Paul LePage would damage the state’s health care system and put hospitals deeper in debt if passed by the Legislature. Members of the Legislature’s budget-writing Appropriations Committee and the Health and Human Services Committee are […]
Posted inMaine
LePage looks to elude Board of Corrections with county jail ‘receiver’
AUGUSTA — Legislative Republicans and Gov. Paul LePage crafted a plan to prevent the closure of several county jails in the coming months. Democrats say the plan gives the governor unchecked power and would be unnecessary if LePage followed current law and ended his refusal to nominate members to the state Board of Corrections. An […]
Posted inMaine
Tax on Maine summer camps would force some to close, owners say
AUGUSTA — The snow may be piled high, but dozens of Maine summer camps are already sounding the alarm about a proposal by Republican Gov. Paul LePage that would force many to pay property taxes. LePage’s two-year budget proposal includes a recommendation that the state change its law to allow cities and towns to charge […]
Posted inMaine
Lewiston attorney makes case against LePage asking for lawyers
LEWISTON — A local attorney and law professor is making a case against Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s use of private attorneys when Maine’s attorney general refuses to represent the state. LePage has asked a state’s highest court to determine if he should be allowed to hire attorneys in those situations. Under the state’s constitution and […]
Posted inMaine
Maine DHHS questions Portland’s spending on General Assistance
LEWISTON — A proposal by Republican Gov. Paul LePage to revamp the way the state reimburses cities and towns for General Assistance payments takes clear aim at Maine’s biggest city. Under the proposed change, Portland would lose at least $4.4 million in reimbursements, although Portland officials estimate the figure could be as high as $6 […]
Posted inMaine
Local lawmakers offering mixed reactions to LePage address
AUGUSTA — In reaction to Gov. Paul LePage’s State of the State address Tuesday, both Democrats and Republicans seemed to be keeping open minds to a pending budget proposal that many said is “bold and visionary.” Democrats, including state Rep. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston, were more reserved in their praise of LePage but still offered an […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine Democrats pre-empt LePage’s State of the State Address with salvo
AUGUSTA — In a pre-emptive political salvo, the Maine Democratic Party warned Mainers Tuesday to listen carefully to Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s State of the State Address later tonight, saying LePage’s agenda will only hurt the state’s middle class. In a release to media early Tuesday, Democrats attacked LePage’s proposal to cut the state’s income […]
Posted inMaine
Top Maine lawmakers hear from cities and towns on proposed budget squeeze
AUGUSTA — In the first of what will likely be many long discussions, top State House leaders met Thursday with representatives from Maine’s nearly 500 cities and towns. Members of the Maine Municipal Association’s Executive Committee, made up of town and city officials from across the state, told lawmakers they want to be a part […]