On Tuesday, March 30, the Maine Legislature approved a new two-year, $8.3 billion state budget in a series of largely party-line votes. In the days and weeks leading up to this vote, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce considered the previous 20 years of budget negotiations and expressed the following concerns to legislators regarding the majority budget process prior to Tuesday’s session.
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The majority budget left Republicans out of budget negotiations Preceded by contentious debate in both bodies, the Maine Legislature passed a majority $8.3 billion budget along party lines on Tuesday, March 30, voting 77-67 in the House and 20-14 in the Senate. Two Democrats, Sen. William Diamond (D-Cumberland) and Sen. Chloe Maxmin (D-Lincoln), sided with the Republicans and voted against LD 715, An Act to Make Certain Appropriations and Allocations and to Change Provisions of the Law Necessary to the Proper Operation of State Government.
First Regular Session adjourns; Special Session starts in April The Maine State Chamber has already received several member inquiries regarding the current status of bills that were under consideration prior to Tuesday’s legislative session, when the Maine Legislature adjourned “sine die,” or “without day.” Normally, this is a posture the legislature takes when legislators have completed their work for the session and plan to go home. In a normal end to a “First Regular Session,” lawmakers would have wrapped up their committee work (public hearings and work sessions), completed floor debates on all bills, enacted a two-year budget, and said their goodbyes.
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