The Maine Legislature’s voted Thursday to approve roughly $40 million in adjustments to the state budget for the current fiscal year.
The supplemental budget includes spending plans for the final piece of surplus revenue the state expects to collect during the fiscal year that ends in June. It is much smaller than it otherwise would have been because lawmakers voted in early January to spend the bulk of the projected surplus – $473 million – on $450 emergency winter energy relief payments for most Maine residents.
It includes funding for hospitals and nursing homes; a one-time, 1% cost-of-living adjustment for retired state employees; money to replace firefighting gear contaminated with PFAS, or so-called forever chemicals; and scholarships at the University of Maine and Maine Maritime Academy. It also includes $10 million for a long-awaited dredging project in Portland Harbor, preserving a state funding commitment that advocates say is critical for securing federal money to complete the project.
The vote was 113-21 in the House and 24-5 in the Senate. Winning bipartisan support from more than two-thirds of the House and Senate means the law can take effect as soon as it is signed by the governor.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.