Latest news with #AppropriationsandFinancialAffairsCommittee
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers pass tax increases on corporations, highest earners, but governor remains an obstacle
() The Maine Legislature on Thursday passed measures that would raise the tax rate on corporations and alter the state's tax brackets to provide relief for the middle class. Another proposal that specifically sought to raise taxes on millionaires, however, was rejected. All of these were determined by a handful, or in some instances just one, vote. And with such narrow margins, the chambers will be unlikely to overcome a potential veto from Gov. Janet Mills, who has already expressed her opposition. The advance of these tax changes comes amid the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee finalizing a budget plan to send to the Maine House of Representatives and Senate for approval, and the potential for increased tax revenue could be consequential. Advocates and some Democratic lawmakers specifically pushed for the Legislature to adjust taxes as a means to continue to fund the health and child care programs that Mills proposed cutting in her budget proposal. So far, only some of those proposals have made it into the committee's budget plan. Notably, the committee rejected Mills' suggested cuts to childcare worker stipends and Head Start. Meanwhile, the committee included some initiatives to save or raise money, such as rolling back funding for mental health programs and pensions, as well as increasing the cigarette excise tax. Both chambers backed LD 229, which would increase the base of the state's tax brackets. It would do this by both increasing the number of tax brackets and by adding a top tax bracket for high income earners. Maine currently has three tax brackets with tax rates of 5.8%, 6.75% and 7.15%. The top tax bracket is currently for any individual making more than $61,600. The bill would add two more brackets for the highest earners, which would be taxed at 7.75% and 8.95%. In the Senate, several critics of the bill said that raising tax rates on the wealthiest individuals would drive investors away. Though tax committee co-chair Sen. Nicole Grohowski (D-Hancock) said the state's tax code is currently 'upside down,' asking more proportionately from earners in the middle than those at the top. 'This bill is here to fix that,' she said. The ideas in this bill are not new, and could lend themselves to a veto, again. Mills' administration testified against the bill during its public hearing, reiterating many of the same concerns the governor had when she vetoed a bill last year that sought to adjust Maine's tax bracelets by adding a new top tax rate of 8.45% and expanding the lower tax brackets. While describing the bill as well intentioned in her veto message, the governor said the bill wouldn't reduce the tax burden for lower-income people because of the state's many exemptions, deductions and credits that more people have become eligible for in recent years. The governor also cited possible state budget challenges if Maine were to increase its reliance on a small number of taxpayers whose income is disproportionately composed of often volatile business. The other bill both chambers backed is LD 1879, which would raise the tax rate on corporations to support the agricultural economy, though the Mills administration is also opposed to this plan. Specifically, it would increase the top marginal corporate income tax rate to 10% on income over $3,500,000 for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2026. This revenue would then be distributed to various funds and programs, such as the dairy stabilization support fund, agricultural marketing loan fund and business recovery and resilience fund, among others. Michael Allen, associate commissioner for tax policy in the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, testified against the bill on behalf of Mills during the public hearing, noting that it would make Maine's top marginal corporate income tax rate among the highest in the country. He also noted a number of technical concerns with the proposal. While both chambers have now passed LD 1879, it took several attempts for them to get on the same page. While the House initially passed this bill 77-67, the Senate failed to pass it with a 13-18 vote and subsequently voted against it without a roll call, returning it to the lower chamber in nonconcurrence. On Wednesday, House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor) tried to recede and concur but his motion failed 65-78. The House then insisted on its vote to pass the bill and the Senate tabled it when it was sent back to that body on Wednesday. But on Thursday the Senate changed course, voting 18-16 to recede and concur with the House. Both chambers narrowly rejected what is commonly referred to as a 'millionaire's tax.' The proposal, LD 1089, was amended to a lower surcharge than initially proposed. It would place an income tax surcharge of 2% on the portion of a resident's taxable income beyond $1 million for single filers, $1.5 million for heads of households and $2 million for married people filing jointly. This revenue would then go toward funding public K-12 education. Originally, the bill sought to tax income over $1 million by an additional 4%, which would have mirrored a law recently passed in Massachusetts. The House failed to pass the measure 70-72 on Wednesday before voting against it without a roll call. The Senate ultimately did the same Thursday, after an initial vote to pass it failed 17-18. The Mills administration has also testified against this bill. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Catch up on the latest state budget decisions in the Maine Legislature
Entrance to the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee room in the Maine State House in Augusta. (Photo by Jim Neuger/Maine Morning Star) A budget plan is taking shape and the clock is ticking. Maine Morning Star will have regular updates as the committee tasked with setting that plan, the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee, takes straw votes on what to include ahead of a final vote on the budget proposal to be sent to the Maine Senate and House of Representatives for consideration. Legislative leaders have said the intention is to complete all work by June 18, what had been the statutory adjournment date for the first regular session. Though, the Legislature is now in a special session, without a formal deadline. In March, the Democratic majority pushed through a roughly $11.3 billion, two-year budget plan without Republican support and formally adjourned in order to start the clock for those funds to become available in 90 days. Senate Republicans refused to back an alternative short-term plan that would have immediately filled the current deficit for MaineCare, the state's Medicaid program, because it did not include structural reform to the program. The budget that did pass continued funding for state services at the same level while also providing one-time funding for MaineCare and other urgent needs. But it didn't include any of the policy changes Gov. Janet Mills proposed, such as tax increases and program cuts, to address the deficit and flattening revenues. These proposals and others from lawmakers are now being weighed by the appropriations committee as it crafts the next iteration of the budget. Follow along below: 8 mins ago 10 mins ago 8 mins ago Monday morning at the State House began with more talk about taxes as the Appropriations Committee continued its line-by-lines votes on what to include in the budget. The majority of the committee voted to remove Mills' proposed tax on ambulance services, which is one of several tax increases the governor proposed as a means to address the deficit and flattening revenues. The tax on non-municipal ambulance service providers would have been equal to 6% of their net operating revenue, which the Mills administration said it would have used to leverage additional federal dollars and eventually increase MaineCare reimbursements. While Republicans on the committee said they supported removing the tax — as the minority party has made clear it will not support tax increases of any kind — they questioned how the state will deal with those shortfalls and pay for additional spending the committee has approved. One example from Monday was reallocating the cost of an emergency coordinator position that is partially funded through federal expenditures to being completely supported by the general fund. 'We're moving positions and costs into the general fund, and my only question is, where is that money coming from?' Sen. Sue Bernard (R-Aroostook) asked. 'Is it coming from more tax increases? Is it coming from cutting other programs that we haven't gotten to yet, or what?' Sen. Peggy Rotundo (D-Androscoggin), who co-chairs the committee, responded, 'As we build this budget, we will take care of that in one way or another so that the budget will balance at the end.' It is not yet clear whether the committee will support some of Mills' other proposed taxes or the cuts she proposed to health and child care programs. So far, the committee also voted out a proposed pharmacy tax. Implications from federal funding cuts were also top of mind. The coordinator position was one of several that the committee readjusted to be more reliant on state funding, though Mills made those recommendations before President Donald Trump's administration began rescinding congressionally appropriated funds. 'We have talked about the fact that if federal funds disappear, positions disappear,' Rotundo said. But some concerns about federal funding predated Trump's second term. During the public hearing for the budget bill, the Maine Emergency Management Agency said budget deficits related to federal funding had already resulted in the agency leaving two positions vacant. The committee voted to fund two positions fully with the general fund, after they'd previously been supported solely by federal dollars. 'It was important to make sure that these positions were preserved and that it was worth the investment in additional general fund dollars,' said Rep. Drew Gattie (D-Westbrook), the other co-chair of the committee. 10 mins ago During the committee's last meeting on Thursday, the majority of its members rejected a tax on Maine pharmacies the governor had proposed, while voting in favor of additional funding and rate reform for nursing homes. The pharmacy tax would have imposed a 70-cent tax on every outpatient prescription filled by Maine pharmacies, the revenue from which the Mills administration said it would use to leverage additional federal dollars and eventually increase MaineCare reimbursements. 'I haven't voted for any items,' said Republican budget lead Jack Ducharme of Madison on Thursday. 'Yet, this will be my first, because I believe that we already collect too much taxes.' With a 10-2 vote, other Republicans backed removing the tax too, though the holdouts noted that their opposition was because of a lack of clarity about the overall budget plan. 'I applaud the work of the majority in terms of removing this,' Rep. Ken Fredette (R-Newport) said. 'However, I will be consistent in reviewing the overall global budget in determining whether or not I will support it.' That sentiment was also shared ahead of the committee voting 9-3 in favor of $20 million in additional funding for nursing homes over the biennium. This includes a $6.5 million investment for rate reform to support the direct care workforce and incentivize permanent staff, which would in turn unlock $12.2 million in funding from the federal government. 'Nursing home rate reform is very important to us, however at this particular time we have not had a discussion about where additional general funds come from that we're going to need,' Ducharme said. 'In order for me to support this, even though I would historically support something like this, I want to know where the money's coming from.' Other Republicans had a different take. While Rep. Amy Bradstreet Arata of New Gloucester would also like to know where the funds are coming from, 'I feel right about supporting this,' she said. 'I might not support the entire package, but I feel better knowing that this is in there, ultimately.' Read more here.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Federal uncertainty clouds state revenue forecast as budget work resumes
Christopher Nolan, director of the nonpartisan Office of Fiscal and Program Review, updates the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee on the revenue forecast on April 29, 2025. (Photo by Emma Davis/ Maine Morning Star) The revised revenue forecast legislators have been waiting for to help drive policy and funding decisions isn't providing much more clarity than before. It also means legislators still have a relatively small amount of money to work with this session. Maine's Revenue Forecasting Committee only made minor changes to its predictions for state revenue for the next several years. However, the lack of serious revisions was not due to what's known but rather what's not: uncertainty with federal funding and the economy, specifically impacts from tariffs. While the committee's report is not due until Thursday, it previewed the reforecasting for the Legislature's Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee on Tuesday, whose members' questioned whether the uncertainty was inherently negative. 'At this point, the risk really is primarily on the downside,' said State Economist Amanda Rector, who chairs the Revenue Forecasting Committee, implying that revenue is more likely to see losses than gains. However, she noted that it's possible the economic outlook could be resolved in a way that ultimately boosts consumer and business confidence. While stating the revenue prediction is the best the committee could do based on the current economic forecast, Rector acknowledged, 'I would say that certainly it's not the highest level of confidence probably in a forecast they've ever done.' With all of that uncertainty in mind, the state is still expected to bring in roughly $11.2 million in the next biennium, 2026 and 2027. After factoring in the updated revenue forecast and laws enacted so far this session, the state is now expected to end fiscal year 2027 with $125,278,261, according to Christopher Nolan, director of the nonpartisan Office of Fiscal and Program Review. That's essentially the pot lawmakers now have left to fund legislation, though taxes and other revenue generating options are also being considered. In March, Democrats pushed through a roughly $11.3 million, two-year budget plan without Republican support after Senate Republicans refused to back a change package for the current fiscal year to address the immediate funding deficit for MaineCare, the state's Medicaid program, unless it included structural reform to the program. At the time that budget passed, the state had expected to be left with about $127 million at the end of fiscal year 2027. The lower figure that Nolan shared is largely due to the cost — about $3.2 million — associated with a law passed earlier this month that aims to address the limited availability of indigent defense in the state. The two-year budget passed so far only continued baseline spending and funded the emergency measures initially attempted in the change package, so Democrats said it was only 'part one.' That budget also did not fund another expected shortfall for MaineCare, the state's Medicaid program, which Democrats said was intentionally left out while they waited for the updated projections and any changes coming from Washington, D.C.. Republicans have argued that Democrats passed an unbalanced budget because it didn't include that or any of the policy changes legislators may be looking to adopt in a 'part two' budget. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Gov. Janet Mills proposed some tax increases and program cuts for the next biennium and those recommendations appear to remain the same for this next budget, as Mills' press secretary Ben Goodman said on Tuesday, 'We are not anticipating the release of any new budget proposal.' Earlier Tuesday during a press conference, Senate Republican Leader Trey Stewart (R-Aroostook) said what the minority party in Maine is able to get into the state budget may also depend on what's ultimately included in the congressional budget. Stewart and his caucus will continue to call for structural reform to MaineCare. In particular, legislative Republicans want the state to request a waiver to institute work requirements for able-bodied, childless adults to access Medicaid, a restriction the federal government is also weighing. 'Clearly, legislative Democrats don't want to move on any of those issues,' Stewart said, 'but they might be forced to.' The phrase 'considerable uncertainty' came up in the committee's deliberations time and time again, said Megan Bailey, senior economic analyst in the Maine Office of the State Economist, during the latest revenue forecasting committee meeting on Monday. This phrase was uttered when it came to economic policy, government spending, consumer sentiment, geopolitical tensions and consumer sentiment, Bailey said. The commission also made a specific assumption about Maine likely being at a greater risk from federal funding uncertainty, given that it's already faced what's widely considered retribution from the Trump administration over the state's protections for transgender people, as well as tariff policy changes, given that Canada is Maine's largest trading partner and that the state relies on Canadian tourism. 'Until there is better knowledge about how some of these federal policies and changes will settle out, they didn't see much of a compelling reason to change much of their forecast,' Bailey said, noting in that way the commission followed the lead taken by the Federal Reserve and Federal Open Market Committee. Until there is better knowledge about how some of these federal policies and changes will settle out, they didn't see much of a compelling reason to change much of their forecast. – Megan Bailey, senior economic analyst in the Maine Office of the State Economist If conditions change 'enough to warrant a revised forecast,' Bailey said the commission is discussing the possibility of revising projections ahead of its next scheduled update on Nov. 1. Members of the Legislature's Appropriations Committee pressed Rector Tuesday on what specific conditions would warrant an earlier revision. Rector said there would need to be 'pretty significant evidence' that economic conditions or revenue positions were sufficiently different from the existing forecasts and, specifically, reliable data for them to base any such changes on. 'This is, in some ways, similar to the early stages of the pandemic,' Rector said, 'where things were changing very, very rapidly, but at that point, there was no evidence to sort of say, 'Ah, this is how we need to update the forecast,' so the commission had to wait long enough to get some data to look at before they came back.' In other ways, this moment is markedly different from the COVID-19 pandemic. The two-year budget was 'not the last word.' Here's what comes next. Forecasting Committee member Michael Allen, who is associate commissioner of tax policy for the state, said the Federal Reserve played a significant role in mitigating the economic downturn then. But in a 'normal' recession, it takes time for people to feel the effects. It took almost a year for anyone to really feel the impacts of the Great Recession around 2008, Allen said as an example. 'If there's a problem, it's probably something that's slowly building,' Allen said. 'I think all of this reflects the fact that, at the moment, the information coming in is still pretty good.' As Rector noted earlier, a lot of the uncertainty hinges on frayed consumer confidence, while fears of tariffs and spending cuts have yet to show up in the numbers. Inflation growth has remained somewhat elevated and the commission is expecting more upward pressure from tariffs. Annual inflation according to the Consumer Price Index was 3% in 2024, which was slightly higher than the commission's forecast of 2.7%. Because of that, as well as the expected impact of tariffs, it increased its inflation predictions for the 2025 fiscal year from 2.4% to 3.2% and 2026 from 2.3% to 2.8%. The commission left its inflation prediction for 2027 unchanged at 2.2% and slightly decreased its predictions for 2028 and 2029, both from 2.2% to 2.1%. The commission also updated its predictions for two components of personal income, reducing the forecasted growth for 'dividends, interest, and rent' as well as nonfarm property income, because growth for both in 2024 was smaller than expected. Aside from federal uncertainty, the commission noted some of the continued pressures on the state level, including a tight labor market, aging workforce, strained housing market and climate-related disruptions starting to impact the hospitality industry. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers hope to support affordable housing construction without adding to budget
Members of the Legislature's Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee on May 7, 2024. From left to right, Sen. Jill Duson (D-Cumberland) and co-chairs Sen. Peggy Rotundo (D-Androscoggin) and Rep. Melanie Sachs (D-Freeport). (Photo by Emma Davis/ Maine Morning Star) With an eye toward the need to rein in state spending, a plan that the budget committee's Senate chair says will help build more affordable housing without adding to the budget is headed to the floor. On Wednesday, the Legislature's Taxation Committee voted 5-4 in favor of LD 146, an adjustment to the stipulations of a tax credit that housing developers and financiers testified in support of last month. The vote was party line, with Democrats in favor, and four members were absent. When introducing the legislation, Sen. Peggy Rotundo (D-Lewiston), who co-chairs the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee, said the deficit the state is facing over the next biennium limits what is possible when it comes to funding more affordable housing development, even though Maine still has a significant shortage despite recent investments. Rotundo sees a solution in changing the timeframe for accessing credits through the Historic Property Rehabilitation Tax Credit, which encourages private sector investment in the rehabilitation and re-use of historic buildings. In 2008, the Legislature instituted a cap of $5 million on the credit a developer can take in one year. In 2013, through a bill Rotundo co-sponsored, lawmakers clarified that if a developer is doing a project in a large complex, the $5 million annual cap pertains to each building, rather than the entire complex. 'As construction costs have increased dramatically since 2013 and even more since 2008, the $5 million credit no longer carries the same substantial incentive it used to,' Rotundo said. Rotundo's bill would double the tax credit to $10 million over a period of two years. It makes no changes to the $5 million maximum allowed in subsequent years. Rotundo attempted to institute this change with a last-minute amendment last session, however that bill died in nonconcurrence. Those who testified during the public hearing for the bill in February said the current model incentivizes developers to delay or space out projects across multiple tax years in order to not exceed the $5 million annual cap. Moving to a higher credit over a longer time period will help change that, said John Kaminski, an attorney at Drummond Woodson who has been involved in these projects since the credit was enacted in 2008. A recent example of such complications occurred when Redfern Properties and New Height Group transformed the old Mercy Hospital campus in Portland into the apartment complex now known as the Nightingale, said John Egan, senior program officer at the Genesis Community Loan Fund. 'Had this law been in effect at the time, the project could have been completed more efficiently with reduced delays and lower costs,' Egan said. While not all historic tax credit projects are developed into housing, Laura Mitchell, executive director of the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition, said more than two-thirds do. Mitchell pointed to a January report by the New York-based consultancy HR&A Advisors that cited the historic tax credit as a recommended tool for Maine to increase housing production and strengthen the construction workforce. Tara Kelly, executive director of the statewide nonprofit Maine Preservation, pointed to a study her organization did of the period from 2009 to 2019 that found renovations aided by this tax credit added more than $166 million to local property tax rolls and another $19 million in new income and sales tax revenues. 'During this period, the program generated $3 million more to the state's coffers than it cost,' Kelly said. Others cited a 2021 report from the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability that found that the program's structure and administration was sound and that its benefits exceed historic preservation goals. Andrew LeBlanc, a commercial real estate developer, provided a first-hand example of how the tax credit helped him in 2019 transform vacant buildings in Augusta into three retail spaces and 23 apartments, which he said are now fully occupied — one by him, his wife and child. The project cost $7 million and he got $1.2 million from the tax credit, which he said enabled him to get institutional equity investment. Now, LeBlanc is working to redevelop the old Federal Building in downtown Augusta into a boutique hotel, which he said is the same size as his former project but has an expected cost of $30 million. 'We're up against the cap that you've heard a lot about today,' LeBlanc said. Of note, the contents of this bill are also included as a section of LD 435, so lawmakers may ultimately pursue this change through another vehicle. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maine Democrats move to adopt partial budget, with or without Republicans
Mar. 15—Democrats in the Maine Legislature said Friday they would move forward without Republican support, if necessary, to fund a MaineCare shortfall in this year's budget and ensure that essential services are funded for the next two years. The announcement came a day after lawmakers killed a supplemental budget deal that Senate Republicans refused to support without structural reforms to the MaineCare program. The stalemate means the state is having to reduce MaineCare payments to health care providers, who have warned of the resulting financial challenges and impacts to patient services. Democratic leaders in the Senate and House of Representatives on Friday brought forward a "continuing services" budget that includes the $118 million in MaineCare funding that was blocked Thursday, along with funds for other core government functions in the upcoming two-year budget cycle, and avoid the possibility of a government shutdown in July. "While we had hoped to pass a responsible supplemental budget to address urgent needs, political brinkmanship prevented that from happening," Senate President Mattie Daughtry, D-Brunswick, said in a written statement. "Now, we must focus on passing an initial budget to ensure critical services remain funded and our constituents are not the ones who suffer from partisan gridlock." House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford, also expressed support for the new budget plan Friday, saying that nursing homes, hospitals and health care are suffering because the MaineCare funding has not been approved. "We must urgently address the supplemental budget in combination with the biennial budget, in order to put Maine people first and end the political posturing," Fecteau said in a written statement. "Democrats are not willing to risk a government shutdown or neglect our state's health and well-being. It's time to move forward." In addition to the MaineCare funding, the plan also includes $2 million to combat the forest-damaging spruce budworm, a spokesperson for Fecteau said Friday. That funding also failed to get approved in the proposal that was defeated Thursday. Democratic leaders said that they hope Republicans will join them in supporting the new plan — though that seemed unlikely as of Friday afternoon. The Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee approved the continuing services budget in a 7-3 vote Friday evening, sending the new proposal to the full Legislature. "This initial budget provides a foundation for our legislature as we move forward with our work," Daughtry said in a written statement following the vote. "It ensures that partisan fights will not shut down our state. This is about doing right by the people of Maine. A continuing services budget maintains the state's vital operations, protects healthcare access and ensures stability for Maine." The proposal was met with opposition from Republicans and led to a tense Friday afternoon meeting of the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee, which gathered to take up the new proposal and began voting on line items around 5 p.m. Sen. Sue Bernard, R-Caribou, the ranking Republican member of the committee, refused to attend the work session after Republicans said they received little notice of the new plan. And in a news release, Senate Republicans said they are united in opposition to the plan. "I don't know how much the rest of the committee knew of this plan, but our caucus was not given an adequate heads up," Bernard said in the release. "The Democrats have abused the budget process, the members of my committee and the public. "The problems that existed in the supplemental budget continue to be completely unaddressed. MaineCare is on the verge of collapse and won't be available for those who truly need it. ... I cannot be a part of this plan." In a text message, House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor, also blamed Democrats for the supplemental bill, which was meant to fill gaps in the current budget, getting killed Thursday. "There were myriad options to not let that critical bill end up in the dead file," Faulkingham said. "(Democrats') failure to negotiate with Republicans will delay this funding by more than 100 days." Meanwhile, Sen. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston, Senate chair of the appropriations committee, said at the onset of Friday's meeting that the items being taken up in the new plan constitute a "skinny budget" that includes money only for items currently funded by the state, as well as items from the supplemental budget that failed, including the MaineCare and spruce budworm funding. The proposal includes no new initiatives, programs or taxes and no new positions with the exception of one, Rotundo said. Lawmakers are expected to vote on the proposal in the coming weeks. After it is approved, Democratic leaders said, they will continue policy discussions with Republicans on a second budget proposal to make changes beyond the essential services. Rotundo said Democrats have heard concerns from Republicans about being shut out of budget negotiations, but she said in the last two two-year budgets, the committee has in each session voted out a second, bipartisan part of the budget. "We continue to be committed to work hard to do the same this year," Rotundo said. Republican committee members said they are frustrated. "The long and short of it is, we are terribly concerned about the way this process has been," said Rep. Jack Ducharme, R-Madison. "Sen. Rotundo says we've done bipartisan biennial budgets. I've been here since 2021, and sometimes I feel like if Republicans are in the building, they call that a bipartisan budget." If Democrats approve the plan without Republican support as a simple majority and then formally adjourn the regular session, the budget would take effect 90 days later. That means lawmakers would need to act by the end of March in order for the plan to take effect in time for the start of the fiscal year on July 1. The Legislature would then reconvene at that point to finish its business — a tactic that Democrats have used before in recent years. A group that included two Republican lawmakers sued Democratic leaders in 2023 for passing a party-line budget, adjourning and then reconvening to take up other business, arguing the move violated Maine's Constitution. But the Maine Supreme Judicial Court upheld a lower court decision to dismiss the case last year, saying the group lacked standing and had not shown proof of suffering an injury sufficient for them to bring the case. Staff Writer Katie Langley contributed to this report. Copy the Story Link
