Maine budget talks stall as Democrats and Republicans trade blame

AUGUSTA, Maine — Negotiations on Maine’s two-year state budget stalled on Thursday when the Legislature’s top Democrat blasted Republicans aligned with Gov. Paul LePage for holding out as lawmakers breezed by their deadline for an agreement.

House Speaker Sara Gideon, D-Freeport, angrily said during a Thursday afternoon meeting of the special six-person panel convened to close the budget amid a long impasse over education funding that it has done “no real work” this week. She blamed House Minority Leader Ken Fredette, R-Newport.

That panel missed a self-imposed Thursday deadline to pass a budget recommendation for the next two state fiscal years beginning July 1. The missed deadline would have given the Legislature time to pass the bill, send it to Gov. Paul LePage for approval and override his likely veto, which could take up to 10 days.

As things stand now, there’s little hope of an agreement to win the necessary two-thirds approval in the Senate and House of Representatives. A state shutdown looms if a budget is not in place by June 30.

Read more: http://bangordailynews.com/2017/06/15/politics/maine-budget-talks-stall-as-democrats-and-republicans-trade-blame/