AUGUSTA, Maine — The Legislature's Democrat-led budget committee approved a new supplemental budget Monday, reversing some controversial changes it made during a recent session that went into the early morning hours.
On Monday, the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee amended some of the previously approved motions that received criticism from the governor and other lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including moving $60 million a year from the transportation budget to the General Fund and cutting back on tax breaks for retirees' pensions.
“Why was it a good idea at 3 o'clock in the morning, and now it’s not a good idea at 1:15 in the afternoon?” said Rep. Jack Ducharme, a Republican from Madison.
The newly approved supplemental budget also reversed a reduction in dairy subsidies.
The supplemental budget allocates almost $80 million for affordable housing, $26 million to support nursing homes, $12.9 million to the child care system, and $9 million to repair storm damage, among other items.
“Despite earlier, good-faith efforts to develop a budget that could earn consensus support, we recognized that we needed to take another look and reconsider our approach," House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross said in a statement. "Over the past week, we have done just that—and today the committee voted out a budget that delivers for Mainers and deserves broad based support."
The full Legislature will now need to vote on the supplemental budget. Gov. Janet Mills said the budget "may not be fiscally sustainable in the long term," as she is concerned with spending beyond what she proposed, according to Ben Goodman, a spokesperson for the governor.
However, Goodman said the current form of the budget is not at risk of being vetoed by the governor.