DHHS head says prepare for service cuts
Lawmakers were put on notice yesterday that the Department of Health and Human Services has no further areas to trim, and that lawmakers searching for an additional $30 million should prepare to cut services.
"At this point there are no grand opportunities ... that represent $30 million or even a significant portion of it," Commissioner Brenda Harvey told members of the appropriations committee, reported the Bangor Daily News.
Legislators are tasked with finding $30 million in cuts overall for the fiscal year that starts July 1, 2010 to meet a projected drop in revenue of $1.4 billion for the current fiscal year and the next. Among the options brought before the committee were early prisoner release, streamlining the Maine-Rx program and teacher furlough days, reported the Sun Journal.
Education Commissioner Susan Gendron testified that $7 million in state and local funds would be saved per shutdown day for teachers, with about $3 million of that coming from the General Fund, reported the Sun Journal.
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