Maine lawmakers are returning to the State House today to review vetoes by Gov. Paul LePage, including those of the state’s $6.3 billion budget and an omnibus energy bill.
The Portland Press Herald reported State House observers feel lawmakers will avoid a state shutdown, as happened in 1991, by overriding the governor’s budget veto. Passing a state budget required two-thirds support in both the House and the Senate, a margin that, if repeated, would be sufficient to pass the spending plan against the governor’s wishes.
Senators are also set to cast a deciding vote on a bill that would give the state’s Public Utilities Commission new powers to expand natural gas infrastructure in the state and allocates funds for a new program through Efficiency Maine that would provide incentives to convert heating systems away from oil. The House overturned LePage’s veto last week and the Senate passed the bill by a 28-7 margin, which would be enough to override a veto if legislators stick to their original votes.
Lawmakers will also take up the governor’s veto of bills to restart a state study of climate change impacts, require employers to accommodate nursing mothers in the workplace, change reporting requirements for gubernatorial transition teams and study factors contributing to Maine’s above-average cancer mortality rate.