Liquor wholesale contract hearings begin
The Legislature will take up hearings today on two bills outlining different plans for renegotiating the state's wholesale liquor contract.
One of the bills, proposed by Gov. Paul LePage, ties renegotiation of the wholesale liquor distribution deal to paying back $186 million in debt to the state's hospitals for treating Mainecare patients.
Last week, LePage promised to veto all bills passed in the Legislature until a deal to repay the state's hospitals is passed.
The competing bill, from Democratic Sen. Seth Goodall, proposes that the liquor contract renegotiation and hospital payback are dealt with separately. Goodall's bill also differs from LePage's in that it would keep more of the wholesale operation in private hands, while LePage would have the state retake some portion of those operations.
Since, the Bangor Daily News reported, six bills have passed from the Legislature to the governor's desk. If all are vetoed, they would return to the Legislature and require a two-thirds majority to override the veto pen.
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