Maine lawmakers back roads bond; two other proposals stall
Lawmakers approved putting a $105 million transportation bond proposal on the November ballot, but two other bond proposals were tabled in the Maine House of Representatives due to lack of support.
Bangor Daily News reported that the transportation bond would direct $80 million to be spent on roads and bridges, $20 million to multimodal transportation and $5 million to upgrade culverts.
The measure still requires Gov. Paul LePage’s signature to make it on the November ballot, the newspaper reported.
Maine Public reported that House Speaker Sara Gideon, D-Freeport, raised the possibility of reconsidering a proposed $55 million bond to support R&D for Maine’s biomedical industry and a $40 million plan to fund student loan debt forgiveness on Aug. 2 when lawmakers are expected to return to consider bills Gov. LePage is expected to veto.
BDN reported that the student debt proposal by Assistant Senate Minority Leader Nathan Libby, D-Lewiston, would pay student loan debt for people who agree to live and work in Maine for five years and reimburse employees who make student loan payments on behalf of those employees.
The measure fell short of gaining a two-thirds margin, with only three House Republicans and two Senate Republicans supporting the proposal, BDN reported.
Most Recent
Most Recent
Comments