Senate advances $26B in state aid
Maine's two U.S. senators have helped to move forward a $26 billion aid package that would provide long-awaited education and Medicaid funds to the states.
Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins voted yesterday to end a Republican filibuster on the bill, clearing the way for full Senate approval today and expected passage in the House next week. In Maine, the spending package would provide $77 million for the state's General Fund and $39 million for schools, according to the Portland Press Herald. Both senators voted in favor of a similar spending bill in March, but later withheld support due to concerns about deficit spending.
State budget writers counted on receiving the funding in the current budget year and Maine faces a shortfall of about $100 million without it. If the House passes the bill and the president signs it, that gap would be cut to about $23 million, the paper reported. For the next two-year budget cycle, a $1 billion shortfall looms, despite a more than $70 million surplus in the recently ended fiscal year.
Go to the article in the Portland Press Herald >>
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