AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine’s Republican Gov. Paul LePage says a government shutdown is “necessary for the future of Maine.”
House Republicans are reviewing a two-year, $7.1 billion budget proposal offered by the Republicans in the Senate. Republicans and Democrats in Maine have scrapped over the budget for weeks, with much of the discord involving funding for education.
The state has until the end of the day on Friday to approve a budget. LePage said on a radio appearance on WGAN-AM on Thursday that if he is presented with a budget that raises taxes, the state should be “ready for a shutdown.”
The latest budget proposal includes a provision that the state’s tax on lodging would be increased from 9 percent to 10 percent in October to help pay for additional education funding.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less