On Tuesday Morning, activists, concerned citizens, and advocates will be gathering at the State House to encourage lawmakers to sustain Gov. LePage’s veto of the next biannual state budget.
Support for the Governor’s veto has been growing since the budget deal was released two weeks ago, due to the fact that the budget contains a $300 million spending increase, does little to address the need for welfare reform, is actually a significant tax increase, and is overall a bad deal for Maine.
The rally, which is set to start at 8:30 am in the Hall of Flags in the State Capitol, will take place just hours before the legislature is set to vote on the Governor’s veto of the budget plan.
If lawmakers sustain the Governor’s veto, they would then have the option to either shutdown the state government, or pass a supplemental spending bill that allows the state to continue operating while the budget is re-negotiated.
This supplemental spending bill would essentially spend only a fraction of what would be necessary to fund the government over the next biennium, and would give legislators more time to develop to negotiate a budget deal.
Instead of putting forth a secretly-drafted budget that increases spending and preserves the status quo, legislators would be able to put forth a dynamic budget that has been analyzed and scrutinized by the public.
They would be able to propose a comprehensive budget that makes substantial and transformative changes, and one that moves Maine towards economic prosperity and growth.
