AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - After trading jabs over a committee vote on a bill that would restore $40 million in revenue sharing for the state’s cities and towns, Republican and Democratic members on the committee said the whole thing was a misunderstanding.
In a politically-charged debate hours before Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s State of the State address, Republicans accused Democrats of taking a secret vote on the bill in the Appropriations Committee late Monday when no GOP committee members were present.
Rep. Kathy Chase of Wells, a Republican on the committee, said they left under the impression that the committee’s work was done for the day and that work on the bill would continue Tuesday. Democrats contended that Republicans on the committee were notified of the vote and drummed up the controversy as a distraction.
Republican members who weren’t present are allowed to vote after the fact.
Republican Sen. Pat Flood of Winthrop said after the committee met again Tuesday that they worked through the misunderstanding and came up with a plan to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
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