AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - The Latest on the State of the State speech by Maine Gov. Paul LePage (all times local):
9 p.m.
Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon says she was hoping for more from Republican Gov. Paul LePage in his State of the State address than a repeated request to “do no harm.”
Senate minority leader Troy Jackson, a fellow Democrat, said he won’t let “pettiness” get in the way of progress on issues like the opioid crisis where there’s common ground. But he said that doesn’t mean there won’t be “major differences” over the next two years.
LePage bashed “liberals” and invoked a philosophy of “do no harm” as he urged lawmakers Tuesday night to protect the vulnerable and to adopt his economic agenda.
His address Tuesday night touched upon many familiar themes, including protecting the elderly and disabled, reducing taxes, lowering energy costs and tackling the opioid crisis.
___
8:25 p.m.
Republican Gov. Paul LePage is bashing “liberals” and invoking a philosophy of “do no harm” as he urges lawmakers to protect the vulnerable and to adopt his economic agenda.
But he’s also asking lawmakers to work him over the next two years, and he even invited them to join him at the Blaine House after his State of the State address. That’s a far cry from a year ago in which he snubbed lawmakers by skipping the formal address after Democrats tried unsuccessfully to impeach him.
His address Tuesday night touched upon many familiar themes, including protecting the elderly and disabled, reducing taxes, lowering energy costs and tackling the opioid crisis.
He said Maine was once known for “rugged individualism” but that liberals are trying to transform the state into a “socialist utopia.”
___
7:55 p.m.
Maine Gov. Paul LePage said during his State of the State address that he’s working to resolve the state’s opiate crisis with a lawmaker he once described as having a “black heart.”
The Republican governor spent much of his State of the State address Tuesday evening bashing “liberals” but he singled out the Senate minority leader Troy Jackson of Allagash as a Democrat he’s working with,
He thanked lawmakers for working with him to address a drug crisis that’s claiming a life every day.
He credited the hiring of more state drug agents for a bust that resulted in the seizure of 8 pounds of heroin last month in Maine and Massachusetts.
He also said lawmakers need to spend education dollars more efficiently. He said only 59 cents of each dollar makes it into the classroom.
___
7:37 p.m.
Maine Gov. Paul LePage is accusing “liberals” of forgetting about the elderly, the disabled and those with mental disabilities.
He said his past budget would’ve eliminated wait lists to ensure there’s help for those who need home support for intellectual disabilities. But he said lawmakers provided only a third of what he asked for, leaving people waiting on wait lists.
He also told a joint session of the Legislature that welfare should go to “the most vulnerable citizens” including the physically and mentally disabled.
He quoted the late President Ronald Reagan in saying that welfare’s success should be measured in how many people leave welfare. He said able-bodied Mainers between 19 and 50 years old need to get “get off the couch and get a job.”
___
7:23 p.m.
Maine Gov. Paul LePage said the state’s referendum process has hoodwinked Mainers.
The Republican governor said during his State of the State address on Tuesday that Mainers didn’t understand the details when they voted to raise the minimum wage and impose a tax on high-income earners.
He said the referendum process is making state lawmakers “irrelevant.”
He said it’s time to reform referendums, and “to return to a representative government.”
He also used his address to promote his two-year state budget and his long-held goal to eliminate the income tax. He criticized lawmakers, saying “there is no political will in Augusta to lower the income tax or to create prosperity.”
___
7:12 p.m.
Maine Gov. Paul LePage has opened his State of the State address by pointing out the need to protect the elderly - and by taking a shot at liberals.
He said Maine was once known for “rugged individualism” but that liberals are trying to transform the state into a “socialist utopia.” He also took a shot at “liberals in southern Maine,” saying they’ve never been struggling places like Calais, Machias, Rumford or Fort Kent.
LePage has invited Republicans and Democrats over to the Blaine House residence after Tuesday’s address. But he’s also said his address will be directed to the public, not a Legislature he has deemed “irrelevant.”
The governor said his final two-year budget proposal protects the elderly from economic harm and helps families. He said Tuesday night that his theme is “do no harm.’
___
5 p.m.
Maine Gov. Paul LePage is going “live” - on Facebook - with his State of the State address.
The Republican chief executive is no stranger to social media. In the past, he has shared early details of his annual address to lawmakers to his Twitter followers. That’s in keeping with his goal of getting his message out to the public without media “filters.”
Tuesday night, his office will be streaming the entire address via Facebook live, so Facebook users can watch the speech on their computers or mobile devices.
Maine Public is also airing the governor’s address to a joint session of the Maine Legislature. The address is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
___
2:54 p.m.
Maine’s Republican governor is set to discuss the elderly in a formal address after a one-year hiatus from the longstanding tradition.
LePage says he’ll bring in elderly residents who have been thrown out of their homes along with individuals with mental illnesses.
The governor says his final two-year budget proposal protects the elderly from economic harm caused by initiatives he believes voters didn’t understand.
Last year, LePage decided against a traditional address and instead sent the Legislature a letter that attacked “socialists” and said lawmakers were more beholden to egoism and lobbyists than the Maine people.
LePage has invited Republicans and Democrats over to the Blaine House residence after Tuesday’s address.
But he’s also said his address will be directed to the public, not a Legislature he has deemed “irrelevant.”
___
00:12 a.m.
Maine’s Republican governor is set to discuss the elderly in a formal address after a one-year hiatus from the longstanding tradition.
LePage says he’ll bring in elderly residents who have been thrown out of their homes along with individuals with mental illnesses.
The governor says his final two-year budget proposal protects the elderly from economic harm caused by initiatives he believes voters didn’t understand.
Last year, LePage decided against a traditional address and instead sent the Legislature a letter that attacked “socialists” and said lawmakers were more beholden to egoism and lobbyists than the Maine people.
But in a shift, LePage has invited Republicans and Democrats over to the Blaine House residence after Tuesday’s address. On Monday, he said he’d have his administration officials answer lawmakers’ questions if “civility returns.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.