AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - Republican Gov. Paul LePage says Maine should consider repealing voter-approved Medicaid expansion or paying for the state’s share with a hospital tax.
LePage on Thursday also proposed reducing municipal revenue sharing, putting more school funding into the classroom and consolidating administrative costs.
LePage says he’ll submit his full budget proposal to the administration’s transition team next month. The governor says Maine’s budget process doesn’t give incoming governors enough time to craft a budget proposal due in February.
The LePage administration estimates state revenues won’t cover the $504 million Maine is legally obligated to spend between mid-2019 and mid-2021. LePage ran for office facing a $1.2 billion gap later reduced to $774 million.
But Maine for years hasn’t fulfilled such spending obligations. Lawmakers and LePage’s successor will ultimately make spending decisions.
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