Maine’s Supplemental Budget takes a Responsible Approach

After two months of work, on Monday night (2.22.10), the house appropriations committee voted to unanimously approve Maine’s supplemental budget.

Thanks to new revenues from the 2009 federal stimulus bill and a newer companion measure that together will directly infuse $114 million into the state budget (both of which had the support of Maine’s  U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, as well as Maine’s U.S. Representatives Michael Michaud and Chellie Pingree), the supplemental budget was able to   restore important funds to vital public structures that were cut in the original supplemental budget proposal.

Here are some of the restorations:

• 70 million in programs serving the needs of seniors, people with disabilities and families living in poverty
• $26 million in support for k-12 education
• $11 million in funding to Maine towns and cities
• $8 million for higher education; and $5.6 million in property tax relief to low and middle income families.

Maine Can Do Better is praising this effort.

“These federal revenues and the restorations in the budget clearly demonstrate that Maine’s state and federal leaders recognize the need to preserve public structures that serve all our interests, especially in challenging times,” said Ben Dudley, spokesperson for Maine Can Do Better, “The heart of fiscal responsibility is to prevent problems from getting worse and more costly down the line. That’s precisely what the restorations in this budget do.”

To read Maine Can Do Better’s complete response to the supplemental budget click here.