AUGUSTA, Maine — As Maine lawmakers worked toward adjournment, five bond issues adding up to $95.7 million won final passage.
The House and Senate late Wednesday gave two-thirds majority votes of approval to each of the proposed bonds, clearing the way to send them to voters in November.
The largest, $51.5 million, is for highways, bridges, ports and other transportation projects. Lawmakers also approved a $20 million bond for research and development in technology-intensive industrial sectors; an $11.3 million bond for public higher education and $7.9 million for wastewater purification and drinking water systems.
The smallest bond issue, $5 million, is to ensure public access to forests, shores and other open spaces through easements and purchases.
With Republican warnings against amassing more debt, lawmakers last year skipped sending a bond package to voters despite Democratic pressure for bonds to spur economic development and create jobs. Opposition softened during the past year and the bond package eased through the House and Senate on Wednesday with minimal opposition.
Minority Democrats pointed to state fiscal office figures showing that debt service payments from 2013 to 2015 will decline by nearly $30 million, lowering the state’s payments on debt and increasing the capacity to borrow.
“It’s clear we can afford to invest in a jobs bond,” said Rep. Peggy Rotundo of Lewiston, the lead House Democrat on the Appropriations Committee.
“This is very important to create Maine jobs, which we need right now,” Sen. Christopher Johnson, D-Somerville., said before a preliminary 33-2 Senate vote for the transportation bonds.
Republican Sen. Doug Thomas, R-Ripley, said he supports the projects that the bonds would cover but cannot vote for more borrowing while the state continues to owe Maine hospitals millions of dollars in unpaid Medicaid obligations.
“I can’t vote to take on more debt when we can’t take care of the debt we have,” Thomas said.
I’m voting no.
No, No, No…get these hacks out of office. Just whose pockets are they lining??????
I thought you guys got the message when we gave you control. Looks like we need to throw more of you out.
No on bonds.
They balanced the budget, and Governor Paul Lepage said he wouldn’t sign for the people to vote on unless the budget was balanced..
I Think you are a Great Governor Paul LePage, but I’m voting no. on bonds.
I believe when a bill passes with a 2/3rd vote that it can’t be veto’d.
I’m also voting no on all bonds until the mess we’re in is taken care of. We can not borrow our way out of debt. If we could, we’d all do it and be flush with cash.
The science of economics is much more complicated than shutting off every economic opportunity and hunkering down in an ideological bunker. I despair when I see people fixate on balancing the budget, when that will only bring further stagnation, degradation and loss of initiative.
More money we do not have. These people should be ashamed of themselves. Do not spend money we don’t have!
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the bi-annual budget is 6 billion dollars but apparently transportation is so far down the priority list that we can’t find 50 million to fund one of the basic responsibilities of government…thus we ‘need’ to go to bonds. society has moved so far left that this isn’t even debated…unreal.
“debt service payments from 2013 to 2015 will decline by nearly $30 million, lowering the state’s payments on debt and increasing the capacity to borrow.“It’s clear we can afford to invest in a jobs bond,” said Rep. Peggy Rotundo of Lewiston, the lead House Democrat on the Appropriations Committee.”
So,the capacity to borrow means we can afford more? No wonder we are in such a mess.
No on bonds. NO!
Cut Mainecare for elderly and those that cannot even come close to seeing and paying for a doctor, then turn around and expect the public to vote yes on these Bonds…I am not voting for another bond until the work they have already started finally gets finished…that would be TWO No’s from my household
Vote NO on the bonds. It is the one and only way we have to slow down the spending in Augusta.
This will do more for job creation than anything else they did this session.
Yessah
OK, how many of you paid cash when you bought your house? Bonds are a wicked good deal – we get way more back from them than they cost. It defies common sense to leave matching dollars on the table and ignore a 10 to 1 return on investment. I’m sure glad all you ‘just say no’ people aren’t in charge of my investments!
Most do not pay cash for a house. But one does not borrow more money for a second house when they already are behind on payments on the first house. Your analogy makes no sense.
In the world of the Republicans, it is okay to give the rich more money, even though trickle down has been shown over and over not to work; but not okay to use stimulus bonds, which directly create jobs and often spark new routes of entrepreneurship.
Not to mention interest rates are HIGHLY unlikely to stay this low and plenty of construction workers/truckers etc. can be put to work.Perfect timing.
NO MORE BONDS! Has Maine EVER not approved a bond bill?
Surely we can borrow our way out of our debts. Must make sense to lawmakers, but not to me. But something tells me these bonds will pass like all the others have before.
Good news from the Leg. at last!Now hopefully they will pass without problems.
There is something I don’t understand. Why do we need to borrow $51 million for roads and bridges? Don’t we pay 30 cents a gallon tax on gas that is for roads and bridges? If that doesn’t cover the costs, why not up the tax instead of borrowing and having to pay interest?
Gas tax has dropped dramatically due to less driving as a result of the economy and better mpg.The TPers scream about any taxes no matter how important and necessary they are.
Remember the $10 for $1 question at the R debate?Everything that is wrong is the result of the TPers and the rich.
All right all of you hypocrites out there. You can’t have it both ways, if you tell people to “get off the couch” or take away healthcare from 19/20 year olds there needs to be jobs (think flaggers at a minimum) for them to do. Quit being a bunch of grumpy tightwads and think about the future of your state…and your car’s suspension.
“$51.5 million, is for highways, bridges, ports and other transportation projects. “I smell a rat. Hopefully this isn’t to help the industrial corridor and the mining and pipeline projects.
Some people don’t want to spend money on roads, bridges, water supply, sewer — say we can’t afford it. Can we afford *not* to? That’s the state’s future, man . . .