AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage, who’s been taken to task by some lawmakers for submitting major bills late in the session, says he’s not planning to submit any bills past Monday.
Democrats last week sharply criticized the Republican governor for taking a vacation in the midst of a busy windup to the legislative session. The adjournment is scheduled for April 18. The governor is spending a week in Jamaica, saying it’s a traditional family vacation.
Meanwhile, major issues involving public education, energy and Health and Human Services reorganization — all LePage proposals — are in play in the Legislature.
Some critics suggested it’s part of a strategy to force quick action late in the session, which is due to end April 18.
Hoping to blunt the criticism, administration officials say LePage is no worse, and in some cases better, than his predecessors when it comes to dropping in bills late in so-called “short” sessions, which wind up two-year sessions.
Spokeswoman Adrienne Bennett also said that LePage “does not intend to submit any bills after March 25.”
The governor’s most comprehensive bills, including education and energy legislation, were submitted in February and the first supplemental budget dealing with MaineCare was presented in December, she said. A second supplemental budget, which contains several major policy and tax changes, came out in mid-March, however.
Looking back at similar “short” sessions, Democratic Gov. John Baldacci introduced 11 bills on March 25 or later, and in 2006, 13 of those bills were introduced after March 1, according to the LePage administration figures. In 2004, during his first term, Baldacci introduced 20 bills after March 1, Bennett said.
“During a second session there is a limited timeframe to address a number of important issues from both Democrats and Republicans, but the process works well and compromise can be achieved when there is a collaborative effort,” Bennett wrote in an email.
Legislative logjams are not unusual at the end of sessions, and they are not solely the craft of governors. Major bills often lie untouched for weeks in the House and Senate awaiting debate, and committees hold on to some major bills until late in the session, delaying floor debate until the end.
Two examples of bills that were still in committee until late last week were one seeking to consolidate state natural resources-based departments and another to overhaul regulation of development in the state’s Unorganized Territory.
I guess the dems thought that was thier little secret move.
secret move?……ok, I guess it was your party’s little secret move to screw up your own caucuses, probably lose your federal senate seat, ….and control of the legislature, nice move…….thanks
“The governor is spending a week in Jamaica, saying it’s a traditional family vacation.” Hope he doesn’t take the “entire” family. At the rate he’s hiring them on our dime, come this time of year in the future we may need to shut down government until all the LePages get back on U.S. soil.
How true you are
So much for “Maine – Open for Business”.
will he be taking his State Police detail with him and if so is that cost coming out of his personal pocket?
The Lepage administration has critics?
My exact thoughts
You really ought to get out more often.
After all the crap pulled by Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, how can you be criticized for anything legal? The gloves are off, caused by the Democrats unwillingness to handle things in a normal manner after the charade of ObummerCare. Go home and haunt your own house.
I vote with the Democratic party and agree you’ve got a point about Pelosi. She was the second worst thing to happen to the Democratic party in recent memory. The first was Lieberman who, somehow, managed to get re-elected as an independent. Thank you Connecticut! If it hadn’t been for Lieberman we’d have had a much better national healthcare plan in place right. Obviously a point of contention between the Clam and the Dog.
what do Reid & Pelosi have to do with the Penquin?
Here’s a little help for you memory.
January 2009, the Dems announce plans for revamping health care in this country.
From Jan until June, Sen. Baucus (D. MT) negotiates with a few Republicans for their input. Every time they get near an agreement. the Repubs move the goal posts. This is also the time when several major Repub figures say that their #1 goal is to make Obama a one term president. Other goals they say they want include getting people back to work, fixing the deficit and dealing with the 2 wars we were fighting at the time. But, their number one goal is to defeat the sitting president. Rush even broadcasts his hope that the country go down the tubes rather than see Obama succeed.
Throughout the summer of 2009, Tea Party Republicans disrupt meetings the Democratic House members are holding in their districts. Some of the meetings result in melees, which the Tea Party claim as great victories.
Throughout the rest of 2009, the Dems try to negotiate with Republicans. They only are interested in stalling and not in real negotiations. However, the spineless Dems go along rather than take advantage of the fact that they have overwhelming majorities in both houses. Finally, in March of 2010, the Dems pass a bill and the president signs it in late March.
So, to refresh your memory, the Dems negotiated with their “Just say no” opponents for about 15 months without getting any serious proposals for the bill. How does this compare with your hero LePage?
It’s my call and I’m gonna do what I wanna, period regardless of what Maine wants or believes. Is his daughter taking the week off, also ?
Nope never had a need there. But you raise a legitimate question. Can he sign his name? Of course we now won’t ever know what Paul’s writing skills are as his conservative cohorts have decided that his writings are to be held in high secrecy. “Open and transparent government that the people of Maine would find unbelievable?” Just another lie in a pack of bold faced lies, eh?
With your unsubstaniated personal attacks on Mr Lepage. Also with total lack of focus on issues.I can only think you work for the BDN. Do you work for BDN or Media matters your responses lack the same reporting on issues and focus on personal attacks. Mr Obama has created a voting block that is bringimg this country down with this same tactic.
Facts:
1. LePage has indeed engaged in government/taxpayer sponsored nepotism by hiring two family members.
2. LePage has successfully made his personal papers off limits to the public. What’s he unlike no other leader of Maine before trying to hide? Transparency? We think not.
3. What you refer to here as “Personal Attacks” on Mr. LePage are in fact my right to express my own form and right to “Government Speech” as will be my and many others votes in November.
4. Your own speculations as to who I am and what I might do for a living are a sad attempt to DEFLECT from the horror that is Mr. Lepage by making personal attacks upon anyone who comments here in opposition to his lies, corruption and mismanagement. As such your comment here as well as most you seem to make, should be deleted by the censors.
5. I’ll not flag you and I ask others not to as well. For to do so only confuses others as to what this discussion is really about and to make intelligent choices on what side is speaking logically and what side is once again simply blowing smoke hoping to cloud people’s eyes from seeing the truth.
YAWN!!!!
It is very true. This dolt is a crony who needs a job do something he intellectually excels in like a bathroom attendant.
Not making it personal or anything huh? I have to say you conservatives and Tea folks are quite astonishing. Are comments like this how you plan to attract others to your and Mr. LePage’s cause?
Good Grief…..Now they’re whining about when Governor LePage submits a bill.
They are whining because Lepage is a weasel. He submits a bunch of bills and then leaves town like the coward he is. Yup, a coward. Because by leaving town he doesn’t have to answer any questions that might reflect badly upon him. I’m sure he is well aware that this severely limits the ability of the legislature to seriously review any bills prior to voting on them. A deliberate act. I bet that clown feels like he’s pretty clever at manipulating the political process. Rather, he is just another right-wing hack.
What don’t you lefties whine about???
What questions? Legislature passes bills or rejects bills. Governor signs or doesn’t sign the bills that pass. Why does he need to be there?
He’s low enough, just not smart enough.
Hasn’t LePage done enough to help? He left Maine. Please stay anywhere but here.
Not whining about a Bill being submitted but who’s kidding who ? He submit’s Bill’s that are clearly at odd’s with the need’s of the State and the citizen’s and yet rationalize’s them as ‘good for the State and the business community so jobs can be created’. Who’s kidding who ? He’s submitting Bill’s on short notice so they can’t be examined and costed out to see the total cost of them, and their consequences, on behalf of his campaign contributor’s. And I have yet to see a single Bill passed that has lead to one job being created because of a Bill he introduced. All I’ve seen outta’ Paulie is a MHPC-directed mouthpiece that is determined to do whatever it takes to take Maine and it’s citizen’s back to the 1950’s and toss anyone that doesn’t meet his idea of a Maine’r under the closest bus he can find. Maine needs effective legislation that is both balanced and beneficial to everyone, not just those few that seem to feel that their bank account gives them special status and right’s. We are all getting a huge picture of checkbook election tactic’s right now courtesy of the GOP Primary’s. Does Maine really want to sink to that level or do we, as a State, have the guts to stand up and say ‘No’ and slow the process down to provide sufficient time for these ‘needed bill’s’ to be examined and dicussed before they are made law ? November is coming and we all need to start thinking, not rationalizing, about how we as a State want to move forward ’cause we sure can’t, and don’t really, want to go back. Those that do please signify by raising your right hand and move to the back of the bus.
Who are “some lawmakers”/”some critics.” This AP reporter didn’t even bother to give names. I want someone to go on record. Wonder why they won’t.
They are trying to confuse people with non-facts.
I have no respect for the way this administration is choosing to operate.
Hey Bangor Daily Rag
Where was the criticism of the past administration when they did the samething ?
Guess its OK for the party you favor!
Read. Some were cited. Read.
Ive said it before. The BDN is nothing more than a rump swab liberal rag.
That you pore over feverishly every day. How odd.
If it’s a “rag”……why do you read these then? What sense does that make, reading something that you don’t enjoy…..?
I say vote the bills down an take them up at a later time
To see the faces on the dems when Our Great Governor Paul LePage gets re-elected will truly be priceless
How many times have I got to Tell you,
He may be a Flake but he surely isint Grrrrrreat!
If that happens I will probably be throwing up for several days. Somehow, I don’t think I have to worry. Besides, didn’t LePage say during the campaign that he would be a 1 term governor? Don’t we all believe everything he says?
It would be a great help to stop the the democrat public money into private pockets attack of the last thirty years. It would be wonderful to see programs funded rather than their sponsors and leaders
Great? Where, Where?
Keep dreamin………………
Ain’t gonna happen!!!
Hahahaahahahahahahaha
He’s gonna get the 61% treatment
yessah
There are pills for delusions now…….they take about 4 to 6 weeks to kick in.
The only thing “great” about LePage is his girth.
It’s very interesting that this administration and it’s fan club are defending a tactic that the previous administration was guilty of. Particularly when they have been so critical of the previous administration and it’s policies. Are they thinking that two wrongs make it right? Governor Baldacci had a good working relationship with the leadership in the legislature where as this Governor has turned them into the enemy. The legislature easily dealt with late bills from Governor Baldacci because they came as no surprise. They wrote them together based upon Maine thinking and Maine values. This governor imports his bills from some neo-con think tank based down south somewhere where they crank out policy cookie cutter fashion.
You lost all credibility with the word “neo-con”. Look out for the black helicopters!
I don’t believe so. It is common knowledge that the Koch’s are neo-cons. That you don’t seem to know that or believe that speaks to your credibility.
Put on your tinfoil helmet!
I do not agree with Lepage on most issues . That being said I respect that he stands for what he believes. Would he have made it without help from a few people like Peter Snow ? I think not . When the republicans step up to the plate and give more people a hand up like in his fairytail life they will have my vote every time. Till that day comes Kids have to eat.
“Fairytail” life. I love it ! Good one David.
Just another daily attack on our Governor.
You mean this guy is the “Worst” governor in the history of Maine. Yep, that’s him.
Baldi has been gone for about a year, so worst Gov is gone ;)
Uncle OutRage resigned?!? How come that isn’t at the top of the news on this site?
Just another duly noted and needed daily attack on our Governor, to urge him to get his butt back here and take care of the state’s needs………
Lepage will do more for Maine before breakfast, while he’s on vacation, than your cronies have done in the last three and a half decades.
sounds to me that he intends to have the “Nockets” for breakfast, hope you have landfill general labor experience. By the way, he goes for a swim after breakfast I bet, then has a chuckle, and recruits the natives for “skilled” labor.
He ran for governor, and unfortunately, he got less than 40% and won. Nonetheless, the state’s needs come first in that position, not a vacation.
President Clinton got less than 40%.
Wrong, 1992 he got 43% , Bush got 37% and Perot got 19% (I didn’t add the decimals which will account for the other 1 %).
In 1996 he got 49%, Dole got 41.% and Perot got 9%……..
Do your research.
Don’t need a whole lot of research to be able to say “HE WON”.
Your correct it was 43% my mistake I did it from memory not google. As usual you missed the whole point, so attack. Brings it out every time can’t help yourself can you?
I’m not helping myself…..Im basing my post on facts……not memory. I did not “google” it either, and YOU are missing the point, don’t attack,…..with wrong information, that’s a sign of weakness. If you had ever been at the state house, people don’t base facts on Google……
He can “do more for Maine” by staying out of Maine until his term is over.
I’m still waiting for him to start.
Even you probably take vacations unless you are perfect. Baldy took “business” trips to France and then to Japan and we did not even get a book report from him. You can keep up your attacks but LePage hopefully will return the favor upon his return. Go get ’em LePage. Rout the commies out!
Looks like you’re hooked on the BDN, too. Most folks would try to
avoid the source of their angst.
Your Governor, sorry but most of us disagree with everything he does.
He is our Governor, like it or not, until “most of us” votes him out. You should brace yourself.
“If the people only understood the rank injustice of our money and banking system, there would be a revolution before morning.” ~ Andrew Jackson, 1829
It actually gets pretty sickening to see this pass-the-buck (no pun intended), cry-baby, political cop-out, Crap.
To me, it doesn’t matter what the issue is … economy, jobs, education, health care, assistance, etc. – and most other things on the planet.
The bottom line is the phony money system: “fractional reserve banking” – and the perpetual interest that derives from it – and which keeps humanity enslaved by never paying off its debt. This is the source of the ever-increasing, rarely addressed, federal deficit.
It’s called “USURY”. It’s been forbidden in many ancient cultures and forbidden in some of those “holy” books, yet it’s been the bottom line plan-of-action in our “modern” and (so-called) “free” society.
ALL of the other issues are dependent on it – even the religion industry – and most of the corporate (puppet-monkey) politicians -and- their Mainstream Media Corporate Cousins, those who side-step and distract and divert the people of the world away from this paradigm of Debt-Slavery (and fear): are either directly or indirectly complicit in this – implemented globally – upon about 7.5 billion of us.
Accordingly, this has become my “signature” motto, which I post here and there, when I encounter the hypocritical bull crap that the (most-complicit-of-all) – mainstream media – shoves out into the faces of The People of Earth. Well, like it or lump it, here it is:
Any politician (even down to towns’ “select” persons) who will not actively encourage and support MONETARY REFORM – starting with valid (public) monetary education – is not worth the paper their election ballot is printed on.
“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” ~ Albert Einstein
So they want more time to debate and research these bills, just extend the session. As for the vacation, a regular family tradition that coincides with school vacation week. I don’t have a problem with that. Isn’t it better when he is out of town anyway?
I bet you have a problem with teachers having school vacation week off. LePage is due a vacation, the issue is that he has an opportunity to show Maine he cares about Maine.
He did not use that opportunity and as long as Florida is available he doesn’t care about Maine.
Teachers have more vacations than postal workers lol, and you expect us not to say anything?
I expect you to go find a good job where they respect you and your talents and give you the same or better benefits. If you are unable to to get that kind of job, then don’t bash those who have. Unlike bashing greedy billionaires for sucking the system dry, you choose to go after those who are trying to teach your children.
If you want better benefits, get a job, if you don’t, be quiet, if you are too limited to get a better job, then I am willing to pay my taxes so you can get the services you need.
There is no more important job in the world than that of educating our youth. Teachers bring their work home with them every night, grading papers and working on lesson plans. They have to attend training classes every year to retain their certification, and they are required to teach in such a way that the students can pass a meaningless standardized test instead of teaching them to ask questions and reason out answers for themselves. Teachers are blamed when a student performs poorly, and parents who have little or no participation in their child’s education vindictively want their pay and benefits cut even further. If we as a nation took an active interest in actually teaching our children to think instead of just parrot cookbook answers we’d be in a lot better shape going forward. Everything you are, you owe to a teacher somewhere down the line.
Wanna bet my NEA dues on that? You lose. _Good_Teachers are underpaid. One of the few perks they get in exchange is a generous amount of time off. Incompareable to any other job. They can spend that time with their families, or working side jobs For extra money. It’s not relevant to this discussion anyway.
They don’t need Lepage to sit in the state house and explain it to them. They will do their own research and talk to their own people. If the republicans have a question, they can ring his cell phone. As long as I can remember Obama, Bush, Clinton, Bush and Reagan all were attacked by the opposite side for their vacations. Unless Alexander Haig turns up at the Blaine house saying he’s in charge, I’m not bothered by it.
Special Ed,
If you were answering me, either I need schooling in writing clarity, or you misunderstood. Teachers are underpaid, they have traded wages for benefits and now the government wants to take back the benefits and cut the wages.
Hating both education by calling them elites, and calling educators, greedy for doing a hard job, is the hallmark of the uneducated or the power mad.
We’re not that far apart. When the right is frustrated by _bad_ teachers who are un-touchable, I am right there with them. College campuses are chock full of elitists. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it is too unbalanced in some places.
I agree with the right on some issues, the left on some, and nobody on a few more. The result…Everybody hates me. :)
The “untouchable teacher” and the “untouchable state worker” are myths promoted by those that don’t want any worker protections.
I am in a Union and I can tell you that if management wants to fire even a competent employee they can sometimes get away with it. Firing an incompetent employee only requires proof of incompetence.
If the one wanting to do the firing can’t prove the case, then where the incompetence lies should be obvious. Crying that they want the right to fire anyone, any time for any reason and never be questioned is not American.
The last thing LePage would want on any of his inane proposals would be legitimate debate.
LePage critics are desperate. Keep it up Gov’nah.
I bet your spell check did not like that, here it is for you “Governor”.
Don’t fear the bumbling LePage, fear the twisted people who are giving him his ideas.
You are a wise person, I have tried myself to reiterate these same sentiments here on this illustrious web site only to be ridiculed and denied any recognition.
LaPage must be doing his job and doing it well. He is in the news almost everyday and the Dems are squealing. What a beautiful sound!
FU
The rest of you think he’s a penguin. Try to be consistant.
Penguin? LePlague? Selfish %$# , Citizen of Florida? As much as I dislike him, disrespect him, and want to see him go, I will try to call him Governor, or LePage. Dropping to the name calling level doesn’t help. I hope I can keep it to that level but his puppeteers don’t care what he looks like.
I think he should be deported to Canada. His home country.
Every session in every state has late bills, nothing new at all, just a tactic used by politicians.
Comparing when the previous Governors submitted bills and when this Governor submits bills isn’t the problem. I want to know if bills submitted by previous Governors late into the session were about major policy issues like this Governor. The LePage spokes person only talked about bills submitted by previous Governors not the issues dealing with the bills submitted.
Whine, whine whine, blame, blame, blame by the D’s!
To go with that, would you like crackers and cheese?
Funny I’m not a D and I don’t care for his little jaunts to other countries while most Mainers can barely afford to put food on the table right now.
EXACTLY!!! Bravo for you! Indefensible hypocrisy on his part and a sucker punch in the gut to ALL Mainers.
how do ya like w”s gas prices?
This govenor should be the subject of daily attack! Never in my life have I ever seen anything like him. His type of governing is similar to a dictator ship that is similar to world leader’s like Castro. His way or no way! And then he has the nads to basically call us idiots on his radio show. He even wants to cut the funding for MPBN which brings educational television ! This man is a racist and I for one am awful sorry I voted for him. His way of fixing the budget short fall comes ten year’s too late. The DHHS structure has been broken for a long time. Videos have shown that the worker’s of the Department of health and human services telling people how to comit fraud to obtain benefits and the only ones getting punished for it is us. And how did we guess another vacation to Jamica how nice! Our state is in shambles,people are unemployed and freezing to death while he is getting a tan! It would be great if we would impeach this jerk like the country did to Richard Nixon!
Where have you been for the last 40 years?
Many Mainers who voted for LePage are not going to vote for him and they will not vote for a legislature that has mostly rubber stamped his policies. There are very few if any converts saying they have decided to support him from being against him last time.
Anyone with less than a million wouldn’t be safe walking alone with him on the street. He hates the poor. If you get laid off, it is your fault and he hates you too.
His DHHS commissioner lies to the legislature and his answer is to pull care from the neediest. His latest move, called the “More Dead Nuns” initiative to cut Intensive case managers from the state payroll is just one more sad comment on the Gov’s opinion of all of you non-Floridian citizens.
I wholeheartedly support you.
No one has to work hard or even look twice to see the damage he has done to this great state and its hard working people.
He is a dictator who remains incommunicado to the public and press, using his interpreter to inform the people about what he would like to say, but doesn’t know how, without tripping over his tongue.
Like his supporters, especially those posting here, he has no regard for the people and their needs. He threatens. He coerces the legislature into dropping 68,000 from health support, or, he adamantly declares he – as governor – will shut down the state’s schools.
He either gets his way, or, jets off to his cabana in Jamaica. He intends to spread his good cheer in China, where he’ll undoubtedly receive approval for the way he treats the peasants back home.
At least Castro had compassion for the poor.
Let them table the bills till they come back agen
It bothers me tremendously that Gov. LePage jet sets off every year during this crucial time. It may be a family tradition, however, one that could be suspended while in office or done at a later or earlier date. Mind you the majority of Maine families can not afford a tradition like this. Get real Governor!!!
mrsjotojo: Perhaps you should read the full story behind the LePage family’s trip to Jamaica–it happens to be for fulfilling a promise they made to their “son’s” dad.
If you really want to slam someone, then look to the present D.C. administration that spends 86 thousand for fuel(maybe per hour?) to campaign on the taxpayers’ money.
These folks in Augusta seem to forget that we elect them for two year terms , why must they end the session at all ? Is it perhaps to prevent the big spenders from running us deeper into the red? A solution might be to enact a deadline for bills to be submitted or to enact a year round legislative session. Maybe if they would use their time to review and act on these proposals instead of playing he said she said party politics the allotted time would be sufficient ! It’s time to quit party fighting and to do what you are elected to do. From now on I’m going to dedicate my support to those who argue the least !
How about we hold back on his pay.
I thought the Governor ran for election stating he wasn’t going to operate like his predecessors. Then he makes a decision and says “but they did it too”. So are you running the state different or aren’t you?
It’s unfortunate Maine’s governor only supports Northern Massachusetts and can’t see north of Bangor.
This Governor is great because he will not bendover for any recognized party, but he will gladly bendover and let us all take up th *zz from th teeBagGers
This should be a non issue, as it happens in every Legislative session. When will the incessant sour grapes griping of the left ever end?
Policy decisions and major legislation rushed usually leads to bad results. The worst example of this is April 2008 when Baldacci rammed through the heinous Expedited Wind Permitting statute in the bare minimum to meet legal notice requirements. No time to educate the public or even the legislators. No legislative debate, just passed under the gavel in the rush toward the end of the “short” session. Most legislators had no idea what they were voting on, but the Democrat controlled legislature did what Baldacci wanted and now the Quality of Place in Maine is ruined by the proliferation of sprawling industrial wind sites, all for a subsidy scam.