AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - Maine lawmakers are preparing for a 2018 session where Medicaid expansion and marijuana legalization are expected to take center stage.
The Legislature must figure out how to pay for Medicaid expansion's $54 million price-tag. Maine became the first state to expand Medicaid by public vote in November, and up to 90,000 citizens are expected to benefit from an expansion.
The sale of recreational marijuana is also set to become legal Feb. 1, even though lawmakers failed this year to put a regulatory structure in place. That means lawmakers are expected to delay sales and go back to the drawing board.
Next year will be Republican Gov. Paul LePage's last full year in office. He's warning lawmakers against raising taxes to pay for Medicaid expansion.
The session begins January.