© 2024 Maine Public

Bangor Studio/Membership Department
63 Texas Ave.
Bangor, ME 04401

Lewiston Studio
1450 Lisbon St.
Lewiston, ME 04240

Portland Studio
323 Marginal Way
Portland, ME 04101

Registered 501(c)(3) EIN: 22-3171529
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Scroll down to see all available streams.

Lawmakers Work Late As House GOP Fights Medicaid Expansion

AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine lawmakers are working overtime as the House GOP resists efforts to give the Legislature five extra days to work on tax code reform, bonds and Medicaid expansion.

Lawmakers worked into early Thursday though their official last day was Wednesday.

Democratic House Speaker Sara Gideon said early Thursday that lawmakers would get one extra day after all because legislators worked past midnight of their last day without objection. Some House Republicans questioned her statement.

Democrats and Senate Republicans reached some agreement on a spending deal including new staffers to handle Medicaid expansion set for July. But two House GOP members called Medicaid expansion a "poison pill" and demanded minimum wage reform before funding pay increases for personal care aides.

Lawmakers must also handle vetoes at some point.