The Maine Legislature will return next week to vote on a funding source for Medicaid expansion after a veto by Republican Gov. Paul LePage.
LePage vetoed the bill Monday and noted it was the seventh time he'd used his veto power to thwart an expansion of Medicaid to 70,000 people. He described those vetoes as being "among the most important acts of my governorship."
Maine voters approved Medicaid expansion via referendum. But the referendum had no funding source and LePage accused lawmakers of resorting to gimmicks.
House Speaker Sara Gideon said the Legislature did its job and she urged her colleagues to override the veto.
Her office expects the matter to come up on Monday. A lawsuit aimed at forcing the governor to expand Medicaid is also pending.
