Maine Democrats begin crafting another state budget over Republican opposition

Major pieces of a potential Democratic-only budget were still unclear on Saturday. Mills’ proposal included major items mostly swept out of the last spending plan, including $80 million for housing initiatives, $31 million grants for emergency medical services and start-up funding for souped-up business tax breaks.

It set aside Republicans’ top demand for $200 million in income tax cuts, something that has been centered on lowering rates for the bottom bracket. Democrats have been likely to resist that, with the liberal Maine Center for Economic Policy finding the biggest benefits of one version of the Republican plan would go to those making more than $150,000 per year.

Click here to read the full story, first published June 24, 2023 in the Bangor Daily News.