Senate convenes, moderates eye compromise amendment

It’s just past 8 p.m. and the Senate has just begun budget talks for the evening. The House has gone home for the night. The deliberations can be seen by clicking here.

Members will discuss a number of amendments. No one can guess how long the talks will take.

The seats in the Senate chamber are already full with lobbyists looking out for their interests, but also members of the House preparing to enjoy the show.

An amendment submitted by Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, has bipartisan support among the moderate members of the chamber, and it is expected to generate some discussion on the floor. It replaces $10 million in cuts.

Diamond’s amendment reduces funding for the “non-categoricals” – childless adults without disabilities – by $3 million, and directs the Department of Health and Human Services to do a study on them to figure out what is needed for them.

His amendment also restores full funding to the Office of Program Evaluation and Governmental Accountability and takes out the treasurer's sale of escheated securities, costing $9 million.

To make up for restoring these cuts, Diamond’s amendment makes note of a $3.4 million unexpected balance from the Fund for a Healthy Maine, saves $1 million by establishing a $75,000 household cap on the Circuit Breaker Program, takes $1 million from further extension of net operating losses, and takes $250,000 from out of state travel, among other cuts.

Senate Minority Leader Carol Weston, R-Montville, said Diamond’s amendment has some clout among Senate Republicans. She said she likes how he’s supporting no new taxes, and restoring full funding to OPEGA.

She said the Republicans’ priorities will be to minimize one-time savings and instead solve long-term budget problems.

Senate Majority Leader Elizabeth Mitchell, D-Vassalboro, and assistant Majority Leader John Martin, D-Eagle Lake, both had the same response to what to expect from the Democrats.

“I have no clue,” they both said. Mitchell added that the priorities among Senate Democrats are far and wide.

Earlier today, the House approved two of the 25 amendments proposed. One restored some of the suggested cuts to the Office of Program Evaluation and Governmental Accountability, and the other restored some of the suggested cuts to hospital-based positions.

“OPEGA performs an important function, but in the current economic climate, all Maine departments are being asked to do more with less,” said House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, D-North Haven. “We’re forced to cut $65 million from health and human services, and make other difficult cuts to education and virtually every state agency. We should hope that the office responsible for finding efficiencies and reducing spending can lead by example, and operate under more modest resources like everyone else.”

But Senate Republicans say that restoring some cuts is not enough. They want to see all funding restored.