AUGUSTA – Maine Senate Republican leaders today applauded the Governor’s commitment to include funding for adaptive equipment to help Mainers with disabilities in the state’s two-year budget, as well as funding for non-profits.
LD 48 “An Act to Reduce Registration Fees and Excise Taxes for For-hire Vehicles with Adaptive Equipment Enabling Access by Persons with Disabilities,” went before the Maine Senate today, as did LD 13, “An Act to Provide an Exemption for Sales Tax and Service Provider Tax to Nonprofit Collaboratives of Libraries.”
The bills were vetoed when they became unnecessary, because funding for the programs was included in the Governor’s change package to the biennial budget proposal.
Republicans in the Legislature are committed to governing effectively and efficiently. There is no need to duplicate these efforts when there’s already funding that will be included in the state budget.
Senate President Michael Thibodeau (R-Waldo) said, “It gives me great satisfaction to know that we in the Legislature are doing what we can to help those with disabilities. They are the folks we should be trying to help.
“I was disappointed to see Democratic leadership trying to unravel these efforts in order to score political points. Mainers don’t care about inside baseball. They care about results.”
Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason said, “I had hoped that on issues that are as important as these that we would be able to avoid political bickering and do what’s right for those we serve. In the end, we got it right, and important programs will receive the funding they need.”