Maine Legislature Cuts their own budget

Legislature cuts own budget, bolsters security

By Mal Leary
AUGUSTA, Maine — Legislative leaders have voted to cut the Legislature’s budget by $8.3 million over the next two years while at the same time bolstering security at the State House.

“This actually is probably an historic legislative council budget,“ Majority Leader Jon Courtney, R-Springvale said Friday evening. “This is probably largest reduction from a previous year in, I would suggest, the history of the Legislature.”

The budget for the Legislature and its offices is $59.3 million in the proposed two-year state budget submitted by Gov. Paul LePage. The reductions in the legislative budget are mostly achieved through applying to lawmakers and legislative staff the same budget initiatives affecting other state workers such as suspension of longevity and step increases and changes in pension costs.

The leaders also voted to reduce out-of-state travel by 30 percent, suspend cost-of-living increases for legislators, reduce the length of each yearly session by a week, and required a task force look at additional possible savings.

“This is a reduction of about $8.9 million,” said House Speaker Robert Nutting, R-Oakland, the chairman of the council’s budget committee. “The appropriations for additional security bring that down to be about $8.3 million.”

http://bangordailynews.com/2011/06/05/politics/legislature-cuts-own-budget-bolsters-security/


And in Lisbon,  they will give out BIG raises and continue to rape the taxpayers.
But really it is FUNNY,  All but one councilor will approve this year's budget.

ARE YOU PROUD OF YOUR SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY COUNCILORS?