The Senate voted 18-17 around 10:15 p.m. to enact the budget, which is now on its way to the governor’s desk.

Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Sen. Margaret Rotundo, D-Lewiston, said Democrats and Republicans agreed on 98 percent of the budget. But Democrats wanted to continue to offer Medicaid to more people than the Republicans could support.

“This budget reflects the fiscal reality the state finds itself in at this time,” she said.

The Senate vote followed an 84-55 House vote earlier in the night.

The $190 million budget fills a hole in the two-year, $6.3 billion state budget.

The House voted 84-55 tonight to enact the budget.

It’s now headed back down to the Senate for a final vote.

The Senate spent considerable time earlier this evening debating the merits of the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability. It appeared an amendment to fully fund the office would pass — it actually did initially — but Sen. John Nutting, D-Leeds, changed his vote later on.

Nutting said leadership assured him that a separate bill would be allowed in at a later date to fully fund the office. That killed the amendment and allowed the Senate to pass the budget 18-17.

Down in the House, Minority Leader Josh Tardy, R-Newport, explained why Republicans opposed the budget, and House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, D-North Haven, talked about why Democrats supported it.

Tardy said Republicans wanted “systematic changes that recognized the concept that government cannot be everything to everybody.”

They proposed setting limits on the number of childless adults who could qualify for Medicaid and also setting other limits on Medicaid health insurance.

“When I cast my vote, I’ll be thinking of the second- and third-generation Moosehead (Furniture) employees who make too much to qualify for anything, but not enough to get ahead,” said Tardy, part owner of that company.

Pingree said “fundamental differences” kept the parties from agreeing. She said Democrats did not want to limit Medicaid in a way that would prevent 20,000 people from getting health insurance.

“Personally, I’ll sleep well tonight knowing I was able to stand up for these people,” she said.

It’s 7 p.m. and the Senate is due in any time to take up the $190 million state budget.

Earlier in the House, Democrats killed six Republican amendments. The amendments would have:

*Fully restored funding to the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability
*Reallocated special education money to certain towns
*Put forward the Republican version of the budget
*Cut travel funding for University of Maine System
*Created a government efficiency commission
*Allocated more money for road repairs

The House voted 84-56 to pass the budget on an initial vote. It now needs consideration in the Senate before another House vote.

The House shot down four proposed Republican-backed amendments to the budget this afternoon.

And just seconds before sending the budget to the Senate, Republicans stopped it from being moved down the hall so two more amendments could be considered.

Republicans expressed frustration that Democrats are trying to quickly pass the $190 million supplemental budget. Democrats want to get a budget enacted tonight to avoid cuts that could take effect on Tuesday.

“This process has been hurried up quite a bit,” said Rep. Richard Sykes, R-Harrison.

Democrats shot down these four Republican amendments:

* one would have fully restored funding to the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability;
*another would have reallocated special-education money to certain towns;
*a third was the Republican version of the budget that replaced “six one-time reductions with structural changes that would achieve the same effect,” said Rep. Sawin Millett, R-Waterford; and
*the fourth would have cut travel funding for University of Maine System

At 5:44 p.m., the House bell rang to call them back to session.

UPDATE: House awaits amendments

The House came back into session shortly before 3 p.m. to get the budget moving again and in a position where amendments could be offered.

Democrats are planning to reintroduce virtually the same budget that passed the House last week. The $190 million proposal includes $65 million in cuts to human services and $34 million from education.

The major difference is this version does not include a hospital tax component.

House Minority Leader Josh Tardy, R-Newport, objected to not sending the $190 million budget to the Appropriations Committee first and called for a roll call. On an 80-55 vote, Democrats voted not to send the document to the committee.

Rep. Richard Sykes, R-Harrison, asked for someone to explain what’s in the 400 page document.

“Can anyone guarantee me what the specific, accurate changes are?” he said on the floor of the House. “This bill just came on my desk. It’s still warm.”

Sykes also asked if amendments would be allowed.

House Speaker Glenn Cummings, D-Portland, said they would be allowed and that they would recess until “the sound of the bell” so all amendments could be printed.

UPDATE: Dems propose fresh start

Democratic leaders just told House members that the way to get the $190 million supplemental budget passed is to start from scratch.

Basically, the House is expected to come in at 2 p.m. to begin consideration of a new budget bill that is exactly like the Democratic majority budget. It will have one amendment, the one that restores some funding to the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability.

Then, a separate bill with a hospital tax and match proposal will be introduced as a separate document. That bill raises money to offset some of the cuts to mental health services.

If it’s not part of the budget and gets bipartisan support, Gov. John Baldacci will “probably” sign it, said his spokesman David Farmer.

The plan is to get the Democratic version of the budget passed by midnight to avoid more serious cuts.

Senate tables budget
At 10:47 a.m., the Senate tabled the budget without discussion.

Word has it that a compromise is in the works, but details cannot be released yet. The House is breaking for partisan caucuses and will reconvene at 2 p.m.

All eyes on Senate

The Senate is scheduled to come in at 10 a.m., but whether they will take up the budget right away is uncertain.

Late Friday afternoon, the Senate abruptly adjourned because there wasn’t enough support to pass the $190 million supplemental budget. The pressure is on today because if they don’t pass something by midnight, a curtailment order will go into effect that cuts spending even more severely than either the Democratic or the Republican budgets.

Check back for updates throughout the day as things unfold.

The House came back into session shortly before 3 p.m. to get the budget moving again and in a position where amendments could be offered.

Democrats have reintroduced virtually the same budget that passed the House last week. The $190 million proposal includes $65 million in cuts to human services and $34 million from education.

The major difference is this version does not include a hospital tax component.

House Minority Leader Josh Tardy, R-Newport, objected to not sending the budget to the Appropriations Committee first and called for a roll call. On an 80-55 vote, Democrats voted not to send the document to the committee.

Rep. Richard Sykes, R-Harrison, asked for someone to explain what’s in the 400 page document.

“Can anyone guarantee me what the specific, accurate changes are?” he said on the floor of the House. “This bill just came on my desk. It’s still warm.”

Sykes also asked if amendments would be allowed.

House Speaker Glenn Cummings, D-Portland, said they would be allowed and that they would recess until “the sound of the bell” so all amendments could be printed.

UPDATE: Dems propose fresh start

Democratic leaders just told House members that the way to get the $190 million supplemental budget passed is to start from scratch.

Basically, the House is expected to come in at 2 p.m. to begin consideration of a new budget bill that is exactly like the Democratic majority budget. It will have one amendment, the one that restores some funding to the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability.

Then, a separate bill with a hospital tax and match proposal will be introduced as a separate document. That bill raises money to offset some of the cuts to mental health services.

If it’s not part of the budget and gets bipartisan support, Gov. John Baldacci will “probably” sign it, said his spokesman David Farmer.

The plan is to get the Democratic version of the budget passed by midnight to avoid more serious cuts.

Senate tables budget
At 10:47 a.m., the Senate tabled the budget without discussion.

Word has it that a compromise is in the works, but details cannot be released yet. The House is breaking for partisan caucuses and will reconvene at 2 p.m.

All eyes on Senate

The Senate is scheduled to come in at 10 a.m., but whether they will take up the budget right away is uncertain.

Late Friday afternoon, the Senate abruptly adjourned because there wasn’t enough support to pass the $190 million supplemental budget. The pressure is on today because if they don’t pass something by midnight, a curtailment order will go into effect that cuts spending even more severely than either the Democratic or the Republican budgets.

Check back for updates throughout the day as things unfold.

Democratic leaders just told House members that the way to get the $190 million supplemental budget passed is to start from scratch.

Basically, the House is expected to come in at 2 p.m. to begin consideration of a new budget bill that is exactly like the Democratic majority budget. It will have one amendment, the one that restores some funding to the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability.

Then, a separate bill with a hospital tax and match proposal will be introduced as a separate document. That bill raises money to offset some of the cuts to mental health services.

If it’s not part of the budget and gets bipartisan support, Gov. John Baldacci will “probably” sign it, said his spokesman David Farmer.

The plan is to get the Democratic version of the budget passed by midnight to avoid more serious cuts.

Senate tables budget
At 10:47 a.m., the Senate tabled the budget without discussion.

Word has it that a compromise is in the works, but details cannot be released yet. The House is breaking for partisan caucuses and will reconvene at 2 p.m.

All eyes on Senate

The Senate is scheduled to come in at 10 a.m., but whether they will take up the budget right away is uncertain.

Late Friday afternoon, the Senate abruptly adjourned because there wasn’t enough support to pass the $190 million supplemental budget. The pressure is on today because if they don’t pass something by midnight, a curtailment order will go into effect that cuts spending even more severely than either the Democratic or the Republican budgets.

Check back for updates throughout the day as things unfold.

At 10:47 a.m., the Senate tabled the budget without discussion.

Word has it that a compromise is in the works, but details cannot be released yet. The House is breaking for partisan caucuses and will reconvene at 2 p.m.

All eyes on Senate

The Senate is scheduled to come in at 10 a.m., but whether they will take up the budget right away is uncertain.

Late Friday afternoon, the Senate abruptly adjourned because there wasn’t enough support to pass the $190 million supplemental budget. The pressure is on today because if they don’t pass something by midnight, a curtailment order will go into effect that cuts spending even more severely than either the Democratic or the Republican budgets.

Check back for updates throughout the day as things unfold.

The Senate is scheduled to come in at 10 a.m., but whether they will take up the budget right away is uncertain.

Late Friday afternoon, the Senate abruptly adjourned because there wasn’t enough support to pass the $190 million supplemental budget. The pressure is on today because if they don’t pass something by midnight, a curtailment order will go into effect that cuts spending even more severely than either the Democratic or the Republican budgets.

Check back for updates throughout the day as things unfold.

In the blink of an eye, the Democrats on Friday put off making any decisions on the $190 million supplemental budget until Monday.

Senate Majority Leader Elizabeth Mitchell, D-Vassalboro, said some members need the weekend to think it over and consider their options. The plan was to take a vote to agree with the House version of the budget.

“Frankly, we don’t have enough votes to do that,” she said.

With an 18-17 Democratic split in the Senate, the Democrats can’t afford to lose any members on votes.

“We have a good budget proposal before us,” she said. “It doesn’t raise taxes. We mitigated the harm to a lot of people.”

The Democrats want to enact the budget before Tuesday. If they don’t, a curtailment order that makes deeper cuts to social services will go into effect.

The Democratic majority budget approved by the House cuts $65 million from human services and $34 million in education spending. Many other cuts came from state agencies.

It does not raise broad based taxes or take money from the rainy day fund.

The House put two amendments on the budget. One partially restores funding for the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability and the other has to do with a hospital funding change.

The Senate passed three amendments that would:

1. Eliminate 13 positions in state government from these departments: Conservation, Economic and Community Development, Education, Environmental Protection, Governor’s Office, Legislature, Inland Fisheries, Labor and Professional and Financial Regulation.

2. Establish a Blue Ribbon Commission on Mental Health to assess the state’s mental health system.

3. There are several provisions in this amendment, sponsored by a bipartisan group of Senators.

The major provisions include fully restoring the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability, establishing a household income limitation of $75,000 for nonelderly claimants in the “circuit breaker” tax refund program, and requiring legislators to pay 5 percent of their own health care premiums.

One of the more controversial provisions would further limit the number of childless adults eligible for Medicaid.

Check back Monday for more updates on the budget blog.

It’s 4:30 p.m. and the Senate just reconvened.

The word is the Senate might agree with the House and send the budget back down to the other end of the hall, but nothing is written in stone.

Earlier today, the House voted to adhere to the budget version it passed yesterday, which means the House and Senate don’t agree on the $190 million proposal.

Last night, the Senate stripped off one House amendment and added three new ones. The House decided to stick to its original version.

The Democratic majority budget approved by the House cuts $65 million from human services and $34 million in education spending. Many other cuts came from state agencies.

It does not raise broad based taxes or take money from the rainy day fund.

The House put two amendments on the budget. One partially restores funding for the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability and the other has to do with a hospital funding change.

The Senate passed three amendments that would:

1. Eliminate 13 positions in state government from these departments: Conservation, Economic and Community Development, Education, Environmental Protection, Governor’s Office, Legislature, Inland Fisheries, Labor and Professional and Financial Regulation.

2. Establish a Blue Ribbon Commission on Mental Health to assess the state’s mental health system.

3. There are several provisions in this amendment, sponsored by a bipartisan group of Senators.

The major provisions include fully restoring the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability, establishing a household income limitation of $75,000 for nonelderly claimants in the “circuit breaker” tax refund program, and requiring legislators to pay 5 percent of their own health care premiums.

One of the more controversial provisions would further limit the number of childless adults eligible for Medicaid.

The House voted around 12:15 p.m. to adhere to the budget version it passed yesterday, which means the House and Senate don’t agree on the $190 million proposal.

So the budget now goes back to the Senate. Last night, the Senate stripped off one House amendment and added three new ones. The House decided to stick to its original version.

The Democratic majority budget approved by the House cuts $65 million from human services and $34 million in education spending. Many other cuts came from state agencies.

It does not raise broad based taxes or take money from the rainy day fund.

The House put two amendments on the budget. One partially restores funding for the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability and the other has to do with a hospital funding change.

The Senate passed three amendments that would:

1. Eliminate 13 positions in state government from these departments: Conservation, Economic and Community Development, Education, Environmental Protection, Governor’s Office, Legislature, Inland Fisheries, Labor and Professional and Financial Regulation.

2. Establish a Blue Ribbon Commission on Mental Health to assess the state’s mental health system.

3. There are several provisions in this amendment, sponsored by a bipartisan group of Senators.

The major provisions include fully restoring the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability, establishing a household income limitation of $75,000 for nonelderly claimants in the “circuit breaker” tax refund program, and requiring legislators to pay 5 percent of their own health care premiums.

One of the more controversial provisions would further limit the number of childless adults eligible for Medicaid.

It’s unclear when the Senate will reconvene.

The $190 million budget is back in the House, although it’s much different than it was 24 hours ago.

Last night and into early this morning, the Senate attached three amendments to the bill before sending it back down the hall.

The amendments would:

1. Eliminate 13 positions in state government from these departments: Conservation, Economic and Community Development, Education, Environmental Protection, Governor’s Office, Legislature, Inland Fisheries, Labor and Professional and Financial Regulation.

2. Establish a Blue Ribbon Commission on Mental Health to assess the state’s mental health system.

3. There are several provisions in this amendment, sponsored by a bipartisan group of Senators.

The major provisions include fully restoring the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability, establishing a household income limitation of $75,000 for nonelderly claimants in the “circuit breaker” tax refund program, and requiring legislators to pay 5 percent of their own health care premiums.

One of the more controversial provisions would further limit the number of childless adults eligible for Medicaid.

The House is expected to take up the budget at some point this morning.

The Senate voted 22-13 at 11:20 p.m. on a budget amendment sponsored by Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham.

The amendment fully restores the funding for the Office for Program Evaluation and Government Accountability. The budget had proposed to cut $1.2 million from the office, and reduce staff from seven to two.

The amendment also makes several changes to the budget, including calling for a $150,000 study of the state’s program that provides health insurance to childless adults. It also requires legislators to pay 5 percent of their own health insurance.

In addition, it does not allow the state treasurer to sell $9 million in securities to raise money for the budget.

After the vote, Senate President Beth Edmonds, D-Freeport, said there are 17 other amendments to consider.

“Don’t think of going home yet,” she said.

Budget debates will continue in the House and Senate on Friday. Check back here for frequent updates throughout the day.

The Senate tonight spent about 30 minutes debating the Republican version of the $190 million budget before voting 20-15 to defeat it.

Sen. Kevin Raye, R-Perry, said the Republican proposal sought to put limits on who can sign up for Medicaid benefits.

“The hard-working taxpayers cannot sustain the growth we’ve seen in our system,” he said.

But Democrats argued that by making it harder for some adults to get health care coverage, it will make it more expensive for everyone else. Also, adults who don’t have health care don’t tend to take their children to the doctor either, said Sen. Joe Brannigan, D-Portland.

Republicans argued that they were trying to find sustainable cuts that would help reduce the state’s spending in the future.

“The majority relies on one-time money to get us through the next 15 months and that’s pretty much the extent of it,” said Assistant Senate Minority Leader Richard Rosen, R-Bucksport.

After the vote that defeated the Republican budget, the Democrats moved for acceptance of their version of the budget.

Senate President Beth Edmonds, D-Freeport, temporarily stepped down from the podium so she could address the Senate on the budget. She said she hasn’t slept well in recent nights.

The debate over restricting Medicaid for poor childless adults is what’s kept her up. The waiting list is now 6,500.

“I can’t support a cut to this service,” she said.

Debate is continuing.

The $190 million budget bill is on its way to the Senate, which is scheduled to convene at 6 p.m. to begin deliberations.

The House rejected 13 amendments and adopted two. House members spent more than six hours in session today, most of it on the budget.

For the most part, the Democratic version of the budget is largely as it was when it was approved by a majority of the Appropriations Committee. One amendment has to do with payments to hospitals and another restores two positions to the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability.

In general, the budget cuts $65 million from the Department of Health and Human Services and $34 million in education aid. State agencies also offered up cuts to help bridge the gap.

The House is done for the night and will return at 9 a.m. Friday to continue deliberations.

Check back later tonight to see what’s going on in the Senate.

The House, which has been in session since shortly after 9 a.m., is shooting down amendments left and right.

However, it did support an amendment to reduce the proposed cuts to the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability. The original proposal in the Democratic budget called for reducing the office staff from seven to two, and cutting funding by $1.2 million.

The amendment reduces staff from seven to four. It requires the office and legislators to develop performance standards by which the office could be judged.

Other efforts to restore full funding to the office failed.

One of the most hotly contested amendments was offered by Rep. Anne Rand, D-Portland. Her amendment sought to restore full funding to mental health and mental retardation services, and to the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability.

She proposed to pay for it by taking about $7 million out of the Business Equipment Tax Reimbursement fund.

Rep. Marilyn Canavan, D-Waterville, said she cannot go along with budget cuts that target the mentally ill and mentally retarded. And she supports OPEGA, the government watchdog office.

"I know I compromise principle when I get an uncomfortable feeling in my gut that won’t go away,”she said on the floor of the House. “A little voice inside is saying ‘you know you’ve done wrong, woman.’”

Rep. Andrea Boland, D-Sanford, said she is trying to “defend OPEGA from its dismemberment.”

The amendment failed 91-42.

Another amendment that would have fully restored OPEGA to its original strength failed 72-68.

House debate is ongoing. The Senate is tentatively scheduled to come in at 6 p.m. to take up the budget.

The House voted 89-56 to defeat the Republican version of the $190 million budget, following about an hour of debate.

Rep. Sawin Millett, R-Waterford, told House members that Republicans believe a struggling state economy is to blame for the budget woes.

He said their version of the budget would put in place stricter eligibility requirements for Medicaid, require legislators and their staff members to pay 10 percent of their own health insurance, and put in place three unpaid days for state workers.

Like the Democratic proposal, the Republican version would not raise taxes or use money from the state rainy day fund.

"The concern we have is we are sliding further toward flat revenues,"”Millett said.

Several Democrats spoke in opposition to the proposal, particularly the part that restricts eligibility for Medicaid.

"It will diminish access to health care for those who can least afford it in rural areas,"” said Rep. Anne Perry, D-Calais.

In response, Rep. Robert Walker, R-Lincolnville, said Maine offers Medicaid options and eligibility more generous than what’s available in other states.

“"Somebody needs to stand up and speak for the Maine taxpayer," he said. "We cannot afford this.”"

After the vote, the House moved on to other amendments, including one offered by Rep. Janet Mills, D-Farmington, and another sponsored by Rep. Stacey Allen Fitts, R-Pittsfield.

It’s 9:17 a.m. and the House just began session for the day.

According to the majority office, they’ll run through some items unrelated to the budget first, then get right into amendments to the $190 million spending plan.

There are about 30 House amendments out there, but it’s possible not all will be offered for consideration.

If necessary, they will break for lunch, then come back this afternoon to get the budget through second reading and down to the Senate for consideration.

Last night, the budget passed on first reading 82-63.

On the first vote in the House, the Democratic version of the $190 million budget passed 82-63. The real debate will begin Thursday morning when the House comes back into session around 9 a.m. to take up amendments.

Appropriations Committee Chairman Rep. Jeremy Fischer, D-Presque Isle, gave a brief speech in the House before the vote.

He thanked Republicans who worked alongside him on the committee for their hard work and said much of the budget — $150 million of the $190 million — was agreed to by both parties.

“Please remember this is not a bitter or a divisive time,” he said. “This is a simple disagreement about a small number of things.”

House members have submitted 30 amendments to the budget. There are 21 in the Senate.

House Speaker Glenn Cummings, D-Portland, told lawmakers to get ready for a long day on Thursday.

It's 5:30 p.m. The bell to call legislators to session just started ringing.

House staffers say the plan is to get through as many amendments as possible tonight. It’s unclear how many will be printed in time to hit the floor.

There was more anger this afternoon over the Democratic proposal to cut the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability. Following a work session, several members of the State and Local Government Committee talked about whether to write a letter to all lawmakers to let them know they do not approve of the move.

Sen. Paula Benoit, R-Phippsburg, was particularly incensed that her fellow lawmakers seemed to believe the committee supported the proposal.

The Democratic proposal to dramatically cut the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability continues to be the subject of much Statehouse discourse today.

To help close the $190 million gap in the state budget, Democrats are proposing to cut OPEGA staffing from seven to two. It’s a comparatively small amount in the big picture — a $1.2 million cut — but it’s sparked a big reaction.

The House Republicans just sent out a long press release criticizing the move put forward by Sen. John Martin, D-Eagle Lake.

“We saw the budget negotiations coming to an impasse, and we knew we would see a Martinesque maneuver,” said Rep. Robert Crosthwaite, R-Ellsworth. “He did not disappoint. Some Democrats never wanted OPEGA to begin with, and they are using this budget process to get rid of an investigative arm that could expose serious waste in the state bureaucracy.”

And yesterday, Senate Republicans sent out a missive targeting Senate Majority Leader Elizabeth Mitchell, D-Vassalboro.

“I must have missed the memo declaring Opposite Day at the Legislature,” said Senate Minority Leader Carol Weston, R-Montville. “Why else would an elected official who paints herself as a crusader for government efficiencies and transparency want to eliminate one of the most successful oversight agencies we have; an agency she chairs nonetheless?”

Mitchell, who is chairwoman of the legislative oversight committee for OPEGA, said earlier this week that the move is necessary because of a difficult budget. She said the office duplicates some of the work performed in other state offices.

Budget deadline near

Here’s the current scoop on the budget, as it stands right now.

The deadline for legislators to submit amendments to the budget is 3 p.m. today. The House is supposed to convene around 5 p.m. to take up first reading of the budget.

The word from the majority office is there will likely be debate tonight on the Democratic proposal to close the $190 million gap in the budget. Then debate on amendments will happen on Thursday, before it gets shipped to the Senate.

Both Democrats and Republicans have put forward proposals for closing the gap in the two year, $6.3 billion budget. The nonpartisan budget office has posted a lot of material on both proposals on its Web site.

Check out both proposals here.

Here’s the current scoop on the budget, as it stands right now.

The deadline for legislators to submit amendments to the budget is 3 p.m.
today. The House is supposed to convene around 5 p.m. to take up first
reading of the budget.

Three of the Democrats running for the 1st Congressional District put out statements Monday about the news that at least 4,000 Americans have died in Iraq since the war began.

All were sent out before news broke that another Maine soldier has died.

Here’s what Adam Cote of Portland had to say:

"As the death toll in Iraq has reached 4,000, I want to express my condolences to those who have lost loved ones, family members, and friends to the war in Iraq. The continuing war in Iraq is a deeply personal issue for me - I spent a year of my life there; I lost friends to the violence there and I treated people who died out there. My heart goes out to all of those directly affected by the continuing conflict.

My experience serving in Iraq is one of the primary reasons I decided to run for Congress. As only the second Iraq War veteran in Congress, I will do everything in my power as your representative to help develop a responsible plan that brings American troops home safely - and not have to return."

Here’s part of what Chellie Pingree of North Haven had to say (she wrote a lengthy blog on the topic):

“When I ran for the US Senate in 2002 opposing the war was an easy decision for me, but not an easy thing to do. Politically, it would have been easier to go along with the sentiment at the time. But it wouldn't have been the right thing to do.

But a headline like the one in the paper this morning reminds us all that the real story is the story of each of those 4,000 men and women who have lost their lives--22 of them from Maine - and their families. The real story is about the 30,000 veterans who have come home seriously wounded and their families. The real story is about the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who have died and the millions who have been forced out of their homes.

There is hardly a day that goes by that I don't think about the war and all of the costs it carries--but I think this is an especially thoughtful day as we all take time to reflect on what it means for the thousands of families whose lives will never be the same because of what they've lost.”

And this is from Sen. Ethan Strimling, D-Portland (also edited for length):

“The only ‘shock and awe’ this war has produced is the devastating economic and human cost. Who could have imagined five years ago that the Iraq war would last longer than our involvement in World War II and lead to the loss of so many American lives, including more than 20 soldiers from Maine, and the death and displacement of millions of Iraqis?

Staying in Iraq will only mean a worsening economy here at home. Staying in Iraq will only undermine our national security by empowering our enemies. Staying in Iraq only lead to a higher death toll than today’s grim statistic.

Congress has failed the American people for not putting a stop to Bush and Cheney’s war. I’m running for Congress to end this war now and get our economy back on its feet.”

The head of the Maine Democratic Party said this week that they are
launching an “historic” effort to elect Democrats in Maine.

Why historic?

They are starting much earlier — now rather than June or July — and they
will have more people in virtually every county in Maine, said Arden
Manning, executive director of the party.

Stateline.org columnist Louis Jacobson pontificates today on the state legislative outlook for those of us with elections coming up this fall.

Not surprisingly, he puts the Maine Senate in the “toss-up” category given the current 18-17 Democratic majority. He rates the Maine House in the “safely Democratic” column — also not surprising given the 90-59 Democratic majority, with two independents.

When it comes to the Maine Senate, all 35 races will be contested in November, based on this week’s filings.

Some of the interesting match-ups:

Senate 15: Sen. Lois Snowe-Mello, R-Poland vs. Rep. Deborah Simpson, D-Auburn. Snowe-Mello has served four years in the Senate and eight years in the House. Simpson is completing her eighth year in the House.

Senate 18: Sen. Walter Gooley, R-Farmington, vs. Ann Woloson, a Belgrade Democrat. Gooley served eight years in the House and two in the Senate, and is being challenged by former Senate Democratic staffer Woloson, a health care policy wonk.

Senate 19: Sen. Paula Benoit, R-Phippsburg vs. Seth Goodall, a Richmond Democrat. Benoit is completing her second year in office, which included national notoriety for passing a bill to open up adoption records. Goodall, who formerly served as attorney to the Senate President, is a Richmond Selectman.

Senate 20: In this open seat, Rep. Peter Rines, D-Wiscasset, will square off against former Rep. David Trahan, R-Waldoboro. Both have considerable House experience.

Senate 32: Sen. Joe Perry, D-Bangor vs. former one-term Sen. Tom Sawyer, R-Bangor. Perry served eight years in the House and four in the Senate. The last time these two squared-off, in 2004, Perry beat Sawyer by 280 votes out of nearly 17,000 votes cast.

Nationwide, Democrats hold a majority of chambers. Read Jacobson's prediction for the rest of the country by clicking here.

The United States Student Association, which describes itself as the country’s oldest and largest student-led organization, named Maine Sen. Susan Collins Legislator of the Year.

Specifically, Collins won the award for helping to restore higher education funding and working to pass a bill to increase funding for Pell grants by more than $11 billion over the next five years, according to her office.

Collins, a Republican, recalled her roots in northern Maine in explaining her commitment to higher education.

“Our system of higher education is, in many ways, the envy of the world,” she said. “But its benefits have not been equally available.”

In November, Collins will face the winner of the June Democratic primary between U.S. Rep. Tom Allen of Portland and Thomas Ledue of Sanford.

John Frary filed his paperwork Monday to earn a spot on the November ballot challenging U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud in the 2nd Congressional District.

Frary, a Farmington Republican, announced in November that he would run against the three term Democrat in the massive 2nd CD. Frary has a very unusual campaign web site.

check it out here

And, in the interest of equal time:

Michaud's web site can be found here

Augusta GOP reschedules meeting

The Augusta City GOP Committee has rescheduled this week’s meeting in observance of Holy Week.

The Democratic State Committee on Sunday chose Jennifer DeChant of Bath as a Superdelegate, replacing Rita Moran of Winthrop.

DeChant had been the Democratic National Committeewoman for three years when she missed three consecutive meetings, partly due to a difficult pregnancy. The committee then voted to replace her with Moran, a Kennebec County activist and local bookstore owner.

But some on the committee called for a do-over, and on Sunday, decided to reinstate DeChant to the position, said party executive director Arden Manning.

DeChant has yet to declare support for either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.

First Congressional District Democratic candidate Chellie Pingree filed her papers to officially get into the race this week, bring the list of Democrats who have completed their petitions to five.

All will be fighting for their party’s nomination at the June 10 primary. Other Dems who have filed: Mark Lawrence of South Berwick; Michael Brennan of Portland; Ethan Strimling of Portland; and Steve Meister of Winthrop.

On the Republican side, Dean Scontras of Eliot and Charlie Summers of Scarborough have both filed.

One notable who hasn’t filed, at least not yet, is John Frary, a Republican who has announced he will challenge Democratic Rep. Michael Michaud in the 2nd Congressional District.

The deadline for filing is 5 p.m. Monday.

Democrat Mark Lawrence and Republican Dean Scontras on Wednesday officially turned in the signatures they need to get on the June ballot.

Both are running for the 1st Congressional District seat. The primary is June 10.

That brings the list of Democrats who have completed their petitions to four: Lawrence of South Berwick; Michael Brennan of Portland; Ethan Strimling of Portland; and Steve Meister of Winthrop.

On the Republican side, Scontras of Eliot and Charlie Summers of Scarborough have both filed.

Augusta Republicans are gearing up for the June and November elections by putting in place ward leaders who will be on the ground organizing neighborhoods.

In Ward 1 will be Bonnie Tucker and Vicky Briskey.
In Ward 2 will be Kim Davis and May Ross Coffin.
In Ward 3 will be Larry Ringrose and Jarody, who goes by only one name.
In Ward 4 will be Julie O’Brien and Patrick Rood.

Davis, a former state representative who is challenging Senate Majority Leader Libby Mitchell, D-Vassalboro for her Senate seat, said Republicans want to be well-organized.

“If we want to make real and positive change in Maine, we need a new direction,” Davis said in a statement. “The only way you can do that is by winning elections. We will win Augusta if we win every ward.”

How liberal or conservative is Maine’s Congressional delegation?

The National Journal just released a set of ratings based on votes taken in 2007. The magazine tracked votes on economic issues, social issues and foreign policy to compile the rankings. The list shows “how lawmakers vote relative to each other on a conservative to liberal scale,” according to the National Journal Web site.

Sen. Olympia Snowe, a Republican, earned the distinction of being labeled the “most liberal Republican in the Senate,” with composite scores of 47.8 liberal and 52.2 conservative.

Her scores were just slightly different from Sen. Susan Collins, also a Republican, who scored 47.2 liberal and 52.8 conservative.

Switching to the House, Rep. Tom Allen, a Democrat, got a 76.8 liberal rating and 23.2 conservative rating. He’s challenging Collins for her Senate seat.

Rep. Mike Michaud, a Democrat, got a 68.8 liberal rating and a 31.2 conservative rating. He faces a challenge from Farmington Republican John Frary in the 2nd Congressional District.

Republican 1st Congressional District candidate Dean Scontras will host a tele-town hall meeting from 7-8 p.m. Monday.

Scontras, of Eliot, will talk about the economy — both Maine and national — and what Congress can do to help.

If you want to participate, you need to e-mail the campaign to get a special phone number and access code. It is open to the public, though space is limited, campaign representatives said.

Send an e-mail to info@teamdean08.com to RSVP.

Scontras is one of two Republicans hoping to represent the party in the 1st district race. The other is Charlie Summers of Scarborough.

The primary election is June 10.

Members of the Maine Democratic Party state committee will meet March 16 to decide whether to reconsider who should fill one of the party’s Superdelegate slots.

Les Fossel of Alna, who came within seven votes of winning a Senate seat in 2002, is running for a House seat this time around.

Political insiders will remember Fossel as the Republican who almost beat Democratic Sen. Chris Hall in what was then Senate District 16. The race was made all the more important by the split in the Senate at the time, because if Fossel had won, the Republicans would have been in control.

The whole messy affair, which was finally decided by a Senate vote in January of the following year, set the tone for a divisive two years.

This time around, Fossel said he’s looking forward to a low key race.

“What I hope is I don’t get into one of these crazy things again,” he said.