AUGUSTA, Maine - A group of Democratic and Republican lawmakers are calling on Gov. Paul LePage to stop holding voter-approved bonds "hostage'' to advance his political agenda.
Republican Sen. Roger Katz and eight other lawmakers unveiled a bill on Tuesday that seeks to force the governor to release bonds for land conservation projects that he says he's withholding until the Legislature approves one of his plans to boost funding for heating assistance.
Katz said that no one person, not even a governor, should be able to veto the decision of the people.
LePage said in a statement that he remains committed to his plan to ensure that Mainers can stay warm in the winter. He says Katz and others should be more concerned with "keeping low-income Mainers warm than grandstanding for TV cameras.''