AUGUSTA, Maine - UPDATE 12:45 p.m. ET: Lawmakers in both the Maine House and Senate have rejected the 65 vetoes Gov. Paul LePage delivered today. A court showdown on the issue is now looming.
Maine House Speaker Mark Eves says LePage can’t veto something that is already a law. Senate President Michael Thibodeau agrees with Eves and says if the governor disagrees, he will need to ask the state Supreme Court to settle the dispute. LePage has said he will do that.
12:53 p.m. ET: Gov. Paul LePage has sent 65 vetoes to the Legislature, even though the state's attorney general has said that he missed his chance to take action on those bills.
LePage says if lawmakers refuse to act on the bills, he will ask the state Supreme Court for an opinion on whether the Legislature has to consider the vetoes.
At issue is LePage’s contention that when the Legislature recessed June 30, he was not able to deliver his veto messages because lawmakers were not in session.
Democrats say nothing has prevented LePage from delivering the vetoes to the clerk of the House or the secretary of the Senate. They argue that all of the bills have become law without the governor's signature.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
