Maine governor vetoes bill with funding to fight lead poisoning

Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) this week vetoed a spending bill with funding to flight lead poisoning, part of the governor’s effort to slow a scheduled increase in the state’s minimum wage, according to the Sun Journal.

The $41.6 million measure included $4 million for a lead abatement program that aims to reduce lead problems in Lewiston and Auburn — two regions that are considered to have the biggest lead-related health issues in the state.

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LePage did not offer any details about the lead program in a message that accompanied his veto, according to the Sun Journal. He instead focused on the minimum wage aspect, saying legislators have made the state “a more difficult place to do business.”

Proponents of the legislation criticized LePage’s veto.

“Lawmakers took an overwhelming bipartisan vote to protect Maine kids, but the governor’s veto threatens to put more young people in harm’s way,” State Rep. Jared Golden said in a statement, adding that lead poisoning “costs Maine communities millions of dollars each year.”

The lead program approved by the state legislature is designed to provided assistance to landlords who deal with issues related to peeling and chipping paint in older buildings, with the goal of getting rid of the problems associated with lead before a child might be exposed to it.

The Sun Journal notes that the legislature will consider a veto override in a meeting on July 9. A two-thirds vote is needed in the Maine House of Representatives and Senate to override a gubernatorial veto.