EXERCISE IN DEMOCRACY

Some 200 Maine citizens marched in front of the State House last Saturday, demanding that the Legislature immediately convene a special session to address the taxation and spending policies that have led to the current $240 million budget crisis. That’s more activity on the state’s budget crisis than Augusta’s seen for months.

The fresh air and bracing walk no doubt did these citizens some good, but that is likely all the good that will come from this exercise in democracy. The State House is usually a pretty vacant place on Saturdays; it has been a nearly vacant place every day for the last five months.

That’s how long it has been since the revenue shortfall first was discovered. The anticipated gap between revenues and spending – just for the remainder of this fiscal year – has since grown from $180 million to $240 million. The anticipated gap for the next two-year budget cycle was estimated, at minimum, to be $600 million. This seemed in early May to present a golden opportunity, even a moral obligation, for lawmakers – adjourned for just a few days – to reconvene for a long, vigorous and productive debate on the reform of Maine’s taxation and spending policies. This also seemed to present prospective voters with a rare opportunity to judge incumbents and challengers alike on specific reform proposals in advance of the November election.

Thirty-five of the 42 states with severe budget shortfalls revealed as the result of April tax filings held special sessions during the summer to address the known problem, in the belief that the unknown problems to come would be that much easier to address. In Maine, lawmakers insisted upon waiting until the late August report by revenue forecasters before reviewing budget changes. The news was bad, but the imperative to reform Maine’s budget became even clearer. There remains time for them to act – first on closing the budget but also on directing commissioners to prepare to defend the efficiency of their departments during the next legislative session. This is an inevitable part of the budget reform that must happen in Maine, so there is no reason for delay.

The current budget timetable came only after months of delay and missed opportunity. And still the statutory requirement for public notice will prevent hearings by the various legislative policy committees from being held before the week of Oct. 7. After a week of those hearings, the Appropriations Committee will need at least two weeks to hold its hearings and to produce a bill for the full Legislature’s consideration. The earliest a special session could be convened, then, is the week of Oct. 28.

That’s the week before the election. As entertaining and enlightening as a special session the week before the election would be, the odds of incumbents putting themselves under that kind of scrutiny at that particular time are prohibitive. The far safer bet is that some unforeseen snag will force the postponement of a special session until after Election Day.

Perhaps Maine lawmakers will surprise Maine citizens and reconvene before the election, figuring, as they should, that no more time should be lost in addressing the longstanding policy flaws that leave this state forever lurching from one budget crisis to the next. That would take a great display of political courage – something else rarely seen around the State House, on Saturdays or any other day.