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	Podcast:		Maine Things Considered
	Episode:		Fight Over Clean Elections Act Won’t Be Over Anytime Soon And May Have Consequences In November
	Category:		Government & Organizations
	Duration:		00:04:10
	Publish Date:		2018-06-26 16:19:47
	Description:		Political charges and counter-charges are flying around efforts to preserve the state program that provides public funding for state candidates. The fight over the Maine Clean Elections Act is unlikely to be over anytime soon. For weeks, Maine lawmakers have known that a drafting error in the state budget passed last year prevents the Maine Ethics Commission from paying its bills and providing payments to candidates under the voter-approved Clean Elections Act. The money to fund the program was appropriated, but not the ability to spend the money. Supporters blame House Republicans for the problem. Senate Minority Leader Troy Jackson, a Democrat from Allagash, says House Republicans are trying to gain an advantage in the Fall elections by refusing to correct the mistake or to compromise on the issue. “You know when you do this dance, not to piss off people, you know,” says Jackson. “But we are at the end here and we gotta go and we will.” House Minority Leader Ken Fredette of Newport
	Total Play:		0