AUGUSTA, Maine (AP)  The Maine attorney general is declining to represent Gov. Paul LePage in a lawsuit over his refusal to expand the state’s Medicaid program.

The advocacy group Maine Equal Justice Partners sued the Republican governor last week because his administration has yet to take steps to follow the law passed by voters to expand the program, known as MaineCare. LePage has said he will not do so until lawmakers provide a sustainable way to cover the state’s estimated $45 million to $55 million in annual costs.

The Portland Press Herald reports that Attorney General Janet Mills, a Democrat seeking her party’s nomination for governor, has declined to represent the LePage administration in the case. Instead, her office granted LePage’s request to hire a private attorney.

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Information from: Portland Press Herald, http://www.pressherald.com