AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) The Maine House has failed to reach a two-thirds threshold needed to fund the Downeast Correctional Facility for another year.
The prison is currently funded through June and proponents of the minimum-security prison want to continue funding for another year while studying the efficiency of the prison and its impact on the local economy. The measure now moves to the Senate.
The 83-53 vote Thursday came after a judge concluded that only lawmakers, not the Department of Corrections, have the authority to close facility. Republican Gov. Paul LePage emptied the prison last month and laid off workers.
The funding proposal needs a two-thirds majority because it’s emergency legislation. But the Senate has the option of changing the status to allow passage by a simple majority. However, anything less than a two-thirds majority could be vetoed.
