Gov. Paul LePage Accidentally Turning Maine Into Feminist Paradise, Haha, Whoops
(it appears he definitely qualifies for the "state fool" position"
He Called No Tagbacks!
Gov. Paul LePage Accidentally Turning Maine Into Feminist Paradise, Haha, Whoops
It's more a label of the contents than an actual cancellation
Wacky ol’ rubber bag of infected pus and Maine Gov. Paul LePage is one comical fella. Last week, we told you how he thought he had “pocket vetoed” 19 bills by doing nothing about them, but had actually screwed the procedural pooch because the Maine Legislature had not actually adjourned, and so the bills became law. The fun continues, because as of Sunday, Democratic lawmakers say that an additional 51 bills have become law because LePage refused to do anything about them on time. Among the bills was an expansion of Medicaid funding for reproductive health that will benefit some 13,000 women in the Pine Tree State. But not so fast, says LePage — he’s gonna take the whole thing to the state supreme court, and he’ll win, because Democrats are dumm and he is smrt.
See, the way Maine’s “pocket veto” works is that if the Legislature has adjourned its session, the governor can sit on a passed bill for 10 days, and then it just dies, with no chance for the Legislature to override the veto since they’ve all gone home (in LePage’s case, the bills may actually commit suicide rather than spend 10 days under his butt). But if the Legislature is still in session, the governor’s inaction causes the bill to become law. And so, last week, 19 bills became law after LePage did nothing with them; then this weekend another 10-day period passed with no action, so even more bills became law, YAY!
Oh, but Paul LePage does not think this is a true thing at all, no way! LePage has said he won’t enforce the laws and is expected to take the issue to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. He said that because lawmakers adjourned last month, the requirement that he must act on a bill within 10 days doesn’t apply.
Democratic leaders insist the Legislature did not adjourn, but instead “recessed” until Thursday to take up more vetoes expected from the governor and finish other work for the session. A recess would keep the 10-day deadline in place. In an opinion issued Friday, Attorney General Janet Mills sided with the Democratic view and said 19 other bills with an earlier deadline for action by the governor have become law.
You know, this is starting to sound a bit like a legislative version of that stupid story arc in Friends where Ross slept with another lady because he thought he and Rachel had “broken up,” but she said they were “on a break.” And suddenly we are worried that the Paul LePage hairdo will be the next big thing.
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http://wonkette.com/590875/gov-paul-lepage-accidentally-turning-maine-into-feminist-paradise-haha-whoops?utm_source=wysija&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=july+13
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