Sun-Journal from Lewiston, Maine • 15

1 1 Bl tin Lewiston Maine ThursdayApril 9 1998 Hun Journal MAINE SMITH HOUSE FINALVOYAGE King vetoes minimum wage bill State seeks solution AUGUSTA CAP) the legislative session wound down Wednesday Gov Angus King vetoed a minimum wage hike and two other labor bills The measures targeted for rejection by the independent governor had been approved by the House and Senate but by margins less dun would be needed to override his actions As widely expected King vetoed one bill that would boost the mini-' mum wage in Maine by 25 cents over the federal level of $515 an -hour'- He also vetoed a cost-of-living adjustment in compensation benefits for workers with total or prfNal incapacity pinally Klng vetoed an act to limit mandatory overtime It takes two-thirds majorities in both chambers to override a veto and the Senate actedfirst Falling just one vote short the Senate failed 21-12 to override veto of the mandatory overtime limits The House then failed 81-60 to override the veto of the federal minimum had raised minimum wage twice Ja -the last 18 months for a total Jitf crease of more than 20 percent And Mid hllHng thw Main ipinlmum by another quarter an hour would -make Maine's minimum the fourth highest among the state below only Oregon California and Alaska It would also make Maine one of eight states with a minimum wage above the federal leveL this legislation would improve wages for a small number of Maine workers itwould have an advene effect on these same work' ers and tens of thousands of others if it discourages job King" wrote The governor asserted that nesses thinking of adding jobs or locating in Maine take into account a -variety of factors including compensation rates taxes and4 wages ''v A minimum wage that is higher than 46 other states will be seen as part of a cumulative package and would put Maine at a competitive disadvantage' he wrote compensation bilL Senate President Mark Lawrence said lawmakers were close to final adjournment and could compete their chores without a further extension The labor vetoes provided punctuation points for a sesskm that had assumed an anti-climactic air following enactment of a $285 million tax-and-spending package last week With nearly three dozen bills still moving between the House and Seiute through the afternoon law-makess experienced another day of off-and-on activity marked by occasionally dizzying parliamentary ma-neuversandmisstepa In a formal message to the Legislature King wrote that he agreed with backers of a minimum wage increase that we must do all we can do to increase the earnings of But he warned that raising the state minimum above the federal level hamper efforts to create a business climate that attracts new employers and high-wage jobs" King noted that increases in the AP PHOTO ROTHNG SHIPS: Workers aboard a barge with a crane Wednesday begin removal of the schooners Hesper and Luther little in Wiscasset SOUTH FQKIIAND(AP) State official uid Wednesday they hope to have a stabilization plan in place by end for the financially troubled Smith House an outpatient mental health fadli- ty with branches from York to Augusta The state departments of human services and mental health and retardation have their work cut out for them Community Care Systems Inc of Wellesley Mass which owns Smith House notified its administrators in Maine that within two to three weeks it will stop operating the treatment and counseling services used by morethan 1300 outpatient clients 'The state is considering different options to uep the company from closing Smith House clinics in-Portland Scarborough York and Augusta human services spokesman DavidVinslowsaid Thicker changed with logbook violation truck while fatigued said Stephen McCausiand spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety The pickup driver Aaron Henderson 37 of Kittety Point was in serious condition at Southern Maine Medical Center in Biddeford WELLS CAP) A truck driver was charged with falsifying his logbooks Wednesday after driving his cab into the rear of a pickup truck on the Maine Turnpike authorities said Nonnan St Peter 24 of Fort Kent also was charged with operating a 5 ClAW fSorTWtg double chdedSC ppet $mst'VNusuL Neva fLSASAU TLV pSBD Drive fluioy UllthouK Paying! 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