Governor LePage shifts funds to pay court-appointed lawyers

June 14, 2012

AUGUSTA, Maine: Governor Paul LePage has authorized the transfer of $913,890 to fix a budget shortfall at the Maine Commission for Indigent Legal Services. The commission, which represents Mainers who cannot afford to hire a lawyer, faced a budget shortfall due to a rise in the cost of legal services as well as a higher-than-projected number of cases. $164,800 was transferred from the state's rainy day fund and $750,000 was transferred from personnel service balances in Maine Revenue Services. Attorneys for the commission were facing the prospect of going five weeks without getting paid for legal services provided. In a statement, LePage said, "We can no longer afford to be a government that delays payments to those who provide services to Maine people...Indigent legal services are important as are our hospitals and medical providers. Paying our bills is a priority of my administration.”