Baldacci meets with delegation, president while in Washington

By Deirdre Fulton

WASHINGTON – Governors nationwide are concerned about rising costs for health care, homeland security and education, said Gov. John E. Baldacci, in town for the National Governors Association's winter meeting.

The governor spent Saturday through Tuesday in the capital, meeting with President Bush, the president's Cabinet and members of the Maine delegation to discuss issues important to Maine. States need more flexibility and more funds to implement efforts like homeland security improvements and the assessments that the No Child Left Behind Act requires, Baldacci said in an interview Monday night.

Support for economic development is also imperative right now, the governor said, with 46 of the 50 states facing huge budget shortfalls. Some have said the president's budget doesn't do enough to help the states during their fiscal crisis. Others have said that without more federal aid, money that could be used for other initiatives is poured instead into federally mandated programs. Baldacci, a Democrat, said he felt encouraged by his talks with President Bush and the Cabinet secretaries.

"He's made an attempt to engage in debate," Baldacci said of the president. "He invited the governors to be involved in the process that's going to finally shape the [budget] package and the legislation."

Baldacci also mentioned his conversation with Rod Paige, secretary of the Department of Education, in which the two discussed implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act, which was signed into law in early 2002 and is aimed at revamping low-performing schools.

On Monday, Baldacci met with Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins and with Democrat Michael Michaud, who occupies the seat Baldacci held before becoming governor. The delegation touched on "an awful lot of issues" and laid out an agenda of priorities, he said. Democratic Rep. Tom Allen was in Maine for the weekend.

Because he is a former congressman, Baldacci already has a good working relationship with the delegation, said Felicia Knight, Collins' press secretary. "He understands what some of the difficulties are of getting things done in Washington. It gives him an understanding of what he needs to give the delegation in terms of information and so forth," she said.

At the meeting, Baldacci came forward with "a lot of issues that are important to the state of Maine and that have a federal component to them," Knight said. One issue was federal aid for Medicaid, which Collins has addressed in legislation she hopes will pass this year.

Another important bill that will affect Maine is the Transportation Equity Act, which is up for reauthorization this year and will determine the amount of money Maine gets for highways. With Michaud holding a seat on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and Snowe pushing to close an $11 million gap in highway funding in Maine, transportation was identified as a target for action, said Snowe press secretary Dave Lackey.

The delegation and the governor also discussed the closing of the Great Northern Paper Mill, where some workers are still missing health insurance and other benefits.

"The sense is that we've got to work hard to stay on top of these issues," Baldacci said. "We've laid out an agenda that's pretty encompassing in terms of Maine's needs, and now there needs to be a lot of follow ups."

Baldacci has pledged his support to help the delegation in addressing Maine's issues, and the senators and congressmen also offered to assist him in return.

Published in The Kennebec Journal and The Morning Sentinel, in Maine.