A $20 million bond proposal died in the Maine House on Thursday after falling short of the votes needed to override Gov. Paul LePage’s veto.
The House voted 88 to 53 in favor of overriding the veto, below the two-thirds requirement for an override. The Senate had earlier voted 29 to 6 for an override.
Of the five bond proposals lawmakers approved earlier this month, LePage vetoed the $20 million of bonds for research and development. He said Maine should not use debt to pay operational costs and that taxpayer dollars should only go toward R&D when a specific return on the investment could be demonstrated.
LePage withheld his signature on the other four proposals, totaling about $76 million, but they will still go to voters for approval in November.
