AUGUSTA, Maine - First up when lawmakers return to the State House this week will be two spending bills that were unanimously approved by the Appropriations Committee.
The bills address funding for the state's county jail system and direct care workers, as well as funds for response to the opioid crisis.
Other bills which come with a cost attached will be acted on individually.
Legislative leaders say there is also broad support for borrowing proposals, the largest being a $100 million for road and bridge repairs.
Issues that have proven contentious for the parties are also expected to return. Democrats are expected to press for Medicaid expansion implementation, a measure that will likely draw resistance from Republicans. Republicans are expected to push for a slowing of the stepped increases to the state's current minimum wage law.
There's no indication of how long the special session will take, but Senate President Mike Thibodeau, R-Winterport and Democratic House Speaker Sara Gideon both told Maine Public, they're hoping to conclude successfully in two or three days.
