AUGUSTA — With the legislative session winding down, the Maine House and Senate will soon tackle one last important bit of business — passing a supplemental state budget.

Democrats say it provides funds for needed services, such as money for MaineCare, $6.5 million for nursing homes, $3 million for reproductive health care services and $39.5 million to support the childcare workforce and working families.

Estimated at $300 million — final figures will be released when the bill is printed — the budget also adds funding for public colleges and universities, a 1% cost of living increase for essential care workers and doubles the child tax credit for families earning less than $150,000.

It pays for one additional year of free tuition to community colleges for high school graduates but does not meet Gov. Janet Mills’ goal of making the program permanent. 

If it passes, it will bring the total two-year state budget to $11.6 billion.

Rep. Drew Gattine (D-Westbrook) said the budget funds essential needs, such as health care, food assistance, and childcare.

“We heard from a lot of people around the state about unmet needs, and we stepped up and tried to meet those needs with some additional spending,” he said. “It’s been a long journey since January.”

To pay for it, the Democrats are proposing to raise the cigarette tax from $2 per pack to $3.50; institute a new tax on streaming services; raise the real estate transfer tax on home sales over $1 million; increase taxes on cannabis and raise hunting and fishing license fees by $7. 

Because of those taxes and fees, Democrats will have to pass the budget over Republican objections.

“This budget is horrible,” House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor) said Tuesday. “Republicans will not be supporting it. You won’t see any Republican votes on this budget.”

State budget negotiations have been fraught all year, starting back in February with what seemed like a simple proposal — provide $118 million in emergency funding for MaineCare, the state’s Medicaid program.

The budget passed the Appropriations Committee with bipartisan support. The funds were needed to cover a gap in funding for MaineCare, which provides health insurance for about 400,000 Mainers. 

The plan was to pass the budget with two-thirds majorities in the House and Senate so the funds could go out to hospitals and nursing homes immediately.

But seven days later, the budget failed to pass when Republicans said they wanted changes to the MaineCare program and limits on general assistance. After another round of negotiations, the budget failed again in early March.

Later that month, Democrats folded the MaineCare funding into a continuing services budget that they passed over Republican objections.

From the start, Republicans have said they will not support any budgets with tax increases. On the Appropriations Committee, Republicans have rejected nearly every line item voted in to the budget that will come up for votes this week. 

“They wouldn’t come along, even on some of the really easy stuff,” Gattine said. “In a way that just meant all the work had to be done by a smaller group of people.”

Faulkingham said Tuesday that they still had not seen a printed copy of the budget and that they likely won’t even offer amendments when it hits the floor for debate.

“It’s too broken to fix,” he said. “We’re hoping enough Democrats say no to it that we can start over.”