AUGUSTA – Debate is already simmering about how the state would spend its massive federal stimulus package, which is inching closer to arrival.

That debate may heat up even more once the numbers are in.

Congress’ latest agreement on the spending package allots $54 billion for state discretionary spending; though it was unclear Wednesday how much Maine would receive.

Whatever the amount, Republican leaders say paying back the millions of dollars Maine owes to its hospitals should be a priority. The state owes reimbursements for MaineCare services delivered in fiscal 2005 and 2006.

Most of the proposed stimulus spending is already earmarked for federal programs such as low-income home energy assistance, food stamps and unemployment benefits.

Other funds would be deposited to specific departments, such as the Maine Department of Transportation, to bankroll projects already planned.

Some would be available for states to spend as they choose.

Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree, D-North Haven, said it was important for the state to remain focused on why it’s getting money in the first place.

“We can’t look at this like Christmas,” Pingree said. “This is money being sent for a very serious purpose and we have to take our role in spending this money seriously.”

Gov. John Baldacci wants to avoid using the money in ways that would increase strains on the state budget in the future, said David Farmer, the governor’s deputy chief of staff.

“You don’t want to be in a situation where you invest in an ongoing program with one-time money and then find yourself in a situation where there’s great pressure to replace those funds down the road with state dollars,” Farmer said.

So far, Baldacci and Republicans are on the same page, Senate Republican Leader Kevin Raye of Perry said.

“We want to make sure (the funds) are spent quickly, that they will have an impact in stimulating the economy and putting people to work in the short-term and that they be spent on things that will have long-term benefit,” Perry said.

Pingree said achieving long-term benefits with the stimulus spending is also a Democratic priority. “There’s a real sense that we need to make decisions quickly, but thoughtfully,” she said. The state can achieve that by taking advantage of all funds available in the stimulus package, Pingree said.

She cited money for broadband Internet access expansion in rural states as an example.

“It’s really important to make sure that Maine gets some of it and that we spend it in a way that really will have a big economic benefit to rural people who are struggling for broadband access,” she said.