AUGUSTA (AP) – Gov. John Baldacci said the state budget being sent to the Maine House and Senate next week stays true to the goals he outlined earlier this year, and he asked for citizens’ help in persuading legislators to pass the $6.3 billion spending package.

In a text of his weekly radio address Saturday, Baldacci says the two-year spending package offers a way to restructure the administration of K-12th grade public education, streamline state government and increase efficiency, especially in the area of human services. The Appropriations Committee completed work Thursday on a bipartisan general fund budget.

“In January, I presented my budget plan. In the five months since, I have remained steadfast in my priorities,” Baldacci said.

“The details have changed from my original plan, and there have been compromises. But we have not compromised the ideals around which my budget was built,” the governor said. The budget achieves substantial savings and property tax relief, and doesn’t raise the cigarette tax, he added.

While giving credit to fellow Democrats for committing early to a bipartisan budget and to Republicans for negotiating in good faith, Baldacci said opposition remains.

“There’s still heavy lifting to do. There are some people in the Legislature who will say only no,” said Baldacci, adding that “special interests who are determined to maintain the status quo and block the path forward are feverishly working the halls of the State House.”

Saying “we’re close to the finish line,” Baldacci asked Mainers to tell their legislators to support the proposed budget.

As the Appropriations Committee finished work on the state government funding plan last week, Senate Republicans expressed their support too. They say the budget includes elements their party’s been pushing for, such as limited state spending and no new taxes.

But Senate GOP Leader Carol Weston, of Montville, also warned that the school district consolidation proposal “may cause some Republican budget support to waver.”

“At least two-thirds of the Senate and House will have to be assured that any school consolidation plan will set the course for tax relief without placing unreasonable mandates on local communities,” said Weston. “Without that assurance, this budget may fall short.”

AP-ES-06-02-07 1256EDT