AUGUSTA — The sponsor of a bill to overhaul the Maine Turnpike’s financial procedures calls the bill “a fantastic collaborative effort” involving legislative committees, Gov. Paul LePage’s administration and the turnpike itself.

Republican Rep. Richard Cebra’s bill surfaces in the wake of questions about lavish and unexplained expenses by toll road officials. The Transportation Committee held a hearing today but no vote was expected.

Additional Photos

FILE - In this Feb. 2011 file photo, traffic approaches Maine Turnpike toll booths in Gardiner, Maine. A legislative committee is suggesting cutting Maine Turnpike Authority board terms from seven years to four. The authority is under scrutiny after an audit uncovered thousands of dollars in lavish expenses and gift cards. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File) AP

A member of the Legislature's Government Oversight Committee, reviews spending records during the questioning of Paul Violette, the former executive director of the Maine Turnpike Authority, Friday, April 15, 2011, in Augusta, Maine. Violette, in background at left, invoked his constitutional right against self-incrimination and refused to answer questions about the authority's spending practices. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) AP

Cebra, of Norway, says the recommendations include transferring 5 percent of the turnpike’s revenues to the state Transportation Department. The bill requires the authority to submit detailed budgets of all spending and requires that all purchases be by competitive bid.

Augusta Republican Sen. Roger Katz, a co-sponsor, says the turnpike authority “has become a kingdom of its own” and needs more oversight.

6:30 a.m.

AUGUSTA — A legislative committee is considering a bill to overhaul turnpike financial and administrative procedures in the wake of questions about lavish and unexplained expenses by toll road officials.

The Transportation Committee holds a hearing today on a bill making several recommendations. They include transferring 5 percent of the turnpike’s revenues to the state Transportation Department and requiring the authority to submit detailed budgets of all spending. The bill also would change the Maine Turnpike Authority to a board of directors, add new rules on membership, and require that all purchases be by competitive bid.

The Government Oversight Committee voted last week to send a letter to the Transportation Committee suggesting that the board members serve four instead of seven-year terms.

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