When the governor first introduced his budget in January, the response my colleagues and I heard from our constituents was overwhelming; for most of you the budget as proposed was deeply flawed and had to be changed. It did not reflect your priorities, or ours.

We heard you and acted on what you told us. After listening to hundreds of Mainers who came to testify, asking good questions, thinking creatively, negotiating and making smart decisions, the Appropriations Committee crafted a responsible, bipartisan budget, which they unanimously supported.

Last week, the Legislature passed this budget and, as I write this, we are awaiting action from the governor.

While this budget is not perfect, it is a responsible, bipartisan budget that is an enormous improvement over the governor’s proposal.

The governor’s budget was a $400 million tax shift onto the backs of Maine’s home owners and small businesses. It eliminated municipal revenue sharing and programs that help the elderly pay for their medicine, gutted property tax relief programs, and continued to reduce funding for education.

The bipartisan budget unanimously recommended by the Appropriations Committee restores 65 percent of municipal revenue sharing. It restores funding to programs that help our seniors pay for their medicine so they don’t have to choose between paying for food and heat or paying for needed health care.

The budget provides property tax relief. It maintains the Homestead Exemption program, and creates the Property Tax Fairness Program to automatically provide additional property tax relief to those who need it most.

Those of you who have discussed education with me know I view this as a high priority. I am particularly pleased that the bipartisan budget sent to the governor not only eliminates the cuts to education, but increases state education funding, putting us back on a track toward the long-standing goal of 55 percent state funding for our schools.

In order to make these changes, additional revenue was needed to balance the budget. Democrats and Republicans on the Appropriations committee agreed that the most responsible way to raise revenue is to temporarily increase the sales tax by half a penny, and increase the meals and lodging tax by one percent. Both of these increases will automatically end on June 30, 2015.

While this is not an ideal budget, it is a responsible, bipartisan compromise supported by more than two-thirds of the legislators in both the Senate and the House, and it will keep government running.

As enacted, this budget provides for necessary state programs and has broad bipartisan support. Voting for it was the responsible thing to do. Now it is time for the governor to join us and sign this budget.

Sen. Christopher Johnson lives in Somerville, and represents Maine Senate District 20.