If they are successful at getting the needed 50,000 signatures by June 28, the borrowing would immediately be put on hold - just days before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1. The vote would then most likely be on the November ballot. That budget was just approved at the end of last month by one vote in the Senate and three in the House. Only one Republican supported the package.

Democrats are calling the move "undemocratic" and poor use of the people's veto, which is designed to give citizens a chance to use the referendum process to veto laws passed by the Legislature.

"Any attempt to derail this budget -- a budget that has been approved by the Legislature -- is irresponsible,'' said Gov. Baldacci. "This is a dangerous partisan stunt, playing politics with people's lives. The referendum process is a people's veto, not a politicians' veto,'' the governor added.

The Republican legislators, including Sen. Richard Rosen of Bucksport, Sen. Peter Mills of Cornville, Sen. Karl Turner of Cumberland, Rep. Sawin Millett of Waterford and Rep. Kevin Glynn of South Portland, say they're citizens too.

"This is in defense of the (state) constitution and the right of the people to vote on this level of borrowing," said Sen. Rosen.

The petition is targeting the narrowly approved plan to float $447 million in revenue bonds to get cash to pay the state's bills. Local education will get $250 million of that and $120 million will be used to make early payments on the almost $3 billion state retirement debt - a move that saves the state millions in interest. The rest is going into the state's rainy day or budget stabilization fund, and to help pay the first year's interest and administrative costs on the bond.

While the constitution says that general obligation bonds, which pay for things like transportation improvements and Land for Maine's Future investments, have to be approved through referendum, the revenue bonds needed only majority approval in the Legislature.

"The spirit of the constitution requires that borrowing goes before the voters," Rosen said. "The intent of the citizen's veto is to provide that opportunity."

House Speaker John Richardson, D-Brunswick, said, "The majority voted for the budget" and the petition drive by a group of legislators "doesn't respect the democratic process.

"I'm optimistic that Maine people will see this for what it is: sour grapes," he said.

Sen. President Beth Edmonds, D-Freeport, said, "I'm disappointed because the people's veto is supposed to be available to citizens and this is all legislators.

"If they were to prevail," she said, "those of us who are trying to govern responsiblywould have to determine what would a balanced budget look like" without the borrowing. "It's not an insignificant amount."

Sen. Mills was a leading opponent of the borrowing plan and tried to get bipartisan support during the budget process for a proposal that would have allowed only $140 million in borrowing to help pay the retirement debt. He proposed raising the sales tax by one cent for 16 months to pay for the rest of the governor's budget. Mills' proposal also called on the Taxation Committee to come up with a plan to broaden the sales tax to pay for an income tax reduction. "There was across the aisle support for it," Mills said, but the governor "pulled the plug," by pulling people into his office and telling them to vote no.

"The goal is to put the budget back in play," Mills said, by suspending the borrowing. It does not, however, shut the government down because there is enough money coming in on a day-to-day basis to pay the bills in the short term, he said.

Edmonds said Mills' plan to raise the sales tax didn't make sense.

"People like the governor and others have been trying very hard to reduce Maine's tax burden, and you can't do that and at the same time add a penny to the sales tax," she said.