Data analysis and visualizations by Hannah Bensen, text by Kate Cough. This project was produced in partnership with the Investigative Reporting Workshop, a nonprofit newsroom based in Washington, D.C. Every two years, Maine lawmakers spend months hashing out a budget, deciding how to disburse the money coming into state coffers. The state operates on a biennial budget, with a fiscal year that runs from July 1 to June 30 of the following year.