Polito again blocks $400M spending bill

Massachusetts Republican Rep. Karyn Polito has once again halted efforts by Democrats to pass a $400 million midyear state spending bill.

For the fourth day, the Shrewsbury lawmaker and her GOP colleagues blocked efforts to authorize hundreds of millions of dollars in new spending, bolstered by federal stimulus dollars, for the current fiscal year.

House Republicans say they want more information about spending on the Department of Correction.

House Democrats say Republicans are stalling unnecessarily. They succeeded in having the House approve the bill Thursday, but then Polito doubted the presence of a quorum. It was lacking, so action was delayed until Friday.

Gov. Deval Patrick and top Democratic lawmakers have warned that failure to pass the bill soon will force authorities to close two state prisons.

Polito is running for state treasurer.