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Governor Janet Mills issued the following statement in response to an announcement from Sappi that it will permanently shut Paper Machine No. 9 and major components of the energy complex at the Westbrook mill:

In line with nearly every other state in the nation, Governor Mills also renews Maine’s State of Civil Emergency for another 30 days

Governor Janet Mills today issued an Executive Order requiring large retail businesses, restaurants, outdoor bars, tasting rooms, and lodging establishments in Maine’s more populous cities and coastal counties to enforce the State’s face covering requirement.

The Mills Administration announced today that it is exempting visitors from the States of Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey from the 14-day quarantine requirement or negative COVID-19 testing alternative, effective this Friday, July 3, 2020.

Governor Janet Mills announced today that she has appointed Reverend Kenneth I. Lewis, Jr., Senior Pastor at Green Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Portland, and Isaiah Reid of Kingfield, a student at University of Maine at Farmington, as her representatives to the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous and Maine Tribal Populations. The announcement follows the Governor’s decision to dedicate $50,000 in funding from the Governor’s Contingent Account to support the work of the Commission.

Governor Janet Mills today applauded the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June Medical Services v. Russostriking down Louisiana’s restrictions on abortion services:

“This is a welcome decision for women not only in Louisiana but for women acrossthe country who have fought to protect their rights in the face of relentless attacks by politicians. In Maine, my Administration will work to ensure that every person can access affordable, high-quality health care, including safe reproductive services, no matter their income, their zip code, or the color of their skin.”

Grants support Maine towns as they undertake critical work to protect Maine people and visitors from COVID-19

Standing up for Maine’s vital lobster industry and its hardworking men and women, Governor Janet Mills today urged U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to deny a petition by Pew Charitable Trusts that would prohibit the use of vertical lines in the American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries in four areas of the New England coast.

Governor Janet Mills issued the following statement on the President’s Memorandum on the United States Lobster Industry:

Governor Janet Mills announced today that she will dedicate $50,000 in funding from the Governor’s Contingent Account to support the work of the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous and Maine Tribal Populations. The Governor has said that she hopes the Commission will help us more fully understand racial disparities in Maine and how we might begin to address them.

$35 million will support the 25 percent required match for COVID-related expenses incurred by eligible organizations in Maine.

The Mills Administration announced today that it is dedicating $35 million of Maine’s $1.25 billion in Coronavirus Relief Funding (CRF) provided through the CARES Act to help local and tribal governments and other qualified entities cover costs incurred as a result of COVID-19.

The Mills Administration today posted additional COVID-19 Prevention Checklists for businesses and activities to voluntarily resume on July 1 as part of Stage 3 of the Administration’s Restarting Maine’s Economy Plan . The checklists, written in close collaboration with industry leaders and public health experts, outline health and safety protocols for businesses and activities to comply with in order to resume safely. The checklists posted today include:

While outdoor seated bar service is still permitted, indoor bar service presents a higher risk of COVID-19 transmission and is linked to outbreaks in several other states

The Mills Administration announced today that it is postponing the reopening of indoor service at bars to protect public health given the higher risk of COVID-19 transmission in such settings.

The Federal government earmarked billions to support agricultural producers impacted by the pandemic

On Friday, Governor Mills called for the USDA to designate maple syrup as an eligible Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) specialty crop. Doing so will create the pathway for Maine's maple producers to receive needed CFAP payments. Maple is currently ineligible for CFAP, and the industry is suffering due to a variety of factors due to COVID-19, including price drops, annual event cancellations, and restaurant closures.

Governor Janet Mills issued the following statement on Juneteenth:

Governor Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron M. Frey issued the following statements applauding today’s ruling by the United States Supreme Court (PDF) rebuffing the Trump Administration’s attempt to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Governor Janet Mills today mourned the passing of John Richardson, former Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives and Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development. 

Governor Janet Mills today honored the life of Molly Neptune Parker, a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage fellow and former lieutenant governor at Indian Township.

The Mills Administration today released detailed guidance for Maine local governing bodies to hold gatherings, such as annual town meetings, school budget meetings, and elections, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The guidance, which takes the form of a COVID-19 Prevention Checklist, was developed in close collaboration with public health officials, the Department of the Secretary of State, the Maine Municipal Association and other relevant associations and individuals.  

More than 500 essential workers and 1,600 providers receive financial relief, additional grants to be issued through mid-July

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced today that 525 essential workers have received financial help for child care and more than 1,600 child care providers have received stipends as part of the award of nearly $11 million in federal CARES Act funding to Maine. Additional grants will be awarded to child care providers through mid-July.

The Mills Administration announced today that it has accelerated the first day that lodging establishments in Maine can begin serving out-of-state visitors who meet either the 14-day quarantine requirement or the State’s new testing alternative. Lodging establishments may now begin serving these individuals on Friday, June 26 rather than Wednesday, July 1 (Stage 3). Accelerating the start date will help lodging establishments safely serve visitors during a key weekend of Maine’s tourism season  leading up to the July 4th holiday. 

Governor Janet Mills issued the following statement today on the hospitality and tourism industry’s proposed economic recovery plan:

As the State continues to respond to COVID-19, Governor Janet Mills today extended the State of Civil Emergency for thirty days through July 10, 2020.

Building on expanding capacity, the plan provides testing option as an alternative to Maine’s 14-day quarantine 

Plan furthers IDEXX partnership to quadruple testing capacity in July, advances swab-and-send site development, and makes testing available to more people in Maine

The Mills Administration announced today that it will quadruple COVID-19 testing capacity at the State lab, develop testing sites throughout Maine, and allow more people in Maine with elevated risk of exposure to get tested for the virus. This dramatically expanded testing capacity, which will come online in July, is critical to protecting the health of Maine people as well as visitors this summer.