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Governor Janet Mills and the Maine Health Access Foundation (MeHAF) announced today the award of a $750,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to improve health insurance coverage in Maine.

First sitting Governor of Maine to Speak Before UN Calls on World Leaders to Do Their Part: “Maine won’t wait.

Governor Janet T. Mills announced today that Maine Supreme Judicial Court Associate Justice Jeffrey L. Hjelm has chosen to retire from active service after 27 years in Maine’s judiciary.

Governor Janet Mills today announced that she has authorized the Town of Farmington and fire departments across the state to keep the United States and State of Maine flags at half-staff in honor of those who were critically injured and still recovering from the explosion in Farmington on Monday.

Additionally, Governor Mills has said she will issue an additional flag lowering directive upon the release of funeral arrangement details for the deceased.

In comments to NOAA on right whale rule, Mills defends Maine’s lobster industry

Governor Janet Mills announced today that her Administration has submitted comments to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) on the pending Right Whale Rule.

The Maine Climate Council, tasked with helping Maine confront climate change, is set to meet for the first time next Thursday, during Climate Action Week

The Mills Administration today announced the membership of the Maine Climate Council.

Governor Janet Mills issued the following statement in response to the Trump Administration’s attempt today to revoke the waiver that allows states to better protect public health from air pollution by setting more stringent vehicle emissions standards:

Governor Janet Mills announced today that she will allow LD 1083, "An Act To Implement Ranked-choice Voting for Presidential Primary and General Elections in Maine", to become law without her signature in January 2020. In a memo to the Legislature announcing her decision this afternoon, Governor Mills lauded Ranked-choice Voting (RCV) as giving voters greater voice and encouraging civility, but explained that after consultation with stakeholders and much deliberation she remained concerned over costs, logistics, and the lack of funding to implement the bill.

Standing in front of a suite of electric vehicles and joined by Efficiency Maine Trust and participating automobile dealers at Brunswick Landing, Governor Janet Mills announced the launch of the Electric Vehicle (EV) Accelerator Program to provide electric vehicle rebates for Maine people Friday.

During a health care forum today, Governor Janet Mills announced that Maine will pursue a State-based Health Insurance Marketplace that improves the state’s ability to fund education and outreach while using the federal HealthCare.gov website to enroll consumers in private health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

“I will continue to fight for these priorities because they are what Maine people want.”

Governor Janet Mills issued the following statement today after Republicans refused to send three critical bond proposals to expand broadband, protect the environment, and conserve land to Maine voters for their consideration:

Governor Janet Mills issued a proclamation today calling for a special legislative session to be held at 10:00 a.m. Monday, August 26, 2019 to consider transportation, infrastructure and economic development, environmental protection, and land conservation bonds.

Governor Janet Mills and DACF Commissioner Amanda Beal are calling on USDA Secretary Sonny Purdue to finalize the proposed Origin of Livestock rules to maintain important markets for Maine organic dairy farmers. Because of a lack of clarity in current regulation, some farms outside of Maine have been allowed by their organic certifier to repeatedly transition non-organic livestock into their herd at a lower cost, instead of organically raising substitute cattle after a one-time herd transition.

Governor Janet Mills released the following statement in response to an announcement by the Trump Administration today that it is pursuing avenues for the importation of certain drugs into the United States to help lower the prices of prescription drugs:

“The State of Maine has long led the fight to lower the exorbitant prices of prescription drugs, and I am proud of the progress my Administration and the Legislature has made to address this critical issue.

Governor’s letter follows her use of contingency funds to support longer-term housing needs of those in Portland’s emergency shelter

Governor Janet Mills announced today that she has asked the federal government to provide financial support to Maine municipalities and local organizations that are working to support those seeking asylum in Maine.

Governor Janet Mills announced today that the Maine Department of Health and Human Services is pursuing changes to the eligibility rules for General Assistance to ensure that the program includes people who are intended to receive assistance under the law. The change comes after several months of review by the Mills Administration of the program’s eligibility requirements and their alignment with a 2015 law. The Administration ultimately concluded that the current rules are not fully in line with the legislative intent and thus changed them.

Governor Mills issued the following statement today in response to Maine Family Planning’s announcement that it is withdrawing from the Title X Program as a result of the Trump Administration’s gag-rule:

“The Trump Administration’s gag rule is a misguided, backward effort to deny Maine people critical health care like cancer screenings and reproductive health services. Further, it is an attack rooted in ideology – not in concern for public health – and it will only result in reduced access to health care and less healthy people.

Announces she will hold onto others for continued review until next Legislative session

Governor Janet Mills has signed the following bills into law:

Governor Janet Mills announced today that she has signed the following into law:

Governor Janet Mills announced today that all State of Maine offices will be closed on Friday, July 5, 2019 in observance of Independence Day.

Governor Janet Mills announced today that she has signed the following into law:

Maine’s Office of Marijuana Policy on track to begin accepting applications for recreational marijuana licenses by the end of 2019.

Governor Janet Mills today signed into law LD 719, An Act Regarding Adult Use Marijuana. The bill, which the Legislature enacted last week, makes changes to the Marijuana Legalization Act (MLA) and approves, with changes, the provisionally adopted major substantive rules developed by the Mills Administration.

Governor Janet Mills today signed into law two pieces of legislation to help combat poverty in Maine. The package of bills – LD 1774, "An Act To Reduce Child Poverty by Leveraging Investments so Families Can Thrive" (LIFT), sponsored by Speaker Sara Gideon (D-Freeport), and LD 1772, "An Act To Secure Transitions to Economic Prosperity for Maine Families and Children" (STEP), sponsored by House Minority Leader Trey Stewart (R-Presque Isle) – seek to help families in poverty meet their basic needs and ensure economic opportunities are accessible once those families are stabilized and able to take advantage of them. The bills passed the Legislature unanimously.
Standing in front of a solar array and joined by lawmakers and renewable energy supporters, Governor Janet Mills today signed into law three major pieces of bipartisan legislation that will help usher in renewable energy in Maine, create clean energy jobs, and fight climate change.

Governor Janet Mills announced today that she has signed into law LD 1364, An Act Regarding Net Neutrality and Internet Policy, introduced by Rep. Nicole Grohoski, D-Ellsworth. The legislation restricts internet service providers from blocking, slowing down, or speeding up the delivery of online content at their discretion and follows the Federal Communication Commission’s repeal of net neutrality rules put in place by the Obama Administration.