WHEREAS, Civil Air Patrol (CAP) was founded on December 1, 1941 to mobilize the nation’s civilian aviation resources and today it is the official civilian auxiliary and Total Force Partner of the United States Air Force; and

WHEREAS, CAP’s three primary missions of Aerospace Education, Cadet Programs and Emergency Services are accomplished by volunteers serving America’s communities, saving lives and shaping futures; and

WHEREAS, Maine-grown Christmas trees stand as a timeless, naturally grown decoration, and the Maine Christmas Tree Association, which cultivates seasonal cheer for Christmas and Solstice by producing authentic Christmas trees and wreath products, stands as the foremost resource for all things related to Christmas trees in the beautiful State of Maine; and

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

You know, next week marks the Thanksgiving holiday, and like many Maine people, I'm very much looking forward to sharing time with my family, my brothers and sister, my grandchildren, and to pausing at the end of a very busy year to just reflect on things for which I am grateful.

I'm grateful that our state is blessed with people who love and care for one another. People who extend a helping hand when neighbors need it most, the people who have been donating to their local food banks, checking in on their neighbors, and supporting their communities during the recent and unnecessary federal shutdown.

As one Lewiston business owner said, "It's really great that the community as a whole is pitching in to help ease the burden on families."

When challenges arise, Maine people do stand up -- in every season. That's no surprise, but it's something I am tremendously proud of. I've seen that incredible spirit of giving up close during my time as governor -- during the pandemic, and following the tragedy in Lewiston, and in the wake of some of the worst storms we've ever seen. We're known for our independence here in Maine, but we also know that we can rely on each other and that we should rely on each other in times of need.

This holiday season will be a time of joy for many people, but it's important for us to remember that some people may be struggling this time of year. Some of our active duty servicemen and women, for instance, will be unable to come home for the holidays. Some folks are mourning the loss of a loved one who will be missing from the table this year. Some people may be having a hard time making ends meet, and some may not have close friends or family to celebrate with, or some may be feeling alone, even in the company of others.

So, as we begin this holiday season, let's hold our family and friends, loved ones and neighbors close. And let's be grateful for the kindness, the compassion and strength of the people of this state.

And if you need food this holiday season, my administration has put up a new food access map where you can find local food pantries and other free food services. You can find that food map at maine.gov/dacf. That's maine.gov/dacf.

So, this Thanksgiving, let's take time to appreciate life's blessings. And let's welcome others to our tables, large and small, and to our homes, wherever they may be, and into our hearts with generosity and grace. I'll be welcoming grandchildren, and family, and friends to my house, and I'll be looking forward to hugging them with all my heart.

I wish all Maine people and their loved ones a very Happy Thanksgiving holiday.

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

WHEREAS, started in 1988 and recognized annually on December 1st, World AIDS Day is a global event to remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS, and to honor and support those living with and affected by HIV; and

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

Last year, Maine saw our largest decrease in drug overdose deaths since 2018. This year, we're continuing to make progress.

From January through September of this year, fatal overdoses declined by more than 23 percent. Well, that's a difference of 87 people, and it looks like the trend will continue.

That's all welcome news. But of course we can't be complacent. Every overdose death is a tragic and preventable loss. So my administration is doing what we can in a responsible manner to stop deadly drugs from reaching Maine in the first place, to prevent addiction, to treat it when we can't prevent it, and to set people on a lifelong path to recovery.

Above all else, we're just working to save lives.

Since I've taken office, the state has distributed more than 760,000 doses of the life-saving medication naloxone. The Office of Attorney General has also distributed 23,000 doses of naloxone, and nearly 12,000 potentially fatal overdoses in Maine have been reversed with that medication.

Simply reversing an overdose, however, is not enough to get somebody back on their feet. It's important to create more places where people can get help to stop using drugs, to be productive, and to reach their full potential. So I've directed my administration to support and to conduct prevention programs in communities across Maine.

For example, in 2024, we sent coaches to five schools in Hancock and Washington counties to lead something we call "Recovery Coaching for Youth." These coaches train young people to recognize the dangers of substance use, to realize how many great things you can do that don't involve drugs or alcohol, and how to manage their own relationships with family members or friends who have substance use disorders. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

In 2022, we established the Cumberland County Crisis Receiving Center -- walk-in services for anyone suffering a mental health or substance use crisis. Since that center opened, more than 2,868 people have gotten services there. Soon, we'll be establishing two more centers in Androscoggin and Penobscot counties as well.

We've added residential treatment beds since I've taken office, and we've invested heavily in recovery residences, and community centers, and recovery coaches.

Through our OPTIONS program, we've also placed 32 behavioral health liaisons and 7 recovery coaches in counties across Maine. These people connect people with substance use disorder to different treatment options so they can find the best program for them.

My administration is committed to supporting people as they start, stumble, or resume their recovery -- and responding to the dangerous use of methamphetamines and xylazine for which there is no overdose medication.

I want to do everything we can to keep people from starting down the path of addiction in the first place, but fundamentally, what we need is leadership. Leadership in every community across the state. Leadership from every family. From every young person who's offered a pill to cure pain, everyone who is offered a drug to fix anxiety, or drug to get high, or a drug they think will make them more popular or more accepted.

The leadership and the character to say, you know, "I'm better than that" and "my life is more valuable than that." And the leadership from all of us to tell that person that they are loved, that they are valued, and that their lives are indeed far better than that, and we do value them.

That's how we build a better future with strong communities and a state that offers opportunity -- a state that offers courage, perseverance and compassion.

This is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

It was the summer of 1775, and British war vessels, including the four-gun Margaretta, were sailing into Machias Bay. Some three dozen Maine militiamen commandeered a merchant vessel and overtook the Margaretta with the only weapons they had — axes and pitchforks from their farms. The story goes that when they heard what was happening, a couple of young women brought bags of spoons, cups, and plates that the militia then melted down for ammunition. After a few days, what some call the first naval battle of the Revolutionary War was won by a few brave souls from Maine.

Well, I wonder what those men and women thought when just months later, the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution creating the Continental Navy. This year, as we celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the Navy, as well as the Army and the Marine Corps, I think about the brave people who have defended our nation's freedom for two and a half centuries.

Our state can proudly say that we're home to one of the highest number of veterans per capita of any state in the country. When you consider Maine's proud history of military service, that should come as no surprise. From the Revolutionary War and the Civil War to World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, Maine people have always defended our nation and its ideals, and our state has always shouldered its responsibility to serve.

That proud history of military service is also at the heart of my own family. My father served in the Pacific during World War II and survived the biggest battle in naval history, the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Two of my uncles also served in the Pacific in World War II, and my brother served several tours of duty in Vietnam. And so, as the daughter, niece, and sister of veterans, I pray for the safe return of all Maine people who are deployed overseas right now. And as the Commander-in-Chief of Maine's Armed Forces, I want to do everything I can to protect those service members and their families.

Through the Maine Bureau of Veterans Services, we have reestablished the Aides-de-Camp Veterans Advisory Program. We've provided free dental care for veterans in need. We've created the Governor's Challenge to coordinate behavioral health services and prevent suicides by veterans. And we've expanded our homeless veteran coordination team.

We also laid to rest 998 veterans and spouses across Maine's Veterans Memorial Cemetery System last year alone, and we helped veterans file more than 2,500 claims for health care and disability benefits, and we approved more than $13 million dollars in education benefits so veterans could go on to college and university here in Maine.

We've connected hundreds of service members and veterans and their families with resources and benefits, and we've connected veterans to jobs through our annual Hire-A-Vet campaign. With the help of the legislature, we've also kept the Maine Veterans homes open in Caribou and Machias for veterans and their spouses.

At the birth of our nation, brave souls armed with some melted silverware and pitchforks took on the British in Machias Bay to protect the rights and freedoms we now hold most dear. And for more than two-and-a-half centuries, Maine people have defended our state and our nation just as they serve today in deployments around the world.

This Veterans Day, we honor every person who has worn the uniform in defense of our state and nation, and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts.

This is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, was created by Congress as a bipartisan enactment in the 1960s. Now it has become our country's most important food assistance and nutrition program. Each month, some $29 million in federal funds for SNAP are provided to 170,000 people here in Maine. Nearly 75 percent of Maine's SNAP households include at least one working adult, and more than half include a person with a disability. About 43 percent of the households include an older adult, and over a third include children -- or about 52,000 children.

With the growing cost of heating, fuel, electricity, groceries, housing, many families in Maine are already struggling to get by. Then earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture informed states that they would not be distributing SNAP benefits in November due to the federal government shutdown. The USDA then said it can't use about $5 billion dollars in emergency funds that Congress already dedicated to SNAP for difficult times exactly like this one -- the same funds they've used in previous shutdowns.

Well, this is a cruel and callous decision that is bound to hurt Maine families, children, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities. The USDA can and should distribute those emergency funds, and I applaud Attorney General Aaron Frey for joining the multi-state lawsuit to compel them to do so and avoid disastrous harm to Maine people.

This week, I also signed a letter with 20 of my fellow governors to urge the president to authorize the release of the USDA contingency funds before 42 million Americans who rely on SNAP end up going hungry. I'll continue to call on President Trump and the Republicans in Congress to end this unnecessary shutdown, because it's creating uncertainty every day for families across our state and families across the country.

I mean, how can they be more focused on building a $300 million gilded ballroom than feeding millions of hungry kids?

How can they be more focused on scoring political points than providing meals for our seniors?

How can they refuse to take responsibility for providing the most basic government services that people rely on -- heat, health care, food in an emergency?

I'm grateful to Maine people for standing up to help friends and neighbors in this difficult time. Like the dozens of restaurants who announced that they'll provide discounts and free meals to SNAP recipients in need. One business owner in Auburn said, "We're here to provide help. If you come in and need help, you don't need to go through any scrutiny or judgment. Just come in and ask for lunch."

When the federal government fails, Maine will not. When challenges arise, Maine people step up.

This week, I announced that I'll be delivering $1.25 million, including $1 million from my small contingency account and $250,000 generously donated from the John T. Gorman Foundation, to the Good Shepherd Food Bank and to the Area Agencies on Aging, so we can increase food supplies at the food banks and maintain Meals on Wheels and community meals during the shutdown.

We're also adding $10,000 to the Hunters for the Hungry program, which pays the processing costs for hunters who donate bear, deer, and moose meat to food pantries. If you're a hunter and you're interested in helping, email H4H@maine.gov. That's H4H@Maine.gov.

SNAP keeps millions of people from going hungry. The federal government must end this shutdown. But short of that, the USDA must immediately release the contingency funds that Congress provided to SNAP especially for emergencies like this one.

Look, the states are doing all we can to support our people and people who are harmed by this needless federal shutdown. But we shouldn't be in this position. Meanwhile, I encourage you to contact your local food bank, make a donation, and check on your neighbors as well. Let's support each other and support our communities during these hard times.

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

WHEREAS, nurse practitioners (NPs) play a critical role as trusted providers of health care for patients in our state, working to expand health care access in underserved communities and promote health equity in care; and

WHEREAS, patients depend on the 3,170 licensed NPs in Maine to diagnose, manage, and treat their chronic and acute health care conditions; and

WHEREAS, originally known as Armistice Day in recognition of the end of World War I on November 11th, 1918, the day was officially changed to Veterans Day in 1954 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower; and

WHEREAS, every November, people from across the nation gather to honor and salute veterans who have served our country throughout the years with dedication, patriotism, and courage; and

WHEREAS, 2025 marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States Army, Navy, and Marine Corps, institutions that have defended our nation's freedom and upheld our country's values for two and a half centuries; and

WHEREAS, the State of Maine has a proud and storied history of military service and one of the highest percentages of veterans in the country, consisting of men and women who share a deep bond built on service and dedication to the United States; and