Like most of you, I’ve known times when I was sick at work or had a sick child and had to leave work and take care of that child, or had some other type of emergency that has called me away from work.

It’s not something anybody wants to do, we value our jobs and people have a good work ethic here in Maine and we are proud of that.

But you know unexpected circumstances are just a fact of life – and that is exactly why these emergencies should not break the bank for working men and women in Maine.

Good morning, I am Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.

So earlier this week, I signed bipartisan legislation to make Maine the first state in the nation to allow paid leave- not just sick leave- but paid leave for employees working for an employer with more than ten people.

Under this new law, businesses with more than ten employees will allow each person to earn one hour of paid leave for forty hours worked. That’s after you’ve worked there for four months. Employees have to give reasonable notice for their employers before taking leave of course.

Smaller businesses with fewer than ten employees and seasonal businesses which operate for less than six months- they’re exempt.

As a result of this new law, about 85 percent of working Maine men and women will now have access to paid leave. Meanwhile, more than 40,000 out of our state’s 50,792 businesses will not be impacted.

So we’re leaving the small businesses alone but providing paid leave to an enormous number of men and women in our workforce. This law provides economic and financial security to the vast majority of Maine working people while also appropriately balancing the legitimate needs and concerns of employers, especially small businesses.

This is important and it’s significant.

I think this forward-looking policy is good for our economy and it is good for the workforce because people of Maine are our greatest asset.

When we invest in them and when we support the people and the businesses who employ them – our economy succeeds.

I am proud to have negotiated and to have signed this bill into law along with Republican Senator Stacey Guerin and Democratic Senators Shenna Bellows and Rebecca Millett and many others on both sides of the aisle. It is a shining example I think of good governance.

It is good policy that resulted from lawmakers from both sides of the aisle negotiating and working together to find common ground – not everybody getting entirely what they want, but ultimately arriving at a product that takes meaningful steps forward for the people of Maine.

A bill that is understandable, simple in its terms, and easily implemented.

That’s how we can and should lead. It is how our state is leading the nation, and we are just getting started.

I am Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.

Campaigning across the state of Maine last year, I visited a lot of towns like Madison, and Millinocket, Old Town, Bucksport – towns that have lost paper mills over the last decade.

While some of these mills, most of them are still idle, some towns are actually finding new life and I’m pleased that, just this week, our Administration welcomed a new business to Bucksport, where one company is moving forward with a $250 million salmon farm near the site of the old mill.

Good morning. I am Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

Our heritage industries – farming, and fishing, and forestry – are adapting and diversifying with a changing economy. Our small businesses, from Kittery to Fort Kent, are innovating and engaging in exciting new work.

One business I visited was reclaiming some sunken logs out of the Penobscot County lakes, some of which had been there since the Civil War, and turning those logs into beautiful furniture you can’t find anywhere else in this country.

Hey that business is just one example of how Maine people are using their skills, and resources, and ingenuity to succeed in regions all across our state.

Well I think it is time for state government to do its part developing a diverse and sustainable economy that supports these new ideas and makes it possible for every person to live and work at a good-paying job in the state they love.

You know, ten years ago, who would have thought that Maine would be the craft brewery capital of the country? Who would have thought that Portland, Maine would become the foodie central of the northeast or that two of the 40 best restaurants in the nation are located in Biddeford.

That may not strike you as economic development – but it really is.

In every region of Maine, from salmon farms and flourishing kelp and oyster industries, to young families moving here to take over the family farm, there is economic development happening every day in our state.

But some of that economic development has been piecemeal, fragmented, a little short term.

Businesses need stability and certainty to invest here.

It is high time to develop a long-term economic development strategy that involves both private and public sectors and creates the stability that businesses need while addressing the needs of the entire state and move our economy forward.

That’s why this week I directed the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development, led by Commissioner Heather Johnson, to work with other government agencies, and business leaders and private organizations to develop a real ten-year strategic economic development plan for the state of Maine.

Over the summer, the Department will host a series of regional meetings to get the input of business and municipal leaders and members of the public, including some of you listening.

Together we will craft a ten-year plan that drives economic growth, and that addresses our workforce challenges and results in a strong, sustainable and diverse economy.

You know, I want to see real action, not just talk. I expect the economic development plan on my desk by fall so that we all can get to work with the Legislature and implement it.

It is time to expand the economic development vision and what’s happening here in Maine right now, and identify ways that we can do a better job to strengthen our economy, mobilize our state to work together and achieve those goals.

I hope that you will be a part of those efforts and that you’ll share your ideas in the months ahead so that we can create a diverse and sustainable economy and a brighter future for our state.

I am Governor Janet Mills, thank you for listening.

When Attorney General Mike Carpenter first dedicated the Maine Law Enforcement Officers Memorial to our fallen officers back in 1991, he declared “there never should be in the state of Maine another name added to it.”

With solemn grief and a renewed commitment to fulfilling that promise, we all gathered this week to add the eighty-sixth name to that memorial.

Good morning, I am Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

While the men whose names are chiseled into the law enforcement memorial departed this life in a supreme act of sacrifice, that is not the only thing they had in common.

For those individuals, every one of them, the rule of law was not some dusty book sitting on a shelf or some set of bygone beliefs enshrined on a faded plaque. 

The law to them was, as it is to us, a promise, a guiding principal governing how we treat one another and the key to preserving the precious peace, the fragile security, the enduring freedom of our communities.

The rule of law was what they lived for, what they kept in their hearts, and it was what they died for.

As District Attorney, and as Attorney General, Maine’s top law enforcement officer, I saw the bravery and kindness of these individuals first hand. They inspire me still and I think about them every day.

This past Thursday, as we added one more name to the memorial, I thought about Corporal Eugene Cole of the Somerset Sheriff’s Department. He lived in Norridgewock — a town that loved him as much as he loved them.  He lost his life protecting the people of his town.

He served in the army and was a rural patrol deputy for the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office before being promoted to Corporal. Like his brothers and sisters in law enforcement, he dedicated his career to helping Maine families and he was a constant source of support for other deputies and for members of law enforcement across the state.

On the job he was steady, kind and compassionate, known for keeping a level head even in the dark moments of the job.

Community policing was not some chapter in a law enforcement manual for Gene Cole, it was in his blood. He knew his community, and his community knew and respected him and listened to him.

Cpl. Eugene Cole was also a father of four and grandfather of nine children who called him “bampie.” He was a dedicated husband, and a guitarist and songwriter in the bands Borderline Express and “The Cole Brothers.” 

Cpl. Cole’s end of watch came on April 25, 2018, when he was shot and killed in the line of duty. 

His wife of 41 years, Sheryl Cole, asks us, “To honor Corporal Eugene Cole, follow in his footsteps. Be kind. Help your fellow man. It doesn’t matter what your job is, how big your house is, or how much you paid for your car. We are all the same race — the human race. Treat each other as such. Let this be part of his legacy,” Sheryl Cole wrote.

During a time of unimaginable grief, Sheryl has shared her husband with us in death as she did in life, as so many Maine law enforcement families do every day. 

You know, tragedy can strike everywhere. No police department and no community is immune. 

But remember we live in a state full of thoughtful and kind people, including the 86 men whose names are on the Law Enforcement Memorial stone.

Let us remember today to be kind, to stay healthy, to care for one another, on and off duty, in memory of these men, remembering also always our own humanity and theirs.

And may peace envelope all of you today and every day as we now remember the 86 officers whose lives were dedicated to the rule of law, the men whose world we share still in an unbroken compact born of sacrifice and solemnity, a commitment to be the best individuals we can be – the most protective, the most unselfish, the most civil in our common humanity and the most caring of our human community.

God bless those departed souls. And God bless all of you listening.

I am Governor Janet Mills, thank you for listening today.

Education is key to Maine’s future and the future of our families. Nothing will have a greater impact on the economic prospects of all Maine people than investing in the education of our children.

Hi, I am Governor Janet Mills, thank you for listening.

Monday marked the first day of National Teacher Appreciation Week, a time to recognize the significant contributions our teachers make to public education and to honor their commitment to the success of Maine’s students.

On behalf of all the people of Maine, I want to thank all of our teachers for dedicating their careers to providing our students the foundation for greater opportunity and life-long learning.

As the daughter of a longtime Maine public school teacher, I know firsthand how important your work is and I know the many challenges you have to overcome every day.

Your devotion builds confidence in our students and exposes them to new ideas and means of expression, inspires in them a passion for learning, and sets them on a path to a brighter and more productive future.

High-quality, committed teachers like you make sure that every child across our great state, no matter their circumstance or where they live, or whatever their zip code is, they get off to an immediate and solid start in life.

So, in classrooms from Kittery to Fort Kent, you are now building the foundation for a better, stronger Maine.

It is time for state government to treat you all with the respect and dignity you deserve and as governor I promise to honor your public service and commitment to Maine students by investing in public education and in you.

Thank you for all that you do for our children and for the State of Maine.

I hope that if you are not a teacher, you will join with me in thanking the teachers in your life – in your children’s life - every day, every week, not just today or not just this week.

I am Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.

Good morning.

In my Inaugural Address, I made a promise to the people of Maine.

I said “There is no higher priority than our children. And with so many young people at Long Creek, with children waiting for critical mental health services, and some even losing their lives to violence in their own homes, it is high time we put children’s health and safety first. I am starting with one simple step — calling together the Children’s Cabinet for the first time in years, to tackle these issues.”

This week I kept that promise and I officially reconvened the Maine Children’s Cabinet, with our new cabinet members of course, for the first time in almost a decade!

Good morning. I am Governor Janet Mills.

Governor Angus King founded the Children’s Cabinet in 1996 as a forum for government agencies to collaborate on good policy for Maine children and youth and the Legislature enacted in into Maine law in 2001.

In keeping with its lofty mission, the Children’s Cabinet was formed of the Commissioners of the Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, Labor, Public Safety, and Corrections, in addition to the Governor’s office and various staffs.

The Children’s Cabinet began its work with four measures of success in mind: one, that Maine children succeed in school, that our youth are prepared to enter the workforce, that families are living safe and healthy lives and that Maine communities are keeping children and families at the heart of all their decisions.

The last time the Cabinet met in 2010, it submitted a report summarizing its work to the transition team of the then-incoming administration.

Since its inception, the Cabinet had achieved remarkable success towards its goals.

In its report, the Cabinet also outlined areas where it had fallen short and where it hoped the next Children’s Cabinet would succeed.

In its goal of ensuring every Maine child succeeds in school, the Children’s Cabinet urged state government to focus on reducing youth drop out, recidivism and incarceration rates.

The Cabinet also recommended that future members would lead in expanding quality and accessible early child care and education. At the time, 46 percent of all Maine preschoolers were entering school not meeting school readiness standards.

That is not to mention the stark childhood poverty rates. Back in 2010, 37 towns of the top 50 with the highest poverty rates in New England were located in Maine.

So while we have made some progress, almost a decade since those challenges were issued by the former Children’s Cabinet has gone by with no focused, substantial state action to improve the life of children in Maine.

Now, one in six Maine children still lives in poverty.

Now, the number of children suffering substantiated child abuse is up 25 percent just from 2017 to 2018.

And - while all of this is alarming to me both as a mother and grandmother and your governor - I am deeply concerned about the 50 percent increase over the last five years in child and teen suicide in Maine. Those are kids ages 10 to 19.

We’ve got to act. We are recommitting our state government to making our children a top priority and we’ve set two key goals for the Children’s Cabinet to work on over the next few years.

First, creating a comprehensive early child care and early education system in Maine that targets kids before they enter school.

The goal there is to employ a two-generational strategy by addressing the needs of children and their parents. 

The Children’s Cabinet will consider how to expand quality home visiting, how to improve the quality of childcare and early childhood programs, how to align systems, including workforce opportunities across state agencies, maximize state and federal funds, and direct early funds toward children and families who need it the most.

Secondly, we are going to improve access to community based services and improve programming for vulnerable, at-risk older youth and their families, especially older youth at-risk of being involved in the juvenile justice system, or experiencing homelessness, or those in the child welfare system.

I know that our state is up to these challenges and our efforts to improve the lives of young children and youth who are struggling will pay enormous dividends for our state’s future and for these kids.

I am Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.

Maine’s natural resources are a cornerstone of our heritage and of our economy.

Protecting these precious resources is not some partisan rallying cry, it’s a responsibility that all of us share.

Good morning, I am Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.

You know the movement towards a clean environment was led in Maine by Republicans like Harry Richardson, Sherry Huber, Joe Sewall and nationally by Senator Bill Cohen, and Maine Democrats like Ted Kofman, Linda McKee, Ed Muskie and George Mitchell on the national stage.

Maine people have always led the way in the pursuit of clean air, clean water and uncontaminated soils.

So earlier this week our nation and our state celebrated Earth Day. We recommitted ourselves to that noble goal with more urgency than ever before as climate change takes its toll on our state and our country every day.

You know we do not need another study or report to tell us what we already know: that our climate is changing; that it is changing rapidly; that it will have profound implications for us and for future generations; and that there is limited time to address it.

We know this because, here in Maine, we are witnessing changes firsthand.

In the not too distant future, our children and grandchildren could live in a Maine we would not recognize.

Hey, I mean why care about ticks invading our woods and our public parks? Why care about kids with high asthma rates? Why care about lobsters off the coast moving north and diminished fisheries in cod and shellfish and herring and about rising sea levels?

Why care that Maine is the most heating oil dependent state in the country, with nearly 70 percent of homeowners relying on oil for their heating needs?

Why care that we send five billion dollars out of state every year to pay for our use of fossil fuels?

Because it is Maine and we value clean water and clean air. We value public health and the strength of our economy.

That is why my Administration is committed to serious climate change prevention and mitigation.

I know Maine can become a leader in clean energy. I have set a goal for our state to reach 80 percent of electricity consumption from renewable sources by 2030 and 100 percent by 2050.

In the past three months we have begun to make progress.

We have lifted the blanket ban on wind power.

We signed a bill to restore net metering for solar installations.

We announced new incentives for the use of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels for transportation.

We set a goal of 100,000 new heat pumps to reduce our fossil fuel consumption for heating needs.

And, next week we will officially introduce legislation to create the Maine State Climate Council.

This Council will be responsible for developing the action plan and timetable to meet the state’s emission reduction goals, to promote jobs and economic benefits for Maine people in transitioning to a lower carbon economy, and to support climate resilience in Maine’s communities.

Combating climate change and moving Maine toward a clean energy future won’t be easy.

But, to paraphrase President John F. Kennedy, we choose to take on these issues, not because they are easy, but because they are hard. Because they are necessary and because our future depends on it.

We’ll make progress, but let’s create together a forward-looking Maine that ensures we adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Let us create an economy built for every Mainer that thrives on the creation of clean energy jobs long into the future.

Let us ensure that our children and grandchildren will enjoy, as we do, Maine’s unsurpassed bounty and beauty.

That is how we truly lead.

I am Janet Mills, Governor of the great State of Maine and I thank you for listening.

Good morning, this is Janet Mills, Governor of the great State of Maine.

Hey, earlier this week, I was so proud to join a group of business people and veterans to recognize the growing number of employers who participated in Maine’s Hire-A-Vet Campaign in the last year.

Maine’s Hire-A-Vet Campaign had such ambitious goals last year, we thought they’d never fulfil them!

100 days, 100 employers, and 100 veterans hired.

Well they not only fulfilled that goal, they far surpassed it.

That contribution to expanding Maine’s workforce, and supporting businesses across the state, and improving the financial wellbeing of our veterans would have been impressive by itself, but the fact that they surpassed those goals to such an extent is nothing short of astounding.

To the 191 different employers across the state who hired more than 286 veterans, including 52 women, in every county of Maine I want to say, thank you. Thank all of you.

Thank you to those employers in every industry, every sector whose names span from A to Z and would take way too long for me to list, from Anthem and Cianbro to Woodford’s and Zajac.

I say thank you to all of them because they did not hire veterans merely out of a sense of charity or obligation.

They hired Maine veterans because they recognized what we all know to be true.

Veterans know what it means to work as a team. Veterans know that they can’t leave anyone behind.

They know how to serve with integrity and commitment to a vision and mission while adapting to dangers that are known and unknown.

Sounds like pretty good employees to me.

According to the Maine Bureau of Veteran’s Services, there are more than 114,000 veterans in Maine. We are one of three states in the nation with the highest percentage of veterans.

That includes thousands of working-age men and women who are ready to learn the skills our businesses need to expand, modernize, and succeed.

With a workforce shortage as we have today and our aging population - those are threats that are still looming over our future - Maine’s Hire-A Vet Campaign is even more critical to making the connection between an army of workers and all available, high-quality jobs.

The average hourly wage of veterans hired thanks to this Maine’s Hire-A-Vet Campaign was $23.05, which is higher than the mean hourly wage of all occupations in Maine in 2018 and which is higher than the minimum livable wage across our state.

These are not make work jobs. These jobs are at the foundation of our economy and the financial well-being of countless Maine people.

You know President F. Kennedy once said, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

It is not enough to simply say “thank you” and pat ourselves on the back for fulfilling a promise to honor our nation’s veterans.

It is time to do our duty as they have done and to ensure that every Maine veteran has the opportunity that they have earned to live, work and raise a family right here in Maine.

My administration will continue to partner with Maine’s Hire-A-Vet Campaign, and with employers big and small, with nonprofit and private organizations to make that goal a reality.

I look forward to next year’s Campaign and I thank those businesses and those veterans for their hard work and their enduring commitment to our people at large and especially to our veterans.

This is Janet Mills, Governor of the great State of Maine, and thank you for listening.

During my campaign for governor, I promised a new and better direction for our state. In these first one hundred days, I believe my administration has delivered on that promise.

Good morning, I am Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.

In the last 100 days my administration has made significant progress in ensuring that Maine people have access to affordable health care, in protecting Maine’s environment, in addressing climate change, in investing in public education, and in strengthening our economy.

Thanks to Medicaid expansion, more than 19,000 people across the state now have access to life-saving health care coverage, and the influx of millions of federal dollars will help support the financial stability of our rural hospitals.

We have protected health care coverage for Maine families by enshrining patient protections under the Affordable Care Act in state law and we have started to rebuild our public health infrastructure like hiring public health nurses to combat any potential outbreaks of disease.

We have taken serious and significant steps to address the opioid epidemic that is ravaging our communities.

More than 35,000 doses of the life-saving drug Naloxone will soon be distributed to health entities across the state, 250 recovery coaches are being recruited and trained to ensure that Maine people get the treatment they need, turning their lives around.

And we have established the Prevention and Recovery Cabinet to mobilize state government to work together to stem the tide of this deadly epidemic.

We are embracing renewable energy opportunities that will grow our economy and fight climate change.

Maine has joined the U.S. Climate Alliance and we are creating the Maine Climate Council to advance public policy to cut Maine’s carbon emissions, to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, and to address climate change before it is too late.

We are investing in our schools, in our teachers, and our students to provide the foundations for greater opportunity and life-long learning in Maine.

And, we are promoting economic development statewide by creating a long-term development strategy for the first time in decades, expanding our supports for small businesses, investing in high-speed internet, and leveraging private funding to spur innovation.

I am proud of these accomplishments and I am grateful for the work of our talented commissioners, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, and dedicated employees across state government who are helping to advance these changes.

My Administration will continue to ensure that state government will be effective and responsive to the needs of Maine people, and we will do so responsibly and within our means.

Most of all, I will continue to promote Maine – my home state - as the best place to live, work, and raise a family.

I welcome everyone back home to Maine.

I am Janet Mills, Governor of the State of Maine, and I thank you for listening.

This week, the federal government approved Maine’s State Plan Amendments to expand Medicaid, known as MaineCare, under the Affordable Care Act.

This approval marks the end of a long-overdue effort to fulfill the will of Maine voters and to help tens of thousands of people access health care.

Good morning, I am Janet Mills, governor of the State of Maine. Thank you for listening.

More than a year ago Maine voters, including many of you listening right now, voted overwhelmingly to expand Medicaid at the ballot box.

The benefits of expansion – including the injection of hundreds of millions of dollars of federal money into our state– will extend to rural hospitals, to businesses, and to our economy as a whole. And, by the way, Medicaid expansion is the law.

Maine people have waited long enough.

That is why on my first day in office I issued an Executive Order directing the Department of Health and Human Services to implement Medicaid expansion as swiftly as possible.

Since that time, we’ve already enrolled 18,129 Maine people in health care coverage under the Medicaid expansion program.

Federal approval means the federal government will finance more than $800 million in estimated costs for those who enroll under the expansion from July 2, 2018 - the effective date of expansion - through state fiscal year 2021.

Those are Maine taxpayer funds that are finally returning to our state to support affordable health care coverage.

Medicaid expansion has the power to change many Maine people’s lives for the better and, even save lives.

Now people can see a doctor, they can receive preventive care, they can afford critical prescription medications, and much more.

Now they can stay healthy, they can work, and care for and support their families.

Expanding Medicaid will also help our rural hospitals – many of whom our biggest employers in their communities – and this will help walk them off the brink of financial collapse.

You know, we’re just getting started.

In the coming months, my Administration will work with partners across the state to ensure that people who qualify can enroll and receive the health care they need.

I hope that if you or your family are struggling with medical bills in this complicated health care system, you might explore whether you qualify for Medicaid, known as MaineCare, so that you can receive the coverage you need.

You can enroll by going online, visiting MaineCare at www.maine.gov/mymaineconnection.

That’s w-w-w- dot – M-A-I-N-E- dot- gov- backslash- my- M-A-I-N-E -connection.

When my husband Stan had his medical issues and passed away four years ago, I learned an awful lot about the health care system in Maine.

Then again, we were lucky, you know we had insurance.

But dealing with copays and deductibles and the high cost of prescription drugs is a challenge for everybody, an even greater challenge of course, if you’re not fortunate enough to have health insurance.

Health care coverage should not be a luxury or a privilege reserved for well to do people.

It is a human right. And it’s part of our workforce needs, the fact that people don’t have health insurance to stay healthy and work.

My top priority as governor is to ensure affordable, accessible health care for all Mainers, and every small business, every entrepreneur, every family across the state.

Federal approval and funding for Medicaid expansion brings us one step further in reaching that goal, but I won’t rest until every eligible Maine person is able to access affordable health care.

I am Governor Janet Mills. I thank you for listening.

Fishing in Maine is at the core of our state’s economy, it contributes more than $319 million annually to our economy, including $75 million from ice fishing alone, and it supports over 3,300 jobs.

Good morning, I am Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

In the northern zone of Maine, the ice fishing season generally closes on March 31, and open water season begins April 1.

Well with northern Maine still firmly in winter’s grip, Maine Department of Inland, Fisheries and Wildlife Commissioner Judy Camuso, I thought, should be able to extend the ice fishing season in northern Maine, and allow anglers to continue fishing and help our local small businesses have a chance to continue operating.

That is why I was pleased to sign an emergency bill, LD 1298, earlier this week and it allows Commissioner Camuso the authority to extend the ice fishing season beyond the traditional closing date and it allows waters that are currently open to ice fishing in Northern Maine to remain open for several more weeks, actually until April 21st under the same rules and regulations.

Extending the ice fishing season in northern Maine not only provides anglers with more opportunities to fish, it also provides continued economic opportunity for the many businesses that anglers support.

So, while this is good news for our fishermen, you know, conditions can change rapidly this time of year, and ice that forms over flowing water, especially near streams, or bridges and culverts, can be very dangerous so be aware.

Anglers should always check the condition of the ice before heading out.

As Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby once said, “I would rather fish any day than go to heaven.”

I wish every Maine fisherman good times, tight lines, and never-ending catches.

Stay safe out there.

I am Governor Janet Mills, thank you for listening.