The State of Maine has a very proud history of military service when it comes to fighting for our country and keeping us safe, so our veterans deserve our utmost respect and gratitude.

One way we can show that respect is providing them and their families with a final resting place for them, which honors their service.

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

I'm proud that we've done exemplary work to ensure that our veterans have the tools they need to live healthy and fulfilling lives here in our state.

For example, through the Maine Bureau of Veterans Services, we've 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.

Through our Veterans and Community Connection expos, we've also connected hundreds of service members and veterans and their families with resources and benefits and peer groups to enrich their lives in our great state. The Department of Labor has connected veterans and employers through our annual Hire-A-Vet campaign. And with the help of the Maine Legislature, we've kept the Maine veterans homes open in Caribou and Machias for veterans and their spouses.

We've also worked with the Legislature to provide property tax relief for veterans statewide. I'm proud of that progress, but my administration is always pushing for better services for all Maine veterans and their families, all of whom have sacrificed so much to keep us safe.

That's why this week we were pleased to announce that the Maine Bureau of Veterans Services has been awarded a significant federal grant to help provide high-quality burial services for Maine's veterans and their families. That grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will fund expansion projects at the Northern Maine Veterans Cemetery in Caribou and the Southern Maine Veterans Cemetery in Springvale, so they can provide future generations of veterans with the respect and dignity they deserve and provide their families a sacred and solemn space to honor the lives of their loved ones.

More information on Maine's Veterans Cemeteries and the eligibility requirements can be found on the Maine Bureau of Veterans Services website atwww.maine.gov/veterans.

Expressing our gratitude for the service of our veterans is important. But as President John F. Kennedy once said, "We must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

My appreciation for our veterans will always be found in the actions I take as governor to make sure they have the services, including proper burial services, that they deserve in our state.

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

WHEREAS, domestic abuse and violence is a serious injustice that affects people and families of all races, ages, genders and income levels; and

WHEREAS, Maine is fortunate to have over 400,000 people aged 60 and over who contribute skills, talent, wisdom, and experience to our great State; and

WHEREAS, National Employ Older Workers Week is an opportunity to celebrate the many invaluable contributions of older workers across the State; and

WHEREAS, the State of Maine leads by example as a Certified Age-Friendly Employer that values diverse employees based on proficiency, qualifications and contributions, free of ageism; and

WHEREAS, manufacturing in Maine plays a critical role in the lives of our citizens and the operation of our businesses, and our state has a significant interest in the continued vitality of manufacturing, educational institutions, and organizations; and

WHEREAS, communities in Maine depend on high wage, high-skilled jobs and tax bases for the continued flow of commerce to and from our state; and

WHEREAS, Maine is committed to a clean energy future and enjoys abundant forms of renewable energy that powers homes and businesses across the State; and

WHEREAS, the generation of power from renewable sources, including forms such as hydro, wood, wind, and solar, accounts for 63 percent of net electricity generation in Maine; and

WHEREAS, Maine has increased its Renewable Portfolio Standard to 80 percent by 2030 and has a goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2040; and

This week, I welcomed my friend, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to Maine to celebrate a $36 million grant from the federal government that we've been awarded through the Inflation Reduction Act. That award will help thousands of Maine people install heat pumps, save money on energy costs and cut our carbon emissions in the critical fight against climate change.

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

We took the next step in distributing that funding from the Department of Energy by announcing the availability of the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates, or HEAR Program. HEAR Rebates administered by Efficiency Maine Trust will cover between 85 and 100 percent of the cost of installing heat pumps in low-income manufactured homes and in new, affordable multifamily housing units to cover an estimated 3000 people in Maine.

This latest grant from the Biden-Harris administration builds on our efforts over these past five-and-a-half years to transition to renewable energy and to build more affordable and efficient housing in Maine. When I took office in 2019, Maine was one of the most heating oil dependent states in the country. We were sending $4 to $5 billion a year out of pocket and into the pockets of big oil and gas companies out of state. I pledged to change that in part by helping Maine people transition to heat pumps instead of costly, inefficient, harmful heating oil.

High-performance heat pumps are affordable. They're efficient, they're easy to use, and they're accessible. They work well in cold climates like ours, and they are much more efficient than window air conditioning in the summer when used for cooling.

In 2019, with the support of the legislature, I signed a bill that set a goal of installing 100,000 heat pumps by 2025. Well, in 2023, we met that goal two years early and we became a nationwide leader in the installation of heat pumps.

Expanding the use of high-efficiency heat pumps also sparked a demand for heat pump installers and distributors and sellers, and to meet that demand, the community colleges set up a curriculum to train these workers. And we made community college free for high school graduates, and we expanded apprenticeships and we boosted scholarships and student debt relief. Many clean energy jobs like heat pump installation are good-paying jobs with benefits.

In addition to expanding job training, we also funded innovative startups through our partnerships with the Roux Institute and Coastal Enterprises and Central Maine Growth Council to support clean energy jobs. And we funded new clean energy workforce training programs in adult ed and schools in Biddeford, Portland, Freeport, Augusta, Orono and Oxford Hills.

Well, Maine's clean energy economy and our clean energy workforce is the fastest growing in New England, and it has grown more than three times faster than our overall economy. Good paying jobs with benefits.

To keep the momentum going and to make sure that people across Maine, particularly those in rural Maine, can stay comfortable in their homes and save money in the process, I set a new, ambitious target of installing another 175,000 heat pumps by 2027.

Earlier this year, we were part of a $450 million regional award from the EPA that will deliver more than $70 million to Maine for heat pump adoption. We also received $10 million from the Department of Energy to support our heat pump goals and to install heat pumps specifically in mobile homes across the state of Maine. You know, about eight percent of our housing stock in Maine is mobile homes, and they're tough to heat efficiently and affordably.

On top of those grants, we've now received this $36 million award that we've used to start the new rebate program and to keep bringing down energy costs for Maine people. Well, that totals more than $115 million in new federal support for heat pump adoption and efficiency across Maine just this year from the Biden-Harris Administration.

These investments are truly going to make life better for Maine people, and I want to thank President Biden, Vice President Harris, Secretary Granholm, Senator King, and Representatives Pingree and Golden for supporting the Inflation Reduction Act, which made this grant and other rebate programs possible.

To see if you're eligible for a rebate program or other energy efficiency measures, please visit efficiency Maine's website at EfficiencyMaine.com.

This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.

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

Well, it's a glorious weekend. I hope you're all outside getting some exercise and enjoying a September in Maine.

But like all other New England states, Maine is also experiencing an active mosquito season. Even though summer is winding down, we've still got to be aware. And already this year, the Maine CDC has reported that three domestic animals in Maine have tested positive for eastern equine encephalitis or "Triple E." That's a serious mosquito borne disease.

The Maine CDC has also reported something called Jamestown Canyon and the West Nile virus, which are also mosquito-borne diseases, and that they've been found in mosquito pools and in wild birds in Maine. So it's important that we all take steps to protect ourselves and our loved ones.

The Maine CDC recommends that whenever you go outside that you wear long sleeves and long pants and spray yourself with an EPA-approved bug spray repellent.

Mosquitoes are also most active at dusk and dawn, so you ought to be extra careful when going outside at those times. Use screens on your windows and screens on your doors to keep mosquitoes out and drain and empty any artificial sources of standing water around the house like bird baths and pet water dishes and wheelbarrows, which are ideal places for mosquitoes to lay their eggs. Finally, just do everything you can to prevent mosquito bites when you're traveling.

Nobody wants to get bit by a mosquito, but these days you might get something more than just a mosquito bite. You might get a pretty serious illness.

People infected by a mosquito bite with one of these viruses may have no symptoms, but mosquito-borne illnesses can be serious and potentially fatal. One New Hampshire resident died after contracting Triple E and Massachusetts just reported its fourth case of Triple E in humans and its 10th human case of West Nile virus this summer.

If you get bitten by a mosquito and you experience flu like symptoms or a severe headache or behavioral changes or serious drowsiness, call your health care provider. Especially if you've already taken a COVID-19 test and it's negative.

And if you're worried about your pets, please talk to your veterinarian about how you can protect them from mosquito-borne diseases.

Like all Maine people, I love spending time outdoors during these beautiful, warm months, but I'll be taking a lot of steps, too, like wearing long sleeves and using bug spray to avoid mosquitoes as much as possible I certainly encourage you to do the same.

The Maine CDC will continue to closely monitor incidents of mosquito-borne illnesses in our state, and they'll keep issuing tips like these of just mentioned. To protect yourself and protect your pets through mosquito season, which will last until two hard frosts kill them this winter. We've got a ways to go. We can all do our part to spread awareness, let people know.

And I hope that you'll share these tips with friends and family. For more information, please visit the Maine CDC website at Maine.gov.

This is Governor Janet Mills. I hope you have a happy September, a happy, fair season, and hope you have a glorious weekend. Thank you for listening.

WHEREAS 1,574 Americans are still missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, as well as 7,458 from the Korean War, 126 from the Cold War, and 72,030 from World War II, though thousands from World War II are assessed as unrecoverable deep-sea losses; and

WHEREAS, the families and friends of unaccounted for Vietnam War Veterans, as well as countless fellow Veterans and other Americans, still await recovery and identification of their remains or clarity regarding their fates; and

WHEREAS, the Maine Needham was first introduced in 1872 by John Seavey, owner of the confectionary Seavey’s Sweets, which is rumored to have been located in either Auburn or Portland at the time; and

WHEREAS, named after a popular preacher of that era, George C. Needham, the Needham candy consists of a mashed potato center surrounded by coconut and chocolate; and