This Thanksgiving, we are grateful and thankful for so many things. We should be thankful for our freedom. Freedom is something you can neither buy nor take for granted. It’s something we can hold dear and share with others we love and even with those we may never meet. The freedom to be healthy, for instance. To work and earn a living. To have a meeting or a meal with others without fear of illness.

That precious and simple freedom is why for generations we have stood in line at the school house to get a polio shot. That freedom is why people around the globe have welcomed with open arms and shoulders the life-saving smallpox vaccine.

That’s why your friends, neighbors, coworkers and loved ones are taking fifteen minutes out of their busy lives to get a quick shot of Moderna or Pfizer or J&J or a simple booster to keep the deadly virus at bay and to protect you from that virus as well.

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

You know vaccines are saving the lives of Maine people and keeping them from getting seriously ill from COVID-19. In fact, according to the U.S. CDC, Maine has the third highest rate of fully vaccinated residents, with almost 72 percent of all Maine people fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Maine people know that they’re saving lives and their previous freedoms for themselves and for others by getting vaccinated.

Recent scientific studies have shown that the COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective at preventing infection and severe disease, of course that protection might decrease over time as well so with Maine and other New England states confronting a sustained surge, particularly with the Delta variant, and with cold weather sending people indoors, we decided to simplify the Federal government’s complicated eligibility guidelines and make getting a booster shot for you as straightforward and easy as possible.

All Maine adults age 18 and older are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 booster shot, regardless of their occupation or medical condition or place of residence.

I’ve expanded eligibility for booster shots because the Maine CDC has basically determined that, because of the sustained surge in COVID-19 cases and high numbers of hospitalizations, all Maine residents basically live or work in a high-risk setting.

So if you are 18 and over, you may now receive a booster shot in Maine if:

• You have completed the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccine series at least six months ago; OR
• You have received the single- dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago.

Expanding booster eligibility protects the health of Maine people, it limits transmission of the deadly Delta variant, and it preserves our health care system's capacity which we all know is overburdened.

At least four other states – Colorado, California, New Mexico, and Arkansas – have also made that booster available to all adults.

Whether it’s your third shot or your first, getting the vaccine can save your life, it will keep your family working and it is the only way to lift the burden off our doctors, nurses, CNAs, our nursing homes and hospitals.

I urge you to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Booster doses are available at many vaccination sites statewide. To find a site visit maine.gov/covid19/vaccines  or call the Community Vaccination Line at 1-888-445-4111.

Please get your booster to relieve the burden on our health care providers. And, if you have health care experience and want to give our health care workers a needed break, we could use your help too.

Please volunteer through Maine Responds at maineresponds.org/.

Your contribution will benefit everybody. You can save lives during this upcoming holiday season.

This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for the people of Maine, whose resiliency, determination, and generosity inspire me every day. We have had no shortage of challenges this year, but we are a state blessed with people who are smart and hardworking and who value one another.

This Thanksgiving, despite the challenges that remain, let’s remember to take stock of life’s blessings, to share in love and laughter with our families and friends safely, and to help those who are less fortunate. Let’s be grateful for the freedoms that we have and make sure that we are all free from this deadly disease.

I wish you and your loved ones a very Happy Thanksgiving holiday.

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

November 11^th always marks an important day in Maine and around the nation on our calendars – of course it’s Veterans Day.

This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.

As someone who comes from a military family, I deeply appreciate the service and sacrifice of Maine veterans and their loved ones.

That’s why I recently reinvigorated the Aides-de-Camp program. That’s a council of military veterans who advise me on policies that impact Maine veterans.

For instance I had the honor of swearing in eleven veterans representing all branches of the military service – as well as two members of my cabinet who are veterans – into the Aides-de-Camp program. These Aides-de-Camp positions offer an important line of communication between our veterans and Maine state government.

We formed the Maine Veteran’s Dental Network, in partnership with Northeast Delta Dental, participating dental clinics, and Federally Qualified Health Centers to provide dental services to Maine’s veterans who otherwise can’t afford them.

I am also encouraging all Maine employers to take advantage of the unique skills of our veterans through our “Hire a Vet” campaign.

And, I have proclaimed this week – November 7 through November 13, 2021 – as Veterans Week in Maine to recognize the service and sacrifice of all Maine veterans.

On this Veterans Day, as we do every day, we recognize the men and women who faithfully served our state and nation in the Armed Forces. Let’s join together to thank them and their families for their sacrifice, their bravery, and their devotion to our country.

Today, our state can proudly say that we are home to more than 109,000 veterans – more than 8 percent of our adult population and one of the highest number of veterans per capita of any state in the nation. 

But when you consider Maine’s long and proud history of military service, I guess that comes as no surprise.

During the Civil War for instance, more than 2.8 million people served, and more than 620,000 people gave, as President Lincoln said, “the last full measure of devotion.” Many of those men came from Maine. Our state contributed a higher proportion of citizens to the Union army than any other state in the nation.

President Lincoln also understood the toll these wars have on people and their families, and he also knew that bringing an end to war would not bring an end to our support for those who served.

“Let us strive on to finish the work we are in,” he said, “to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”

Today, we care for those who have borne the battle and honor what they fought for — so many rights which all are too fragile and too often taken for granted.

So to all Maine veterans — I thank you for your service from the bottom of my heart and on behalf of the 1.3 million people in the State of Maine, we thank you for your sacrifice and for that of your families. To all those who have served and to those who continue to serve our country: our hearts are with you Veterans Day and this Veterans Week two thousand twenty-one.

This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.

Maine is the most heating oil dependent state in the nation. Every year, we send $4 billion out of state to fossil fuel companies to heat our homes and businesses. We pay the price for this every time we go to turn up the thermostat. And our environment pays the price for it too. But it’s something we can, and will, change.

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.

So this week, I announced some initiatives from my Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan. These initiatives will weatherize homes, reduce our reliance on harmful fossil fuels, and cut energy costs for Maine’s families.

First, we are providing $25 million in federal funds to weatherize more than 3,500 low-to-moderate income households in Maine. The funds will be distributed through the Efficiency Maine Trust, the independent agency charged with improving energy efficiency all across the state.

These rebates we’re providing will allow homeowners to weatherstrip doors and windows and insulate attics and basements to keep homes warm and save money on heating costs.

Weatherization alone can save families hundreds of dollars each heating season. And it’s not too late to start for this winter. With the rise in oil and gas prices that we are seeing for reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the worldwide economy, boy weatherization could not be more important or more timely.

For more information about these weatherization rebates, please visit efficiencymaine.com.

In addition to the $25 million in federal funds for home weatherization, I’ve also created a Clean Energy Partnership backed by $5.5 million in federal funds from the Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan for expanded training and apprenticeship programs focused on the clean energy sector.

This Clean Energy Partnership will bring together all players -- state agencies, employers, labor organizations, businesses, schools, community colleges, universities, communities and others -- to expand our clean energy workforce and strengthen our economy.

While we work to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and sending all that money out of state, help is also available for many people who cannot afford heating oil this winter. Maine has nearly $70 million in federal funds available for low-income heating assistance, and I encourage all eligible people to apply, no matter what your heat source is.

To apply or get information about available heating assistance, please go to mainehousing.org.

These investments to cut energy costs for Maine families, to reduce carbon emissions, and to strengthen our clean energy workforce are all important steps to reach our goal of carbon neutrality by 2045, while cutting costs for Maine families and keeping us warm. 

In the coming weeks, you’ll be hearing more from me about the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan and all of its investments in education and training programs, workforce housing, childcare, broadband, and help for small businesses, all of which will spur our immediate economic recovery from the pandemic and support our long-term economic growth.

So please stay tuned, stay warm, and stay safe.

This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.