WHEREAS, the State of Maine is committed to recognizing that our growth and strength depends on the safety and essential role our homes, buildings and infrastructure play, both in everyday life and when disasters strike; and
Hello this is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.
You know, since I took office in 2019, Maine’s Gross Domestic Product, which is a key measure of economic growth, has increased by more than 10 percent. That’s the best rate of growth in New England and 9th the best rate of growth in the nation. In fact, Maine has experienced more economic growth over the last four years than it did in the previous fifteen years.
That’s great news – but we could do better. One big thing holding us back is our shortage of appropriately skilled workers. Everywhere I go, business leaders tell me they need more people to work, and right now, there are two available jobs for every person seeking a job in Maine. And with a low unemployment rate of 2.6, it makes it harder to find people eligible and ready to work.
To tackle this challenge, we need to reward companies who make investments in training and incentivize other businesses to begin doing that. So, this week, I introduced bipartisan legislation to do just that.
Back in 2003, when unemployment was high in Maine, legislators created the Pine Tree Development Zone Program to create more jobs. Under that program, eligible businesses could reduce their state taxes for up to ten years by creating new, quality jobs in certain businesses, or by moving existing jobs to Maine.
The Pine Tree Development Zone Program will expire at the end of this year, so now is the perfect time to remodel it and meet the current needs of Maine’s economy.
So, as I said, one of the greatest difficulties is the inability to fill many of the job openings we have with skilled workers. And we also need more private sector capital investment – particularly by businesses in promising, high-growth sectors.
So, my bill tackles these challenges by replacing the Pine Tree Development Zone program with a new one called “Dirigo Business Incentive."
The Dirigo Business Incentive program has a two-pronged approach:
Under the Dirigo Business Incentive program, businesses that pay to train three or more workers in an approved training program will receive a $2,000 tax credit per worker trained. Businesses across most of Maine would receive up to a 15 percent tax credit for capital investment, or a lower 7.5 percent credit for York, Cumberland, and Sagadahoc counties.
York and Cumberland counties will be eligible for investment incentives that they are not now generally eligible for under the Pine Tree Zones program. These new credits are specifically targeted towards high-value industries – such as manufacturing, agriculture, aquaculture, logging/forestry, freight, software, and certain professional services like scientific research – so we want to expand and attract these high growth sectors in Maine, and that’s how we do it.
This Dirigo Business Incentive will take effect in 2025, replacing the Pine Tree Zones Program, as well as several other tax credit programs.
For businesses already receiving Pine Tree Zone benefits, they will be able to keep them through the eligibility period and transition into the new program.
Modernizing Maine’s economic development benefits to tie them directly to capital investment and workforce training will allow Maine businesses to invest with confidence, keep Maine competitive with other states, and improve our workforce and strengthen the economy.
I want to thank Senate President Troy Jackson and House Majority Leader Maureen Terry for sponsoring this bill. I look forward to working with the Legislature and a variety of stakeholders so we can take another important step forward in strengthening our economy and improving the lives and livelihoods of all Maine people.
This is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.
WHEREAS, Jewish Americans have resided in Maine since colonial times, and today, there are over 12,000 Jews living in our state; and
WHEREAS, Bangor was home to Maine’s first synagogue, established in 1849, as well as the largest Jewish community at the time which consisted of six families; and
WHEREAS, throughout their presence in Maine, Jews have faced antisemitism, frequently called the “world’s oldest hatred” and a scourge that still persists today; and
WHEREAS, mental health is an essential component of overall health and wellbeing, and through working together to raise public awareness and reduce stigma around seeking mental health treatment, we can improve the lives of individuals and families experiencing mental health challenges; and
WHEREAS, 50 percent of all mental health disorders begin by age 14 and 75 percent of all mental health disorders begin by the mid-20's; and
WHEREAS, Maine is fortunate to have over 388,000 people aged 60 and over who contribute skills, talent, wisdom, and experience to our great State; and
WHEREAS, the number of older adults in Maine is increasing and becoming a larger portion of the State’s population; and
WHEREAS, established in 2022, the Maine Cabinet on Aging is working to advance policies that will support Maine people in aging safely, affordably, and in ways and settings that best serve individual needs and preferences; and
WHEREAS, on April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans came together to celebrate the first Earth Day, recognizing the importance of protecting our environment and preserving our natural resources; and
WHEREAS, in the months and years that followed, the United States Congress passed the Clean Air, Clean Water, Endangered Species, and Marine Mammal Protections Acts and founded the Environmental Protection Agency; and
Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.
After declaring a national public health emergency in March of 2020, the Federal government suspended certain eligibility requirements for Medicaid health care coverage, known as MaineCare here in Maine.
This move was to ensure that people would not lose access to health care during this public health crisis.
Late last year, Congress voted to restore those basic eligibility requirements starting this month, including here in Maine. As a result, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services has begun to notify people who are enrolled in MaineCare that it is time to apply for renewal. This notification will continue through the summer of 2024, the end of the so-called “unwinding” or transition period.
If you are a MaineCare member and haven’t yet received your notice, you should check to see if your contact information is up to date. Visit MyMaineConnection.gov. That’s MyMaineConnection.gov. Or calling 1-855-797-4357. 1-855-797-4357. When it is time to renew, look out for an envelope with a blue block, which will have information and instructions inside. If you signed up for e-notices, you should also keep an eye on your email for a message.
Once you submit your renewal application, which is vital to continuing coverage if you’re eligible, the Department will determine if you are eligible for coverage.
But look, even if you are not eligible to stay on MaineCare—maybe your earnings increased, maybe you’re working and earning a salary that makes you ineligible, or maybe you’ve had a change in family status, we want you to keep working, continue working, and there’s good news. National estimates indicate that 90 percent of people who lose Medicare eligibility (MaineCare eligibility) will receive coverage through other sources. Other insurance is available, either through your employment or through CoverME.gov – Maine’s health insurance marketplace.
The Department of Health and Human Services has opened a Special Enrollment Period through CoverME.gov for people who might lose their MaineCare eligibility during the transition period. During this Special Enrollment Period, which began April 15 and will continue through July 31, 2024, anyone who has lost their MaineCare coverage can sign up for private health care plans through CoverME.gov – and you may find financial assistance or subsidy for that insurance, too.
You can browse plan options and options for financial assistance for private coverage at CoverMe.gov.
Well, you don’t have to wait for your MaineCare coverage to end to apply for other health insurance on CoverME.gov. You can visit CoverME.gov to create or log into an account, submit or review your application, and select “Recently lost MaineCare” from a list of Special Enrollment Periods. When you complete the application, CoverME.Gov will determine if you are eligible for financial assistance to lower your health care premium or lower your out-of-pocket costs.
This is all about making sure that you and your family don’t lose health insurance—health insurance which can save your life!
My Administration is committed to ensuring that Maine people can afford to go to the doctor, or the dentist, or fill their prescriptions, and get any treatment you need to stay healthy, no matter what the federal government does with MaineCare, or Medicaid.
This Special Enrollment Period is just the latest way we are ensuring Maine people keep their health care coverage as the federal public health emergency comes to an end. You can learn more about the steps we are taking at MaineCare.gov/unwinding.
This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.
Happy Earth Day, and to the schoolkids who go back to school next week, I hope you had a great school vacation.
Go Bruins and Go Celtics, too!
Parents need access to reliable child care in order to go to work and all kids need a safe place to learn and grow while their parents are working.
That’s why my Administration is working hard to expand affordable, quality early child care for Maine’s working families.
Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.
Look, good child care ensures that moms and dads across the state can go to work, earn a paycheck, and have the all-important peace of mind to know that their child is in a safe and enriching environment.
But finding child care providers with available slots has been very hard for many Maine families. That’s especially true in our rural communities.
Renee Hayward, owner of Sweet Beginnings Child Care in Ellsworth said she gets calls and emails every day from parents asking if she has an opening, but the wait list is more than two years long.
Renee said it breaks her heart seeing children with no place to go, parents not being able to balance work and child care, observing she “can't imagine the stress it's causing them."
Over the last three years, we have taken decisive action to strengthen our child care sector by expanding early childhood education opportunities and by supporting child care workers at the same time.
We saw this especially during the pandemic, and since the pandemic—a dearth of child care workers and child care slots. And we are addressing it.
When Maine received historic federal funding during the pandemic, we put more than $100 million towards expanding access to high-quality early child care. We have been busy renovating, expanding, and building new child care facilities to add almost 5,000 child care slots statewide. We’ve increased the salaries of more than 7,000 child care workers to keep experienced people on the job. As a result, Maine has maintained and built child care slots beyond pre-pandemic levels. But there’s more to do.
Just recently, my Administration received a $24 million Federal grant, and we’re using that to build on the work we have already done, expanding child care access and Pre-K access across the state.
Using these federal funds, we will expand outreach and programming for early childhood services to more families. We’ll create pilot projects to make Pre-K more accessible. And we’ll offer professional development for early childhood educators and financial support for child care providers to improve and expand their programs. We’ll also use this grant to collect and analyze data we can use to make better decisions about programs and policies to benefit Maine children and families.
Through strategic investments, we’re expanding access to early child care options and improving the quality of childhood education. That’s good for Maine children, it’s good for working parents, and it’s good for our economy.
This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening. And Happy Patriot’s Day!
WHEREAS, for over a century, Arab Americans have been making valuable contributions to virtually every aspect of American society, including medicine, law, business, education, technology, government, military service and culture; and
WHEREAS, an estimated 10,000 people with Arab ancestry live in Maine, residing in 15 of 16 Maine counties; and
WHEREAS, in May, 1948, the young State of Israel had a tiny population of 800,000 residents, and today has grown more than twelve times larger, representing a culturally diverse population and a unique social mosaic; and
WHEREAS, Israel has developed a strong, innovative, entrepreneurial economy, is at the forefront of scientific research and development, has vibrant academic institutions and stands at the forefront of the global arena; and