Maine’s current and its future workforce depend on accessible, affordable child care. Not only do working parents need a safe place to send their kids during the day, but research shows that successful early care and early education programs can boost academic outcomes and even high school graduation rates.

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

As you know, I am the proud grandmother of five young adults and small children here in Maine. I understand the great need for quality early child care.

To increase access to affordable childcare, my administration is investing $25 million in federal funds through my Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan, as approved by the Legislature, to help renovate, expand, and build new child care facilities and expand early childhood education programs.

Earlier this year, I visited a former call center in my hometown of Farmington, a call center that is being renovated and turned into the Sweatt-Winter Child Care and Early Childhood Education Center. Using some of the funds from my Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan, the University of Maine at Farmington is creating at least 20 slots for high-quality infant and toddler care at the new Center. That means at least twenty families living in western Maine will have reliable child care for their kids that they didn’t have before.

Ensuring our early childhood educators and child care providers have the physical space they need is certainly essential. We also have to invest in the people who provide such important care for our kids.

To attract and retain people to work in this valuable profession, last month I also signed into law a supplemental budget. A bipartisan budget that will deliver $200 monthly stipends to more than 7,000 child care workers across Maine, continuing the stipends that we began last year with federal funds.

Earlier this week, I toured the Creative Explorations Child Development Center in Windham. They used some of those federal funds to raise the wages of their staff who were working around the clock to keep children safe and to support their early development at the same time during the pandemic. And now they are continuing, filling eight-five slots for infants through five year old children with incredible, creative indoor and outdoor activities.

With our new budget and my Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan, we are expanding access to child care and we are giving working families what they need to provide healthy, safe care for their kids. Care that allows them to be productive, to go to work, bring home a paycheck, and strengthen our state’s economy.

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

WHEREAS, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 was signed by the President on November 15, 2021; and

WHEREAS, investment in Maine's infrastructure is essential to grow our state's economy, create jobs, and meet the needs of our communities and people; and

WHEREAS, a portion of the $1.2 trillion package will be allocated to Maine to fix roads and bridges, expand high-speed broadband, improve access to clean drinking water, and build a cleaner, more resilient and sustainable transportation network; and

The 130th Legislature of the State of Maine 
State House
Augusta, Maine

Dear Honorable Members of the 130th Legislature:

By the Authority conferred by Article IV, Part Third, Section 2 of the Constitution of the State of Maine, I amhereby vetoing L.D. 1338, An Act to Prohibit Employers from Retaliating Against the Use of Earned Paid Leave.

The 130th Legislature of the State of Maine 
State House
Augusta, Maine

Dear Honorable Members of the 130th Legislature:

By the Authority conferred by Article IV, Part Third, Section 2 of the Constitution of the State of Maine, I am hereby vetoing L.D. 844, An Act to Examine and Amend the Conditions of Release and Probation.

WHEREAS, the safe operation of a motorcycle requires training, use of good judgment, and thorough knowledge of traffic laws and licensing requirements; and

WHEREAS, most motorists are unaware that the majority of motorcycle crashes with another motor vehicle take place on local roads with speed limits between 35 mph and 55 mph; and

WHEREAS, forest trees cover eighty-nine percent of Maine’s land, making the state the most heavily forested in the United States; and

WHEREAS, city and town shade trees provide natural beauty, shade, and refreshing health for urban environments; and

WHEREAS, trees can reduce erosion of topsoil by wind and water, moderate the temperature, clean the air, produce oxygen, and provide habitat for wildlife; and

WHEREAS, about every two and a half minutes, a person in the United States is diagnosed with lung cancer; and

WHEREAS, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths for women and men; and

WHEREAS, Maine has the 6th highest lung cancer incidence rate in the country and an estimated 1,640 Mainers will be diagnosed with lung cancer in 2022 alone; and

WHEREAS, lung cancer screening saves lives, and advocacy and increased awareness will result in more high-risk individuals getting screened; and

WHEREAS, in 1988, the United States Congress, at the request of the National Foster Parent Association, introduced a resolution to proclaim May as National Foster Care Month in recognition of the critical contributions made by foster parents across the nation; and

WHEREAS, emergency medical services is a vital public service; and

WHEREAS, the members of emergency medical services teams are ready to provide lifesaving care to those in need 24 hours a day, seven days a week; and

WHEREAS, access to quality emergency care dramatically improves the survival and recovery rate of those who experience sudden illness or injury; 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, one in five U.S. adults - about 187,000 Mainers - lives with a mental health condition; and