WHEREAS, every child deserves a permanent, loving family and the opportunity to grow in a safe, stable, and trusted environment; and

WHEREAS, adoptive parents open their hearts and families to children in need of a home, providing them with love, hope, guidance and the opportunity for a healthy and productive future; and

WHEREAS, state agencies, courts, and public and private organizations here in Maine and across the nation are dedicated to finding families for children of all ages; and

WHEREAS, started in 1988 and recognized annually on December 1st, World AIDS Day is a global event to remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS, and to honor and support those living with and affected by HIV; and

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

You know every year, on November 11^th, Maine and the nation pause to honor the dedication and sacrifice of those who have served Maine and the nation in the United States Armed Forces.

Our state has a proud legacy of military service. From the 20th Maine’s valiant defense of Little Round Top to the Maine National Guardsmen and women who will deploy around the world next year, Maine people have always stepped up to serve when our nation has called on them.

In fact, during the Civil War, our state contributed a higher proportion of citizens to the Union army than any other state in the nation. Today, Maine consistently ranks among the highest number of veterans per capita of any state in the country. Nearly 10 percent of our state’s entire population has served in the military.

As the daughter and sister of Maine veterans, I have a deep and abiding respect for those who have dedicated their lives to the safety and security of our nation, and for the families that support them.

While Veterans Day occurs only once a year, as Governor, I’m committed to ensuring that our state stands up for veterans every day. Look, our veterans stood by us, and it’s our responsibility now to stand by them.

Earlier this year, the board of the Maine Veterans’ Homes announced that they would close their Caribou and Machias locations.

I was pleased to partner with Senate President Troy Jackson and the Maine Veterans Home Board of Trustees to provide the funding necessary to keep them open. The measure received unanimous support – a testament to Maine’s unwavering support of our veterans.

As governor, I’ve reestablished the Aides-de-Camp program, which brings together veterans from all branches of the military, and the several members of my cabinet who are also veterans, to advise me on issues of importance to those who have served.

We’ve also expanded health and dental care to Maine veterans, by expanding Medicaid and by launching the Maine Veterans’ Dental Network with Northeast Delta Dental – a program that has received national recognition.

And my Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan is investing directly in efforts to solve our worker shortages by attracting new veteran families to Maine and connecting them with available jobs.

As governor, I am committed to making our state the best in the nation for veterans to live, work, retire, and care for their families.

To all Maine veterans: on behalf of the State of Maine, I thank you for your service from the bottom of my heart.

This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.

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

As your Governor, I promised you I would work hard every day to get things done. Because that’s how I’ve spent my career – working hard and fighting for the people of Maine. 

And that's what I've done. I have fought for you every day. 

We've been through some tough times together. With your help, I led Maine through a pandemic that threatened the lives and livelihoods of our people, and I am proud to say we succeeded better than nearly every state in the country. 

And we've made progress. 

Today, our unemployment rate is low, we have more jobs than we did before the pandemic, and our economic growth is 11th best in the nation. 

We have expanded lifesaving health care to more than 95,000 people. 

We fully funded our schools for the first time in Maine history and gave teachers a pay raise. 

We cut taxes for retirees, we delivered property and income tax relief, and put $850 back into your pocket to fight inflation – the strongest inflation relief measure in the country.

We are investing in our workforce and in small businesses.

We’ve balanced every budget and we’ve built up the Rainy Day Fund to a record high — all without raising taxes. 

Look, we have been through some challenging times these past few years, and I know there are challenges ahead. Global inflation is hitting us. It’s hurting Maine people. Gas prices are high, and the cost of oil is worrying many of us. We've got a workforce shortage. It’s one that I inherited, but one that I won't leave to our grandchildren to solve.

These are the challenges that are going to be my first order of business next month when the new Legislature convenes.

I promise to keep working with Republicans, Independents, and Democrats to support you — the Maine people — and to find ways to put money back into your pocket, to lower costs for you and your family, and to strengthen our economy so that your kids can live a long, happy, and healthy life right here in our state.

We've got more work to do, so let's get to it. 

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

WHEREAS, nurse practitioners (NPs) play a critical role as trusted providers of health care for patients in our state, working to expand health care access in underserved communities and promote health equity in care; and

WHEREAS, patients depend on the 1,695 licensed NPs in Maine to diagnose, manage, and treat their chronic and acute health care conditions; and

WHEREAS, election administrators and poll workers, including many with experience and many stepping up for the first time, play a critical role in ensuring the integrity of the ballot; and

WHEREAS, conducting an accessible and secure election requires collaboration between the Governor and the Secretary of State’s offices, municipal clerks across the state, and countless volunteers in every community; and

WHEREAS, 2022 marks the 85th Anniversary of the National Apprenticeship Act; and

WHEREAS, National Apprenticeship Week is celebrating its 8th anniversary of raising awareness of the vital role that Registered Apprenticeships play in providing opportunities to the people of Maine by allowing apprentices to earn while they learn, and preparing a pathway to well-paying careers and the ability to advance in those careers; and

All parents need access to reliable child care in order to go to work and kids need a place to learn and grow while the parents are working. That’s why my administration is working hard to expand affordable, high-quality child care options 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 of knowing that their child is in a safe and enriching environment.

But for years, finding child care providers with available slots has been very hard for many Maine families. That’s especially true in our rural communities. The pandemic only added to the problem.

That’s why my administration has taken decisive action to strengthen our child care sector. Earlier this week, I announced that my administration will award $5.5 million to new and existing child care providers in Maine to expand child care slots across the state.

This funding will create incentives to open new child care centers and increase the availability of infant care in particular. It will help low-income families find affordable child care. And it will provide more training for educators and staff to meet the needs of Maine children.

The latest round of funding builds on more than $100 million my administration has invested since the onset of the pandemic to expand early child care and education options for families across the state.

My Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan is investing $15 million to support brick and mortar construction of child care facilities which will create an estimated 4,700 new child care slots across the state.

And earlier this year, I enacted a bipartisan budget that provided more than $12 million to increase the pay of 7,000 early childhood educators across Maine.

That budget also provided free community college for recent high school graduates – many of whom will study early childhood education and enter the workforce during school and after graduation.

Through strategic investments, we are expanding access to early child care options and the quality of early 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.

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

Well this week, I joined graduates from Eastern Maine Community College to celebrate an important milestone in their lives and careers.

Each of them graduated with an important new set of skills — skills that Maine employers are looking for. These people worked hard and earned a credential proving that they are prepared to take on an in-demand job in our economy, a job that Maine people rely on.

Some of these individuals will be collecting blood, phlebotomists, providing support to doctors and nurses and patients. Some of them will be doing the technical work that keeps our health system running smoothly. Every day, their work will help keep Maine people healthy.

Some students will work in energy, inspecting, maintaining and operating propane delivery trucks, filling propane storage containers, and making customer deliveries. Every day, their work will help keep Maine families warm.

Some of them will work as Learning Facilitators. Now that’s a program our Department of Education created with Eastern Maine Community College during the pandemic. It’s a program that supports teachers in classrooms all across the state. Every day, their work will help provide a quality education to our children.

It takes courage to be willing to learn a new skill. Some of these individuals are young single moms. Some are older workers looking to increase their skills and increase their opportunities and their pay. Look, I am proud of each of those graduates, and I know that their friends, family, and faculty are proud of them too.

I am also proud that the State of Maine was able to help. We invested $35 million in the Maine Community College System, through my Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan as approved by the Legislature, to provide free or low-cost trainings like these that the graduates at Eastern Maine Community College have just finished. 

Combined with a $15.5 million grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation, over the next few years, the Maine Community College System will train 24,000 skilled workers, ready to work. That will go a long way toward helping us build the workforce that Maine needs in the decades ahead.

Separately, through my supplemental budget, we have also invested in free community college for recent high school grads to further build out Maine’s workforce. Earlier this week, we learned that enrollment in the community colleges in Maine is up 12 percent this year! 

I want all Maine people to be able to experience a graduation ceremony like the one I just attended – a celebration of a new skill they someone has that will provide a better life for themselves and their family. A milestone that marks a more skilled workforce and a stronger economy in the State of Maine.

In partnership with our community college system, the state legislature, and others, my Administration will continue to push to make that goal a reality. 

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

WHEREAS, workplaces across our state that are welcoming the diversity of all people, including people with disabilities, are critical to an inclusive community and a healthy economy; and

WHEREAS, people with disabilities were disproportionately affected by COVID-19, but contributed significantly as essential workers and whose talents continue to be needed as Maine moves beyond the pandemic; and