The early morning of September 23, 2021, Hancock County Deputy Luke Gross was struck and killed by a motor vehicle while he was investigating a call for a vehicle off the road on Route 3 in Trenton, Maine.

This week, we laid him to rest.

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

In a thousand daily acts of heroism and duty that are too often overlooked, members of Maine’s law enforcement find our lost children, protect our most vulnerable, solve heinous crimes, and inspire the very best in us. They perform good deeds routinely with no expectations of honor or thanks.

They defend our right to peace and safety in our homes, in our streets, in our businesses, in our woods and on our waters. They are dedicated public servants who protect and serve our great state.

As Attorney General and as Maine’s top law enforcement officer, I saw their bravery and kindness first hand. Now as Governor, our law enforcement community still inspire me to follow my own path of public service.

For these individuals, the rule of law is not some dusty book sitting on a shelf or bygone beliefs enshrined on a faded plaque.

The law to them is, as it is to us, a promise, a guiding principal governing how we treat one another. It’s the key to preserving our precious peace, our fragile security, and the enduring freedom of our communities across the state.

The rule of law is what our members of law enforcement serve and what they live by. It is what people like Deputy Gross lived for.

Deputy Gross ended his watch, his shift, on duty protecting our state, and his service and sacrifice will not be forgotten. On behalf of the people of Maine, I have extended our deep condolences to his family, his loved ones, and to his colleagues around the state.

This week we mourn Maine’s fallen hero. May we always remember that law enforcement officers risk their own lives every day to protect the safety of all of us.

This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.

Earlier this week, I was proud to report that the State of Maine recorded more than $40 million in surplus revenues for August 2021, exceeding expectations by almost 12 percent.

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

State government finances are in excellent shape, with Maine continuing to record surplus revenues for the second year in a row since I took office.

By making smart financial decisions, including preserving surpluses and curtailing spending, before and during this pandemic, we’ve been able to maintain critical services for Maine people, avoid the budget woes of other states, and add millions to our savings. We used last year’s surplus to deposit another $223 million into the State’s Budget Stabilization, or so-called “Rainy Day” Fund to bring that fund to a historic high of almost $500 million. A. Record. High.

The biennial budget recently approved by the Legislature which I signed into law is balanced, it does not raise taxes, and it is estimated to be approximately $456 million lower than projected General Fund revenues for Fiscal Years 2024-2025. This is quite separate from the American Rescue Plan federal funds which will go to boost broadband, child care, and immediate workforce issues separate from the General Fund budget.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Moody’s Investors Service and Standard and Poor’s Global Ratings, these big companies that analyze and issue reports of credit worthiness, they all reaffirmed Maine’s strong credit ratings and our stable outlooks. S&P praised Maine’s “active budget management” and the State’s “steady progress in strengthening its reserve profile” while noting that the State’s cash pool is “very good.” Moody’s stated that Maine has a “strong financial position with adherence to governance best practices.” The affirmation of Maine’s ratings by these important agencies came as at least 22 other states experienced downgrades of their bond ratings and their financial outlooks.

This solid budget footing has made a world of difference to our state’s economic recovery. My Administration will continue to preserve critical services — like public health, public safety, education, and health care — for all Maine people using our revenues wisely while saving for a Rainy Day, making our state even stronger in the years to come.

This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.

Last month, 14 of our dairy farms in Maine, as well as dozens of dairy farms across northern New England, got an unexpected and disappointing notice from Danone of North America saying that they were discontinuing their contracts with our organic dairy farmers in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and elsewhere.  

I took action immediately to address this situation.

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

Look I know that dairy farms are at the heart of Maine’s agricultural industry, that they provide numerous benefits to our rural communities and to our economy as a whole.

Danone’s intent to discontinue the Horizon contracts poses a great threat, not just to the 14 dairy farms in Maine and about 89 across the Northeast that’ll be directly impacted, but to family businesses, to supply chains and to the overall dairy community in our region.

The ripple effect of this corporate decision could not be more devastating.

So upon being notified about this intent not to renew the contracts, we immediately pledged our support for the impacted farms and we organized a meeting with the congressional offices and statewide agricultural providers to discuss how Maine can best support these farms, the farms that are slated to lose their contracts next year. We have a multi-organizational work group that started immediately to create a tailored response to the challenging situation and to meet the individual needs of every one of these farms.

This administration will continue to do everything we can at the state and regional level, working with other states, to mitigate these challenges. But support and leadership are also needed at the national level so, I wrote to Secretary Vilsack and I asked him to grant a three month grace period for repayment of USDA loans and targeted financial relief from the federal government for all the impacted farms.

I reiterated my calls for the federal government to finalize their proposed Origin of Livestock rule. That would help maintain important markets for Maine organic dairy farmers, and they need to adequately enforce this rule. Our dairy farmers in the Northeast have long been at a disadvantage because the certifiers in other regions are not enforcing the rule as intended. And farms in the Midwest are getting away with not really being organic, but pretending to be organic. We need an equal playing field here, a level playing field.

I also urged the USDA to address the labor shortage in milk hauling and I requested that that agency support both state and regional responses to the problem.

I also contacted Danone and asked them to make substantial monetary donations to the Northeast Dairy Innovation Center to help our farms transition, help them with business planning, and investment. And I asked them to make a substantial monetary gift to the company in Maine that will be fundraising to stand up an in-state organic dairy processing facility and to make sure that they pay our producers their premium payments in this final year of their contract. 

Every dairy farm in Maine is important to our state, organic or otherwise, and to our economy as a whole. My administration will continue working with the USDA and with every farm in Maine to support Maine’s dairy farms and to support our agricultural community through this difficult time.

This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.