Governor Mills: Every dairy farm in Maine is important to our state and to our economy.
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.
Governor Mills: With resilience and resolve, let us show the world the spirit and strength of Maine people.
Twenty years ago, in the wake of an unimaginable attack on our nation, Americans from all over, of all backgrounds, all political parties, stood together, united not only in our grief, but in our firm resolve to persevere.
While terrorists that day took from us loved ones, including cherished members of our Maine community, they also revealed the unshakable strength of the American spirit.
Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.
In honor of the victims and survivors of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, I have directed that the United States and State of Maine flags be lowered to half-staff statewide Saturday, September 11th.
This weekend, we all pause in solemn remembrance of those tragically lost twenty years ago, and we pay unending gratitude to our heroic first responders who saved so many lives that day, and the many first responders who died as a result of the attacks on our mainland.
We also remember the courage and conviction that carried us through those difficult moments, and we know that it continues to live on in us all these years later.
These are difficult times too, with the dangerous Delta variant spreading across the globe and here in Maine, threatening the health and well-being of our friends, our family, and our fellow citizens.
But we have met enemies before as one people. We have put aside politics in the past to protect each other and to preserve this place we all call home. We must do that again.
As we confront this new and very different enemy twenty years after 9/11, let us remember the spirit of unity and common purpose that bound us together through those difficult times.
Let us remember what it means to put aside our differences and stand together to defeat the things that threaten our shared future.
This weekend, as we mourn and honor the victims of 9/11, as we pay tribute to the remarkable bravery we all witnessed, and as we reflect on this difficult part of our history, let us remember that through the division and rancor that often dominates the headlines, we are still one nation.
We are one people united by our collective devotion to this land and to its promise of freedom and opportunity, and, regardless of the depths of our despair, that we have the strength to rise up a stronger nation and a stronger people.
Today, I say a prayer for those we lost, and I say a prayer for our future. With resilience and resolve, let us show the world the spirit and strength of Maine people. Let us show the world what it means to be an American.
This is Governor Janet Mills. Please stay safe and thank you for listening.
Governor Mills: This Labor Day let’s reflect on the many contributions of working men and women to our state.
Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills.
Every day, working people across our state keep the state moving strong — the people who plow the roads before sunrise in winter; people who protect our public safety; the people who stock the grocery stores and those who grow the food that’s on those shelves; the people who care for our children and our most vulnerable citizens; the people who preserve our clean drinking water and clean air and so many many more unsung heroes— you are the people who make this state the best state in the nation.
This Labor Day, I want to recognize the contributions of all Maine working people to our State, especially during the challenges of this COVID-19 pandemic.
We know how difficult these times have been on hardworking Maine families, which is why we have made investments that we know you need to succeed.
This summer for instance, I signed into law a bipartisan budget that will provide nearly $300 in hazard pay for Maine people who stayed on the job during the pandemic. The budget also fully funds public education for the first time in history and it fully restores revenue sharing to the towns to help hold down your property taxes and put money back in your pocket.
I signed into law the Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan, my bill to use federal funds from the American Rescue Plan to make historic investments in Maine’s workforce. Under the Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan, we will build more affordable housing and access to child care especially in rural areas, but all to help people get back to work. The Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan also invests heavily in skills development, training, and apprenticeship programs to give people the skills they need to be fully and productively employed.
These steps build on other actions we are taking to support working people in Maine.
We enacted one of the most progressive paid leave policies in the country, and we enacted a law to examine how to expand benefits to more families, working families, in Maine.
We expanded health and safety training for Maine’s construction workforce to protect people on the job. In 2019, we successfully negotiated seven new contracts for state employees. Those included pay raises and a first-time provision for parental leave. This year, we’ve worked hard to reach fair agreements that raise pay for state employees who provide such critical services to all Maine people.
We are working directly with employees and employers to match Maine people with good-paying jobs and to support businesses who are looking to hire now. We are encouraging employers to re-evaluate their hiring procedures, their benefit packages and hybrid work options to reach and retain more staff. And we are modernizing state government so that’ll be easier for people to access services, including resources that assist people in overcoming barriers that prevent them from working full time.
Maine people have adapted throughout our history to provide for their families, to contribute to our economy, and to shape the foundation of our state, perhaps no more so than during the COVID-19 pandemic. And Maine people deserve a lot of credit.
The Mills Administration is adapting too to build a stronger economy where every working person can succeed. This Labor Day let’s reflect on the many contributions of working men and women to our state and commit to rebuilding a bright future and opportunity for all Maine families.
Thank you.
Governor Mills: A new milestone in the battle against the pandemic.
Earlier this week, we welcomed a new milestone in the battle against the pandemic: the FDA’s full approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.
In case you didn’t hear it, last Monday, the FDA granted full approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for people 16 years of age and older.
This action reinforces the robust and rigorous scientific evidence that says that this vaccine is safe and effective, and, of course, unquestionably the vaccine is far better than running the risk of getting COVID-19, especially while the more dangerous and much more transmissible Delta variant drives a surge in cases and hospitalizations around the globe. This Delta variant is threatening the lives of people right here in Maine.
As of right now, there are more than 110 people in hospitals in our state, about half of whom are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and seriously ill with this deadly virus. Nearly a quarter of the people in hospitals right now with COVID are on ventilators helping them breathe.
The Maine CDC reports that about 75 percent of the people hospitalized for COVID are unvaccinated.
Please don’t let this be you.
Getting vaccinated may save your life. It may also save the life of a family member or a friend, or the life of a child whose not yet eligible for a vaccine.
COVID-19 vaccines are available at no charge at sites all across the state. For information on getting a vaccine, just visit Maine.gov/covid19/vaccines or call the Community Vaccination Line at 1-888-445-4111.
Maine people’s adherence to the science throughout this pandemic has kept our rate of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations and deaths fairly low compared to almost all other states, and its kept our vaccination rate high too. But we can’t let up now. We can’t let down our guard. Please, I urge everyone who has not yet been vaccinated — get your shot as soon as possible.
This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.
Governor Mills: Charter Transportation and Border Businesses Can Apply Now for Grant Relief
Maine’s border businesses rely so much on tourism from Canadian neighbors to make ends meet, but with the federal government’s unfortunate decision to keep the border closed at least until August 21st, traffic from Canada has been very limited.
I keep calling on the U.S. government to safely reopen the border, but in the meantime, our border businesses need our support.
Last week, I announced a $10 million economic recovery grant program to provide direct financial relief to Maine transportation and border businesses that have been so impacted by the border closure with Canada.
Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.
My Administration is committed to providing financial relief for small businesses that incur business disruptions and added expenses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In August 2020, we launched the Maine Economic Recovery Grant Program and we provided $174 million in grants to nearly 4,000 businesses and non-profits across the State of Maine.
Then in December last year, we launched the Tourism, Hospitality & Retail Recovery Grant program and provided nearly 2,000 tourism, retail and hospitality businesses with about $53 million in additional support.
In July of this year, I signed legislation to implement the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan which includes an additional $66 million in economic recovery grants, backed entirely by federal funding allocated to Maine by the American Rescue Plan.
Last week, after drawing on the recommendations from the tourism, hospitality and retail industries, I announced our newest grant program for Maine businesses — the Charter Transportation and Border Business Assistance Grant Program.
Using $10 million in federal Cares Act funds, these grants will help sustain charter transportation businesses statewide and public facing businesses and organizations within 25 driving miles of the US-Canada border with up to $100,000 each.
Priority will be given to businesses who have not received other relief funds to date.
Businesses can apply right now for these grants on the Department of Economic and Community Development website at maine.gov/decd.
The application portal will be open until midnight September 13th. Applications will be reviewed, and final determinations made after that date. If you’re selected for a grant, a notice of grant amount will be sent via e-mail.
As with other economic recovery grants, these funds will be used to cover expenses of a variety of sorts: including rent or mortgage payments; utilities; operating expenses; expenses to replenish inventory or other re-opening costs; or the purchase of personal protective equipment, for instance. Funds are to be spent on operations that are strictly within Maine. And the grants of course are subject to audit.
My Administration is committed to supporting the sectors of our economy that have been hardest hit by the pandemic. Along with this latest grant program, we look forward to distributing additional federal funds under the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan once that takes effect in October to support the economic recovery of small businesses statewide, as well as working families, childcare agencies, broadband, and so many initiatives that will jumpstart our economy and help us recover from this pandemic.
This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.