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.

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.

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.