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.

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.

Earlier this week, I was pleased to announce that the State of Maine has achieved another vaccination milestone: 80 percent of adults in Maine have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. That’s everybody over the age of 18.

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

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 80.2 percent of adults aged 18 and older in Maine have received a COVID-19 vaccination. We are one of only six states in the nation so far to reach this milestone.

Maine is also the third best in the nation in the percentage of people who are fully vaccinated, with more than 64 percent – including children under 12 who are not even yet eligible for a vaccine – fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

That’s third best in the nation, more than 64 percent of our entire population, fully vaccinated.

Maine also continues to make progress in vaccinating younger people, with more than 50 percent of young people ages 12 to 19 fully vaccinated.

I applaud Maine people for their willingness to roll up their sleeves and get their shot. But we’re not letting down our guard, we have not quit yet, people are still getting sick and there are many people who still haven’t gotten vaccinated.

We know that vaccinations are the best tool to protect the health of all Maine people, including children who aren’t yet eligible for the vaccine. Let’s not put them at risk. That’s unfair. It’s the best tool to protect them, and your family and your friends, and your coworkers from COVID-19 and from the more contagious and the deadly Delta variant that is spreading across Maine and across the nation right now. 

It is just crucial that we continue to make progress and keep fighting back against this pandemic. We can do it.

If you haven’t had your shot, please, talk to your doctor if you feel uncomfortable about it, about getting vaccinated and how it can protect your health and potentially save your life. If you know anybody who is not yet vaccinated, encourage them to get vaccinated.

It’s simple, it’s accessible, it doesn’t cost anything, it’s available in every community.

All three of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines have proven extremely effective. They are safe and they save lives.

COVID-19 vaccines are available at no charge at sites across the state. For information on getting a vaccine, please visit Maine.gov/covid19/vaccines or call the Community Vaccination Line at 1-888-445-4111.

Please, get your shot today. It’s critical.

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

Maine’s “Rainy Day” Fund, otherwise known as the Budget Stabilization Fund, is our state’s savings account to prepare for the possibility of an economic downturn sometime in the future.

As a result of the most recent budget I signed on July 20,^th we deposited another $223.6 million in the Rainy Day Fund. Since my first day in office two and a half years ago, my Administration has worked in bipartisan fashion with the Legislature to more than double — that’s right, more than double — the Rainy Day Fund to bring it to an historic high of nearly $500 million.

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

When I came into office, I made it a priority to continue building up the Rainy Day Fund. I’ve had experience with downturns in the economy and I know that we have to save for a rainy day. 

Boy then the coronavirus pandemic hit, and we knew the shock to our economy — and to state revenues — was likely to be serious.

So at the beginning of the pandemic, my administration worked with the Legislature to take the surplus state government had and save part of it for the emergency we knew was on the horizon. In the weeks that followed, I also instructed State government to be thrifty and we implemented a curtailment order. Those fiscally responsible decisions, plus prudent management of Departmental spending throughout the pandemic and some significant federal support, allowed us to maintain critical government services for Maine people — and rather than take away from the Rainy Day Fund, like many other states had to do, we added to ours. We needed to be prepared.

As we emerge from the pandemic, this sound fiscal management has positioned us well to continue our economic recovery and to send a strong message to bond rating agencies about our financial stability — in fact, Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s credit rating agencies have cited Maine’s governance practices and its reserves in the Budget Stabilization Fund as grounds for reaffirming Maine’s Aa2 and AA bond ratings, respectively, and for rating Maine’s debt as being stable, even during the pandemic, even while they’ve downgraded ratings of other states.

Well, I am proud of the progress my Administration and the Legislature have made together on this important front.

As we continue our economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, we’ll keep working with the Legislature to make methodical, rational deposits into the Rainy Day Fund to combat any unforeseen economic changes in the years to come.  

The pandemic has taught us how important it is to be prepared for whatever challenge Maine may face.

Downpour or drizzle, we now have a strong umbrella for the next rainy day.

This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening. 

The US CDC recently reported that more than 93,000 people died from drug overdoses nationwide last year, a staggering record reflecting the coronavirus pandemic’s toll on efforts to quell the opioid crisis and the continued spread of illegal fentanyl in the narcotic supply.

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

Here in Maine, the Attorney General’s Office disclosed that 504 people died from opioid overdose in 2020, a 33 percent increase over the year before. More than 300 of those deaths were due to fentanyl, a 30 percent increase over the year before. Sadly, those numbers have not improved to date this year.

The pandemic has been difficult in so many ways, but this increase in drug overdose deaths is another example of how it has hurt our state and our entire nation.

My heart breaks for the friends, family, and community members we have lost – people who had meaningful lives.

Our state is diminished by their loss. Our nation is diminished by these deaths.

There is no simple solution to ending substance use disorder and these overdoses, but at my third annual overdose response summit, we rededicated ourselves to preventing addiction, persevering through this opioid epidemic, and achieving our full promise as a people and a place.

To prevent early use of addictive substances by children and young people, we will increase the number of children’s behavioral health counselors, promote healthy outdoor afterschool programs, and leverage funds from the private sector and the federal government to sustain successful prevention efforts led by community members across Maine.

And to reduce the number of prescribed and illegally obtained opioids, we will use the Prescription Monitoring Program to identify and educate physicians and others who overprescribe opioids and we will strengthen law enforcement’s efforts to prosecute drug traffickers who are bringing these substances to our streets.

Just in the last few months, in several different incidents, our Department of Public Safety seized more than four pounds of fentanyl from the streets of Augusta, Bangor, Portland, Old Orchard Beach and across the state. Four pounds! When a tiny amount will kill somebody. Four pounds!

And to ensure that treatment for substance use disorder is affordable and accessible, we will work to expand medication assisted treatment and to educate people with substance use disorders on different treatment options so they can find the best program for their needs.

And to support life-long successful recovery, especially for young Mainers, we are increasing the number of recovery coaches and expanding and broadening the StrengthenME program, a coalition of community organizations and agencies providing free resiliency resources to anyone experiencing hardships caused by the pandemic.

We have a long way to go towards healing our state, but there is always hope and the hard work of Maine people which has seen us through hard times before.

We survived the last sixteen months not just by staying apart to stay safe, but by treating each other with compassion and care, connecting in different ways to those who need it most. That’s at the heart of who we are. It is also at the heart of our perseverance through this pandemic.

With one crisis waning, we now redouble our efforts to reach every person struggling with substance use disorder. We say, with one voice, your home is here. We promise to never lose hope. We are ready to help.

If anyone listening right now needs support, or knows someone who does, please call 207-221-8198, seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. You can find resources online at knowyouroptions.me.

This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.

The Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan — which is modeled on the advice of experts and is backed by a wide coalition of organizations and supported by funding from the American Rescue Plan – is likely the most transformational legislation of our lifetimes and on July 19th, I was proud to sign it into law.

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

In May I announced the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan – my administration’s proposal to invest more than $1 billion allocated to the State of Maine under the American Rescue Plan Act passed by Congress and signed by President Biden.

Our proposal focused on making historic investments in unaddressed needs and longstanding challenges to achieve three goals: immediate economic recovery from the pandemic; long-term economic growth for Maine; and infrastructure revitalization.

Our proposal will ensure that Maine is known as a safe place to live and work, a place where everyone has the benefit of a good education, a rewarding career, and good connectivity. A place of unrivaled physical beauty and natural resources, where you can raise a happy and healthy family, and live comfortably in a community that you love in the most beautiful state in the country.

I am grateful for lawmakers’ work on the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan, which has incorporated many weeks of research and drafting by my Administration, to focus on the immediate need to rebuild our economy and improve the lives of working families after the financial shock of the pandemic.

I am disappointed that, although Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature agreed on more than 95 percent of our proposal, the Legislature passed the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan along party lines, postponing the investment of millions of dollars in Maine people.

Because of the Legislature’s lack of consensus, we now have to wait ninety days, but this fall when we are able to deploy funds allocated by this plan, our state will be able to address challenges in an unprecedented way, with unprecedented tools that will hopefully contribute to unprecedented economic growth.

$20 million to expand childcare; $50 million to build more affordable housing; a total of $150 million to achieve universally available high-speed internet; $39 million to lower health costs for small businesses and their employees; $105 million to train workers to succeed in new and emerging fields; $50 million to upgrade our state parks and nearly $25 million to ensure safe drinking water; and $50 million for Maine’s farms, fishing, and forest industries — these are just a few of the investments in the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan that will help Maine people and businesses recover from the economic shock of the pandemic and help our state address longstanding structural issues that have held us back.

Despite the three month delay in these investments, I am pleased that the Legislature, both Democrats and Republicans, agreed on the vast majority of the important measures in this bill and, like them, I am pleased to see it become law.

I will instruct my Administration to take all steps necessary to immediately advance its investments when it takes effect, in accordance with the intent of the Federal American Rescue Plan bill.

Additionally, my Administration will continue to review additions and changes made by the Legislature and compare them against the guidance and regulations of the U.S. Treasury Department to determine whether the various provisions of the bill will pass muster as an allowable use and whether they otherwise comport with State and Federal law.

But all in all, this is very good news for the people of the State of Maine.

This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills.

Earlier this week, the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee of the Maine Legislature voted on legislation to implement the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan.

This plan – modeled on the advice of experts and backed by a wide coalition of organizations and funded completely by the federal government’s American Rescue Plan – is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to strengthen our economy, expand broadband, broaden childcare and workforce training and address the longstanding structural problems that have held our state back in the past.

The bill also includes funding for housing; for water infrastructure projects; for renewable energy; for economic recovery grants for small businesses; for agricultural and seafood processing; for improvements to our parks and campgrounds; and for subsidies to lower health insurance costs for businesses and their employees, among many other things.

I am grateful for lawmakers’ work on this important bill, which incorporated many weeks of research and drafting by my Administration, to focus on the immediate need to rebuild our economy and improve the lives of working families after the financial shock of the pandemic.

Well sadly, at the time of this recording, although Republicans and Democrats agreed on more than 95 percent of the bill, the committee voted along party lines, which previews a similar partisan vote on the floor of the House and Senate.

But without a strong, bipartisan vote from 2/3 of the Legislature, this important bill loses its emergency nature and, as a result, would not take effect for ninety days, postponing the investment of millions of dollars in workforce training, health insurance subsidies, child care infrastructure and other critical needs.

This delay will have a substantial and serious negative effect on Maine’s working families and businesses, and on our economic recovery. Every day that this bill is not law is one more day that we are not putting these major investments to work for Maine people.

If we allow three more months to pass simply because the Legislature couldn’t find consensus, then that could mean the difference between a business surviving or a business failing, between a parent being able to afford child care so they can go back to work or not, between expanding broadband to rural communities or not. The stakes are high. The implications are real.

The Legislature has worked long and hard this session and has accomplished historic, bipartisan measures — a budget that includes 55 percent for education funding at last, a budget that restores full revenue sharing and improves health care and rewards working people with $300 payments. They have worked too long and too hard to succumb to partisan division on what may be the most consequential bill of our lifetimes.

The work of finding common ground, of negotiating divergent and strongly held viewpoints, of giving in on some priorities to achieve others is often painstaking and fraught with difficulty and disappointment because you know, nobody wins everything, and everybody loses a little something – but when both parties are acting in good faith, that’s exactly how good governance is done.

I am asking both Democrats and Republicans to continue working, to compromise, come to the middle, and to reach consensus so that this bill may reach my desk with 2/3 support and we can put its critical investments to work for Maine people today – not three months from now. Our state, our people, and our economy depend on immediate action.

So when you’re emailing or talking with you legislator, make sure they know how important it is to get a two thirds vote on the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan as soon as possible. They’re meeting Monday.  

Hey this is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.

Every person in our state should be able to send their child to a good school, regardless of their zip code; they should be able to earn a good living and save for the future; go to the doctor or the dentist when they need to; drink clean water and breathe clean air; and live in a safe, affordable home.

Last week, joined by Republican and Democratic lawmakers, I was pleased to sign into law a balanced, bipartisan budget that charts that brighter future for all of Maine.

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

The budget I signed into law last week builds on the earlier baseline budget that I signed in March to maintain current services and provide some stability to Maine people during the pandemic.

This budget keeps our promise to Maine people to meet the State’s obligation to pay 55 percent of the cost of K-12 education for the first time in history.

Funding education will go to two places — your child’s classroom and your pocketbook — by helping hold down property taxes that pay for local education. We also increased direct tax relief for 83,000 low-income and middle-income people who were hard hit by the pandemic.

The budget also fully restores revenue sharing with municipalities to five percent, provides a $300 hazard payment to Maine workers, and replenishes the Land for Maine’s Future Program with its first new funding in more than a decade. 

The budget does not raise taxes and it sets money aside for emergencies by adding at least $60 million to the Budget Stabilization Fund, bringing the total of that fund to $328 million — an historic high. Under my Administration, the Budget Stabilization Fund has grown by more than $121 million.

The budget also funds preventative dental care for about 217,000 low-income Maine people.

It invests in Maine’s workforce training through Career and Technical Education Centers for the first time since 1997 and it provides a 3 percent baseline increase to the University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System, and Maine Maritime Academy, which has helped hold tuition flat for Maine students at the UMaine System.

The budget also funds emergency rate increases for nursing homes and wage increases for direct care workers to support those hardworking professionals who care for our loved ones and, the budget funds our efforts to protect drinking water by cleaning up the so called “forever chemicals” known as PFAS.

The budget makes these critical investments in Maine people while living within our means.

In April, you know, the nonpartisan Revenue Forecasting Committee upgraded our revenue forecast, and it now exceeds the amount of revenue that had been forecasted prior to the beginning of the pandemic. 

This budget strengthens our state, it saves for a Rainy Day, and is still $660 million lower than the Revenue Forecasting Committee projected in revenue for the next biennium.

The budget is an historic investment in the people of Maine, in our future, and in our economic recovery.

The dawn of a new, brighter day — and a better future for our people and our state — is here.

As we turn the corner on the deadly pandemic, the State of Maine – under my Administration and the bipartisan leadership of this Legislature – has delivered on its longstanding promises to the people of our state. 

And I want to personally thank Representative Sawin Millett, Senator Paul Davis, Representative Teresa Pierce, and Senator Cathy Breen for leading the Appropriations Committee through these budget negotiations.

I am proud of their achievement and I am proud of this budget.

I am optimistic about the good it will accomplish for Maine people, and I am grateful to the Legislature who worked hard and in a bipartisan way to make this budget possible.

This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.