Small businesses across our state — the neighborhood corner store, the bed and breakfasts, the bookstore, the local hardware store — they have all faced unprecedented challenges during this pandemic, ranging from the heartbreak of temporarily closing their doors to the herculean task of reopening in new and very different ways.

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

To offer some small lifeline to try to keep afloat these small businesses that are at the core of our economy, we have created the Maine Economic Recovery Grant Program.

This program, backed by $200 million in Federal CARES Act money, provides some financial relief for businesses and non-profits that have incurred business disruptions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

2,329 awards are going out this week. They include 2,072 to small businesses and 257 to non-profits. We’re putting out a total of $105 million dollars to these small businesses this week and the grants average just over $45,000 apiece going out to recipients all across the state. For obvious reasons, the hospitality sector, particularly lodging and accommodations, represent the largest percentage of recipients, drawing down 35 percent of these awards.

These grants all went to businesses with 50 or fewer employees.

So with this first round of awards going out as we speak, now Phase 2 of the Economic Recovery Grant Program can begin.

In Phase 2, businesses and non-profits that employ up to 250 people will be eligible for grants. Licensed childcare and behavioral health organizations will also be eligible, along with businesses that are less than one year old. The application portal for Phase Two of the Economic Recovery Grant Program is open now until October 29th.

Organizations interested in applying for this program can go to the Department of Economic and Community Development’s website at maine.gov/decd/economic-recovery-grants. The website also includes information and answers to frequently asked questions. 

Small businesses across Maine – like the corner store, the bookstore, the bed and breakfast and the hardware store – they’ve all faced these unprecedented challenges. Many have risen to the task, but with the global economy still reeling from this virus, and the virus still spreading in states on our doorstep, and with people still wary of how and where to eat and shop, it is crucial that we provide whatever help we can to get businesses through this period.

My Administration will do all we can to support Maine’s small businesses through these terribly difficult times.

We know grants cannot wholly replace or repair the economic damage the pandemic has caused, but our mission is to ensure that every dollar has at least a small, direct positive impact on these businesses and on Maine’s economy. 

I encourage all eligible businesses to apply for the second round of the Maine Economic Recovery Program while I and governors across this country continue to call on Congress to provide greater relief to the people of the State of Maine and of this country.

I encourage everybody listening to support our small businesses. Order groceries and pick them up curbside if you wish, call your local stores and order your goods and produce locally whenever you possibly can.

We need these small businesses to survive. It’s critical to the kind of place that Maine is and to the survival of our communities.

Stay safe, keep the faith, this is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

Your vote is your voice. Make sure your voice is heard November 3^rd by voting.

Voting is at the foundation of our democracy and voting may determine the future of your community, our state and our nation.

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills.

I usually vote in person on Election Day, I certainly like to see people at the polls, but of course this year, I voted absentee in person in the town clerk’s office. I wanted to minimize the number of people that I came into contact with on Election Day and minimize the number of people at the polls on November 3^rd to make sure that people stay safe and healthy. Voting absentee, either in-person or by mail, during this pandemic has minimized people’s exposure to COVID-19 and I believe will protect the health of poll workers, and other voters and the community at large.

Already more than half a million people in Maine have voted absentee. And now, this week, it’s more important than ever before to be cautious, to take all kinds of safety and health precautions. Even though we’re one of the best states in the country for addressing COVID-19, our numbers are higher than ever before, and we’ve got to minimize this. We’ve got to stay safe.  

So, if you have already requested an absentee ballot, you have committed to vote that ballot. The clerk won’t give you a second ballot unless you have somehow spoiled the ballot and you return it, or the ballot you requested does not arrive or has not arrived by now.

You can also track when your absentee ballot is sent out to you and when your clerk receives it by visiting Maine.gov/sos and clicking on the “Request/Track your absentee ballot” image.

Get your ballot back to your municipal clerk as soon as possible if you’ve got an absentee ballot, and no later than 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, November 3, 2020, in the signed, sealed envelope. That’s very important.

You can still vote absentee or have a family member go pick you up a ballot Monday or Tuesday if you have an excuse or if you feel ill or incapacitated or find you’re going to be absent from the area.

You know be sure again to SIGN the envelope with your absentee ballot before you return it. That’s how the clerk knows it’s the same ballot they sent to you. If you don’t sign the envelop, your ballot won’t be counted.

If you are returning your ballot in person, you can drop it off at your town office during regular business hours on Monday, but we also provided secure drop boxes to many many towns to facilitate safe voting. 

If your town has a ballot dropbox, you’ll find it at the city hall or town hall. Drop off your completed ballot - sealed in the signed envelope - at any hour up to 8 pm November 3rd, and of course ONLY in your own town or city’s ballot dropbox. You have to sign the envelope so the clerk knows it was you who requested the ballot; but neither the clerk nor anyone else will see who you voted for.

Polling places will be open on Election Day, but if you go to the polling place on Election Day, plan for extra time because of new health and safety procedures at the polls, social distancing (six foot distancing) and sanitization measures etc.

And please wear a face covering when you go to the polls to vote and avoid face coverings or other clothing or accessories that have some political message or the name of a candidate on them cause that would be illegal.

To learn more about elections, visit the Secretary of State’s website at Maine.gov/sos.

You know, there’s also been a little bit of talk also about potential harassment or intimidation of voters in other states. We don’t expect a problem with that here in Maine and we do have plenty of tools to address it if it does occur.

Just remember, you have a constitutional right to vote. No one can prevent you. It’s your civic right and your civic responsibility.

This is Governor Janet Mills, thank you for listening, don’t forget to vote, and please stay safe.

On one day alone this week, Maine recorded 183 new cases of COVID-19, the highest single-day increase since the beginning of the pandemic. Our positivity rate, while significantly lower than other states, has more than doubled in the last two weeks and hosptializations have increased.

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

The nation has surpassed more than nine and a half million total cases of COVID-19 — more than 100,000 new cases in a single day — and more than 230,000 deaths — about four times the number of American soldiers who lost their lives in the Vietnam war. 150 people in Maine have died. Not just numbers on a page, people like Tom Flacke, first selectman in the town of Morrill. People all over this state are getting sick and dying. People with loved ones. Respected members of the community. People who go to your church, your grange, your legion hall.

In a Washington Post interview recently, Dr. Fauci said "We're in for a whole lot of hurt. It's not a good situation. All the stars are aligned in the wrong place as you go into the fall and winter season, with people congregating at home indoors. You could not possibly be positioned more poorly."

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and our gradual reopening process, we have constantly monitored epidemiological data, like case trends and hospitalization rates, as well as health care system readiness and capacity, all of that has informed every one of our decisions on lifting restrictions and stimulating our economy.

Like sailors who used the night skies to navigate home, public health data has been our North Star, guiding us through this pandemic.

To combat the recent rise in cases of COVID-19 and to get us back on course, we made five changes this week.

First, we extended the "Keep Maine Healthy" program through December to promote prevention efforts at the local level; second, we returned to lower indoor gathering limits; third, we postponed bar and tasting room indoor openings for now; fourth, we removed New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut from exempt status under our travel advisory; and fifth, we required that Maine people wear face coverings in all public places, regardless of how far apart we are from other people.

These moves are very similar to moves made in other states this week in response to the tragic trajectory of this pandemic.

I take these actions with a great deal of hesitancy because I’m always mindful of how our actions might affect business, might affect our economy, but I’ve been told by so many people, we cannot have a healthy economy, a healthy community, without healthy people. So we must all do our part to control this virus.

To keep people safe, to keep businesses open, to keep our economy rolling, to keep schools open, we each have to avoid gatherings, stay six feet apart from others, use hand sanitizer, get a flu shot, wear a face covering indoors and outdoors, and wash our hands frequently.

We can stem the tide of this virus, but it will require a team effort on the part of all of us. We are all in this together. You know that this is a fundamental matter of social and personal responsibility - like not driving on the wrong side of the road, like putting your young child in a car seat, like wearing a coat in cold weather. For goodness sakes, it’s common sense and now a matter of social responsibility.

We all worked together so hard this spring, summer and fall to make sure that we could leave our homes safely and get back to something of what life used to be like, with some adjustments. But, winter is coming.

It's time to hunker down, bunker in and buckle up. If we don't, as Dr. Fauci says, we're in for "a whole lot of hurt!"

This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening. Keep the faith and please stay safe.

Many of us read the appalling saga of our friend Dennis Bailey’s struggle to stay alive while fighting COVID-19 recently. For his sake and for the sake of all of us we’ve been praying for an effective vaccine that’ll let us all get back to work, back to school, and back to business.

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills.

While we got news recently that one vaccine candidate is showing some promise in early trials, the fact is, even when a vaccine is approved, it’ll be many months before it is fully distributed and administered. In the meantime, this deadly virus remains among us and threatens our families, our communities, our health care system and our economy.

We can’t let down our guard now. There is no fairy tale ending to this nightmare yet — and we all have to do our part to stay safe.

The simplest thing we can do is the most effective tool we’ve had for months: wearing a face covering.

COVID-19 as you know is an airborne virus that spreads among people who are in close contact with one another, through respiratory droplets expelled when a person coughs, sneezes, sings, talks, or even breathes. 

Wearing a face covering is one of the most significant, effective, and easiest ways to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

In light of the significant increase in cases and in hospitalizations and positivity rates in our state, I signed an Executive Order last week requiring Maine people to wear a face covering in public settings, including indoor settings. 

Previously, we required face coverings when physical distancing was “difficult to maintain” – well, that was confusing. Now, we have a bright line that says if you are in a public setting, wear a face covering.

Of course, if you’re hiking alone on the Appalachian Trail or hunting in the woods, you don’t need to wear a face covering if there’s no one else around — that’s just common sense —  but, if you are asking yourself the question whether you should wear a face covering, the answer is likely yes. Go ahead and do it, what’s the harm.

We wear face coverings to protect ourselves. We wear them to protect people we don’t even know — the people we meet on the street; the folks who work in the corner restaurant, the store or the packing plant; the nurses, doctors and CNAs who care for the sick and put themselves at risk; the combat veteran who deserves to live the remainder of their heroic life with health and happiness, not to be left to die from a painful contagion alone and separated from family and friends. 

We can stem the tide of this virus, we can save lives, keep our economy moving, and keep schools and businesses open, but it takes a team effort.

All of us worked together last spring and summer and fall and ensured that we could leave our homes safely and get back to something of what life used to be like. This winter, let’s stay vigilant, let’s stay smart.  

Wear a face covering indoors and outdoors. Use hand sanitizer. Stay six feet apart. Wash your hands frequently. Stay home if you feel sick. Avoid travel.

This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.

Keep the faith and please stay safe.

With a deadly virus raging across our state and across our nation, we cannot also forget the effects of this pandemic on our economy and on the long-term health and safety of our communities. 

These effects include the need to expand our workforce and to pave the way for good paying jobs for young people in new industries.

We cannot forget the other major looming threat to our economy and to our health — climate change.  The impacts of which we see on ocean temperatures, air quality, and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events. 

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

Back in the fall of 1970, 11-year-old Suzanne Clune wrote a letter to her United States Senator.

She wrote about the Little Androscoggin River, a once pristine tributary where deer could see their reflection and where spring pine and chokeberry blossoms “filled the air with the sweetest smell on earth,” but that was before toxic chemicals polluted the waters.

“Now in any season,” Suzanne wrote to Senator Edmund Muskie, "you can smell the most sickening smell on earth, a stench that left frogs 'gasping for air.’ I am sick of the river like this,” she said. “Please do something about it.” And she signed her letter, “One who loves Maine.”

Suzanne’s letter helped motivate Senator Muskie during his career-long fight for clean air and clean water. Today, as a result of his actions, our rivers — the Androscoggin, Kennebec and the Penobscot Rivers, among others, are restored. We now fish, boat and swim there.

I am grateful that Suzanne did not wait to act.

Today the threat of climate change jeopardizes not only Maine’s natural resources but our state’s economy and social wellbeing as well.

With this crisis on our doorstep, like Suzanne Clune, we cannot afford to wait.

We must act now to honor the legacy of Maine’s environmental stewards who bequeathed this precious place to us; to preserve our state for our children and grandchildren to enjoy as we do; and build a thriving economy with opportunities for growth far into the future.

So earlier this week, the Maine Climate Council released its four year climate action plan called Maine Won’t Wait. It calls for decisive action on the climate crisis in our state.

Based on the findings of that report, I propose that we more than double the number of Maine’s clean energy and energy efficiency jobs by 2030. These 30,000 jobs or more will save money for Maine families, make us more efficient, and fight climate change while providing new opportunities to Maine working men and women and advancing long-term prosperity for our state.

I will seek partnerships with federal officials, state lawmakers, local leaders, businesses and nonprofits to reach the climate targets and the measurable outcomes described in this plan.

Eleven-year old Suzanne Clune’s letter to Senator Muskie fifty years ago was a call to action of that era. 

Let this plan be our call to action once again to protect the natural beauty of our state; to improve the lives of our families and the livelihoods of our people; and to ward off future natural disasters and economic crises. Because, like Suzanne, we too are "ones who love Maine” and we must do our best to preserve and protect it.

This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.

This past Thursday evening, Jewish families across the state of Maine and elsewhere lit the first candle on the menorah in celebration of the first night of Hanukkah. The candle a symbol of light and resilience.

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

During this challenging year, in the dark of a Maine winter and in the middle of a devastating pandemic, the lighting of each candle on the menorah I think provides more light in the world, even symbolically, and the hope and anticipation that tomorrow will be warmer and brighter than today. 

As the days grow colder and the nights longer, this symbol of light through darkness connects all of us through love, faith and family, reminding us that we are all in this together. 

I treasure the light of the moon and stars, of friends, and children and grandchildren, the beacons who guide me through the toughest times.  People who comfort rather than compete. Words that do not disparage. Nurses and doctors caring for the desperately ill. Front line workers and first responders working through the night to keep others safe at the risk of their own wellbeing. Neighbors helping other neighbors, unquestioningly. 

These are lights of their own making. A light that exists in the hearts of people.

While our celebrations may look different this holiday season 2020 – they may be smaller, virtual, even telephonic – long distance – these holidays remain as meaningful and spiritual as they did through other, darker times – through wars, depressions, storms and hardship. 

In fact, during this most difficult year, holidays may take on even more significance and meaning, allowing us to stay close and connected to loved ones in new and different ways in an otherwise isolating time.

And now, as in times past, we will keep the faith in our communities and in ourselves alive. We are Americans. We are Maine Strong. And we will get through this together.

No matter how or what you celebrate this year, I wish you a season filled with peace and joy, and a new year filled with love and light.

Please stay healthy and stay safe.

And may you enjoy the true light – the radiance – of friends, neighbors and family in your hearts for as long as you may live.

You have my love and appreciation today and every day.

This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.

We are working around the clock to get as many people vaccinated against COVID-19 as quickly as possible.

Right now, more than 387,000 people in Maine have gotten their first dose of the vaccine – almost 29 percent of our total population, almost 18 percent fully vaccinated. Two out of three Maine residents 60 and older are now protected with at least one dose. And Maine is among the top states in the nation in percentage of population fully vaccinated.

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

As we make progress with vaccines, and as more appointments become available and with an increase in supply in the coming weeks, it is appropriate to accelerate our vaccination timeline and make more people eligible.

This past week, Maine people age 50 and older became eligible. And in just a few weeks — on April 19^th — all Maine residents age 16 and older will be eligible for the vaccine.

While this is good news, Maine people should keep in mind that, even when they do become eligible, it might still take some time to get an appointment.

Whether you are eligible or not, you may pre-register on Maine CDC’s new pre-registration website atVaccinateME.Maine.gov.

By pre-registering, you’ll be notified about vaccine appointment options when it’s your turn.

Many vaccination sites let you pre-register with them directly too. If this is an option at the site you want to choose, you can sign up both through the vaccination site and through VaccinateME.Maine.gov.

As we expand eligibility, we are also expanding our ability to deliver shots.

We stood up large-scale vaccination sites – in Portland, Sanford, and Auburn — and they are prepared to expand their capacity to get shots into arms with the increase in the supply of vaccine we expect from the Federal government.

We expanded vaccines and vaccinations in rural and hard-to-reach communities and for Maine people who are homebound as well. Independent pharmacies and EMTS are visiting independent senior living communities to vaccinate residents on-site, and public health nurses are holding clinics throughout the state for at-risk people who cannot easily travel to large community vaccination clinics.

This week we also took the first step in our Moving Maine Forward Plan to protect public health and support Maine’s economy during the busy spring and summer tourism season.

Starting March 26^th, capacity for indoor gatherings — that is for theatres, restaurants and churches and other spaces — was increased to 50 percent. Capacity for outdoor gatherings was increased to 75 percent. Maine bars and tasting rooms were also allowed to reopen, with public health/safety precautions.

With more than a quarter of all Maine people having received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, we are making pretty good progress. But we have got to keep our foot on the gas and get more people vaccinated.

This is a race between vaccines and variants, and we don’t want the variants to invade our state and make people sick and put them in the hospital as has happened in other states.

Got to keep our foot on the gas, keep people getting vaccinated, keep people alive and healthy, and get back to normal sooner.

Summer is fast approaching and the finish line is on the horizon.

I urge all Maine people to keep doing the basic things that keep us healthy. Get a vaccine if you’re eligible. Please, don’t hesitate. It is safe. 

Together, we will get through this and get our state and our economy back on track.

In the meantime, please keep the faith and stay safe.

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

More than 440,000 Maine people have now received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine — nearly a third of our entire population, with nearly 21 percent being fully vaccinated. 59 percent of Maine people 50 years old and older have received their first dose, with nearly 36 percent fully vaccinated.

I want to thank everyone who’s gotten vaccinated for taking this important step to protect themselves, their loved ones and our communities.

With the Federal government significantly increasing our supply of vaccines, we can now accelerate our timeframe.

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

Starting Wednesday, April 7^th, all Maine residents age 16 and older will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. Of course only the Pfizer vaccine has been tested for individuals ages 16 and 17, and consent from a parent or legal guardian is required for that age group. But everyone else will be able to be vaccinated at any of the nearly two hundred vaccination sites across the state.

We should celebrate this progress. But to be clear, it will still take time to get appointments and to get shots into arms.

Some vaccine sites will accept appointments for eligible residents immediately, while others are staffing up and preparing to offer appointments in the coming days. Your continued patience is important.

To help make vaccines more accessible for everybody as we expand eligibility, we are allocating vaccines to providers in rural and hard to reach communities and we are continuing to expand the number of large-scale vaccination sites. 

Our Department of Health and Human Services is allocating doses also to cancer centers and dialysis centers, to Federally Qualified Health Centers, and to other providers to prioritize people who are at higher risk from COVID-19, including people with underlying medical conditions or older Maine people, or those who live in marginalized or medically underserved places in Maine.

So far, Maine is doing pretty well getting shots into arms. Right now, we are 4th best in the nation for the percentage of population with at least one dose of a vaccine, and 7th best in the nation for the percentage of population fully vaccinated.

And despite having the oldest population of any state in the nation, older people being more at risk of serious illness or death, Maine has the third lowest number of COVID-19 cases and the fourth lowest number of COVID-19 deaths per capita in the whole country, according to the US CDC. 

We’re doing well, but the pandemic is not over.

For more than a year now Maine people have cared for one another with compassion and courage, rising to the challenges of our time.

We are still in a race of the vaccinations v. the variants. And the variants are here – they are here in western Maine, they are here in southern Maine, they are spreading to every region of the state. And we see the devastating consequences in other states like Florida and Michigan. And they are more transmissible, these variants, and more dangerous. So, please, please get vaccinated and stick with the precautions that have kept us safe so far. It’s your turn. If you haven’t been vaccinated, make an appointment now. 

Keep your distance from others outside your immediate family. Remind everyone to wash their hands and wear a face covering.

Doing so will help us all stay healthy, get our economy back on track and get back to normal sooner.

For information on where to get a vaccine or pre-register to know when appointments are available, or get help traveling to and from a vaccine appointment, visit: maine.gov/covid19/vaccines. If you do not have a computer or access to the internet, call our Community Vaccination Line at 1-888-445-4111.

Again, that is 1-888-445-4111.

Together, we will get through this and get our state back on track.

For those of you celebrating Easter this Sunday, Happy Easter to you all. For those who celebrate Passover, Happy Passover to you. And for everyone, happy spring.

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

Our teams at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, the Maine CDC, and health care providers and volunteers around the state have been working 24/7 to get shots in arms to protect all of you from the COVID-19 virus. As a result, Maine ranks among the top states in the country for getting shots into arms.

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

As of this date, almost 500,000 people have received their first shot of vaccine – more than 42 percent of Maine people age 16 and up, with more than 30 percent being fully vaccinated.

This is really good news and we should all celebrate, but of course the pandemic is not yet over. We are still in a race of vaccinations versus the variants. Look what’s going on in some other states where the variants are taking over. We’ve got to get everybody vaccinated as soon as possible. Those variants are here in Maine – they are in southern Maine, in western Maine, they are spreading to every region of the state. And they are more transmissible and more dangerous versions of this horrible virus.

So when President Biden committed to deploying federal resources to help states getting shots into arms, we took him up on his offer. This week we worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to create a groundbreaking mobile vaccination unit that will reach rural and underserved communities across Maine.

The mobile vaccination unit, only the second of its kind in New England, will begin providing COVID-19 vaccines to Maine people starting Monday, April 12 at the Oxford Casino in Oxford.

The mobile vaccination unit will then go to Windham, Biddeford, Fryeburg, Turner, Waterville, Old Town, Milbridge, Calais, Madawaska and Auburn over the next two months. And they will be vaccinating at least 250 people each day with the one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

Information on scheduling appointments at the mobile vaccination unit will become available on our state vaccination website maine.gov/covid19/vaccines. Look for that in the next few days.

Maine has worked hard to stand up large-scale vaccination sites and provide vaccine to independent health care providers and to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in underserved areas, dispatching public health nurses to clinics throughout the state to meet the needs of at-risk Maine people who can’t easily travel to large-scale community vaccination clinics, and providing in-home vaccination to homebound people.

This mobile vaccination clinic is one more important tool for our state as we work to get shots into arms as fast as we can.

The clinic will complement our existing vaccination efforts very well and it will allow people in underserved communities to more easily get the vaccine so as to protect their health and their loved ones and family members and help us to win the fight against COVID-19.

I am very grateful to President Biden for his commitment to partnering with states to get people vaccinated and I’m grateful to FEMA for their outstanding work to deliver on that promise.

So to all Maine people ages 16 and up who are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine — please don’t wait to schedule your appointment. The vaccine — whether you get Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson and Johnson — is safe, effective, and it is saving lives. All of these vaccines have been through rigorous trials, approved by the FDA.

For information on where to get a vaccine visit maine.gov/covid19/vaccines. If you don’t have access to a computer or the internet, you can call our Community Vaccination Line at 1-888-445-4111.

That is 1-888-445-4111. And most health care facilities also have a referral for vaccination appointments.

Please keep the faith and stay safe. We will get through this together.

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

Seventeen years ago Maine people overwhelmingly voted to require the State to fund 55 percent of the cost of public education. This week, at long last, we proposed fulfilling that commitment.

Guess what? Funding education will go to two places — your kid’s classroom and your pocketbook, by helping hold down property taxes that are dedicated to local education. 

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

My administration has three strategies to spur economic recovery in the short- term and strengthen our economy in the long-term.

I announced the first strategy last week — our Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan, the proposal to invest more than $1 billion in discretionary Federal relief funds under the American Rescue Plan Act. That plan supports Maine small businesses and heritage industries, it encourages new businesses and job creation, and it invests in essential and human infrastructure like broadband, affordable housing, and childcare to keep and attract young families here in Maine.

I announced the second strategy last week as well — an economic bond proposal aimed at rebuilding Maine’s transportation system – you know our roads and bridges — and conserving our land and working waterfronts.

And I announced our third strategy – our “Part Two” budget proposal this week. The “Part Two” budget builds on the earlier “Part One” biennial budget that I signed into law in March which maintained current services and provided stability to Maine people during the pandemic.

This “Part Two” Budget fully funds education for the first time in history, it gives money back to property taxpayers, and it saves a record amount for a Rainy Day.

The budget also: 

• expands access to routine dental care for low-income Maine people;
• supports hospitals, nursing, and residential care facilities who have been on the front lines of the pandemic;
• incorporates the rate increases for various MaineCare providers as recommended by an objective, comprehensive evaluation initiated by DHHS.
• increases the Maine State Grant scholarship Program to help students with college tuition;
• increases tax relief for low-income and middle-income people hard hit by the pandemic; and
• protects our drinking water by cleaning up those so called “forever chemicals” known as PFAS.

Every person in our state should be able to send their kid to a good school, regardless of their zip code; to be able to save for the future instead of just scraping by; to be able to go to the doctor or dentist when necessary; to be able to drink clean, unpolluted water and breathe clean air; and to live in a home that is affordable and not be faced with a high property tax bill driven by inflated values.

I look forward to working with the Legislature to enact, as swiftly as possible, these three strategies — the Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan, the bond proposal, and the “Part Two” budget — to continue Maine’s economic recovery from the pandemic and to chart long-term growth for all of our communities.

This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.