Maine has an important legacy when it comes to Maine people serving their country in the armed forces.

And today I’d like to speak to the thousands of military veterans in our state who have served both in combat and in peacetime, keeping our country and our state safe.

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills.

In honor of your service and your sacrifice, this week I announced the formation of the Maine Veterans’ Dental Network, in partnership with Northeast Delta Dental, participating dental clinics, and Federally Qualified Health Centers.

The Maine Veterans’ Dental Network will provide dental services to Maine’s veterans who otherwise could not afford them starting on May 15th.

Any veteran who is not 100 percent service-connected to the VA, doesn’t have dental insurance, and can’t afford to pay for dental care out of pocket, may contact the eight participating dental clinics or centers to enroll in the program.

The eight participating dental clinics include Community Dental; Lincoln County Dental; Kennebec Valley Family Dentistry; Waterville Community Dental; UNE Dental Clinic; UMA Dental Clinic; Eastport Health Care and Fish River Rural Health.

Participating dental clinics all over the state in the Veterans’ Dental Network can provide preventative, diagnostic, oral surgery, and restorative services.

To receive these dental services, veterans should fill out a State of Maine Request Form, provide a copy of their discharge papers, and grant permission for clinics to forward the documents to the Maine Bureau of Veterans Services for addition to their database.

An Honorable discharge or General Under Honorable discharge is required to qualify for the Maine Veterans’ Dental Network program, but veterans who don’t qualify due to their particular discharge can work with the clinic to arrange other access to care.

For more information or to access the Maine Veterans’ Dental Network, please contact Sarah Sherman at the Maine Bureau of Veteran’s Services - she is the director of strategic partnerships - at sarah.sherman@maine.gov.

This partnership is another step forward in our commitment to serving and honoring Maine’s veterans and I am truly grateful to Northeast Delta Dental for their generosity and to all the participating dental clinics, without which this program would not be possible.

If you are a veteran who lacks access to dental care, please consider enrolling in the Maine Veterans’ Dental Network.

This week I also announced I am seeking applications for Maine’s Aides-de-camp positions, an advisory council of military veterans who will advise me on policies impacting Maine veterans.

If you are a military veteran and are interested in serving as an Aide-de Camp, please send a letter of interest and resume to the Maine Bureau of Veterans' Service Director David A. Richmond at: mainebvs@maine.gov – that’s M-A-I-N-E, B as in boy, V as in veteran, and S as in service at maine.gov - by April 30, 2021.

You know as someone who comes from a military family myself, I deeply appreciate the service and sacrifice of Maine veterans and their loved ones. My Administration will continue to incorporate the input of veterans as we work together to improve services for our servicemembers in Maine.

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

Spring has come to Maine, believe it or not, and so is April snow and wind. Skiiers are hitting the slopes in Western Maine as we speak and more people are outside regardless of the weather.

This is Janet Mills, Governor of the State of Maine, and thank you for listening.

While daffodils and crocuses are shaking off a light coating of snow in some towns, we too are pushing through the long, hard winter of an unprecedented pandemic.

Meanwhile the state also added more than 4,000 new jobs to the economy last month alone, the largest gain since September.

These gains are welcome news and a sign that our economy is improving.

Throughout the pandemic, I’ve tried to do two things: protect the lives of Maine people and protect their livelihoods.

Like every state in the nation, Maine has endured its share of hardship during this pandemic.

We’ve tailored public health restrictions to limit to the greatest extent possible the impacts on businesses, and we distributed more than $249 million in economic recovery grants, more than $50 million to restaurants, bars, tasting rooms, lodging and retail shops, to help them get through these hard times.

We also announced the Moving Maine Forward plan to provide clarity and predictability to plan for the summer months for businesses and people in Maine.

We are also working around the clock to vaccinate Maine people as quickly as possible and to date, almost half of all eligible people have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccines.

According to Bloomberg’s tracker, Maine is the best state nationwide for the percentage of population fully vaccinated.

All of that’s making a difference. In March, new jobs in Maine were concentrated in education and leisure and hospitality, the two sectors hit hardest by the pandemic. Construction, business services, and a few other sectors have nearly fully recovered to the staffing levels they had a year ago.

These gains reflect other trends that show our economy is improving — building supplies and home sales, consumer sales, auto and business operating sales, retail sales and revenues are up.

According to Moody’s Analytics, Maine ranks second best in New England for returning to pre-pandemic economic activity.

That progress in recovering from the pandemic is important, but we’ve got work to do. Our unemployment rate and labor force participation have changed very little over the last few months.

People are looking to hire. Jobs are available right now. And many people may not realize they can work and still receive partial unemployment benefits including the $300 stipend. You can search for available jobs on the Maine JobLink at Joblink.Maine.Gov.

As we get through this pandemic, we want Maine people to get back to work, we need you to work, so our Administration is focused on training skilled workers to fill jobs; makingeducation more affordable and accessible; connecting students to local businesses building life-long careers right here at home. We’ll continue to build the infrastructure young families need – high speed internet access and affordable childcare. Let’s get back to work.

My Administration will be laser focused on strengthening our economy and in the coming weeks, we will announce our plans to distribute the new federal funds Maine has received from the American Rescue Plan from Congress to get people back to work and to get our economy up and running at full speed.

As we do that, it’s important to remember that we can’t have a healthy economy without healthy people. Let's keep doing those basic things — watching our distance, avoiding large gatherings, particularly ones that are indoors. And, for crying out loud, wear the mask.

You know, you don’t go into a construction site without putting a hard hat on, right? You don’t go into a manufacturing plant without putting ear plugs and safety goggles on, right? You don’t get in your car, go for a drive, without buckling up. It’s the same thing. Wear the mask, keep us all protected.

With spring break right around the corner for many schools, we’ve got to be extra careful. Travel is inevitable, but please travel safely.

Get outside and explore all the beauty and abundance Maine has to offer.

And if you haven’t done so already, please, it’s is a great time to schedule your appointment to get the vaccine.

Visit maine.gov/covid19/vaccines to see where you can get a vaccine and set up an appointment.

Together we will get through this and get our state back to normal. Meanwhile please, keep the faith and stay safe during this spring break.

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

Doing your taxes can be complicated enough in ordinary times without the added anxiety and economic consequences of a public health crisis to boot.

So to give Maine people more time to handle their taxes during these difficult times, this week I announced that Maine will extend the filing and payment deadlines for state income taxes to May 17, 2021.

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

This change aligns with the one already made by the federal government in some respects.

Maine individual taxpayers, including individuals who pay self-employment tax, do not need to file any forms or call to qualify for this extension.

Now, the Federal government did not extend the dates for corporate returns and payments so Maine’s deadlines for those filing and payment dates are also still April 15, 2021.

Earlier this week I also signed the bipartisan supplemental budget enacted by the Legislature into law. In addition to providing full tax relief to the more than 28,000 small businesses who received the PPP funds, this budget also exempts up to $10,200 from income taxes for those 160,000 people who got unemployment benefits in 2020.

That tax relief is available to Maine people with an annual income of less than $150,000, regardless of filing status.

Maine Revenue Services, a bureau within my Administration, stands ready to assist Maine people who may need to file an extension beyond May 17 or to discuss payment plans if necessary. You can contact them, and find other information about tax relief and tax forms, at maine.gov/revenue.

Maine people can also call 2-1-1 or visit 211maine.org for assistance in identifying free tax preparation resources that are available throughout the state.

This last year has been hard and my Administration will continue to do all we can to make things a little easier for Maine families. We are working around the clock to vaccinate Maine people against the coronavirus and to get our state and our economy back on track.

In the meantime, I urge everyone to keep doing the basic things that keep us healthy, like wearing a mask, watching our distance, washing our hands, and sign up to get the vaccine as soon as you are eligible, please.

You can see a list of vaccination sites around the state at maine.gov/covid19/vaccines.

Please keep the faith and stay safe.

We will get through this together.

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

On March 12, 2020 — a year ago — the State of Maine recorded our first case of COVID-19.

You know, we have suffered great hardship and loss in the last twelve months as a state and as a nation, but the greatest grief is borne by the families whose loved ones are no longer with us because of the deadly coronavirus.

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

Today, we pause to remember the more than 527,000 Americans, including more than 720 Mainers, we have lost over the last year.

Each was a life lived with meaning and purpose, a life that we honor today.  And as always, we pray for good health of Maine people and for the swift recovery of all those who are still battling this virus.

During World War II, Eleanor Roosevelt told the American people, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you look fear in the face. You say to yourself, 'I have lived through this. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do,” she said.

During this pandemic, with strength and courage, the people of Maine have learned to do what they thought they could not do. And we are getting through this.

Nurses, bus drivers, CNAs, teachers and ed techs, volunteers, business owners, working parents, delivery drivers, grocery clerks, fishermen, haulers and farmers, and many, many more unsung heroes saved lives and kept our state moving forward.

This pandemic is hard, many people are tired and frustrated. I understand that. But we are turning the corner with courage, patience and compassion and good medical science on our side.

And it is because of you, the Maine people, because of your continued hope and perseverance, that we are winning this war against COVID-19.

Already, we have vaccinated tens of thousands of people in our state and we’re working day and night to get shots into the arms of all Maine people who want the vaccine.

Today, let us pay tribute to those we have lost and let us rededicate ourselves to protecting our health, to protecting the health of our loved ones and our neighbors, and the health of fellow citizens.

We will prevail and we will emerge a stronger people and a stronger state.

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

Just keep the faith and stay safe. We’ll get through this together. Thank you.