AUGUSTA – Last Wednesday, the Legislature’s Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee voted 12-1 in favor of advancing LD 2102, a bill sponsored by Rep. Kristi Mathieson, D-Kittery, to clarify eligibility and repayment issues with the Government Shutdown Loan Guarantee Program. The program encourages Maine lending institutions to voluntarily offer interest-free loans to eligible state and federal employees during shutdowns lasting more than seven days. It was established by the Legislature last year through LD 874 and is administered by the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME).
“During last fall’s historic, 43-day government shutdown, I heard daily from federal employees at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard who couldn’t afford gas to get to work, to pay for child care or keep up with mortgage payments,” said Mathieson. “Not all employees need assistance during a shutdown, but many do. While they have to report to work without pay, their bills do not stop. LD 2102 will strengthen a program that ensures the workers who keep our state and nation functioning are not left without support due to political fights that are entirely outside of their control.”
The Professional Fire Fighters of Maine, Northern New England Carpenters Locals 349 & 352, Maine AFL-CIO and many others testified in support of the bill at the public hearing.
“Having just, like many others, gone through the longest federal government shutdown that our country has seen, I want to testify to ensure that the importance of LD 2102 is understood,” said Kyle Moser, a federal firefighter and the 5th District Vice President of the Professional Fire Fighters of Maine. “LD 2102 will have a direct effect on the over 70 federal firefighters across Maine. These firefighters are employed by the United States Government and they are the first line of emergency response at locations such as the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery and the Naval Computers and Telecommunications Area in Cutler. We are essential employees who must report to work even when the federal government is shut down for a lack in appropriations.”
After receiving bipartisan approval in committee, the bill faces further votes in the full House and Senate.
Mathieson is serving her third term in the Maine House representing Kittery and is House chair of the Legislature’s Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee.
Contact:
Brian Lee (Mathieson) | 305-965-2744