By Rep. Ellie Sato
Last month, the Legislature concluded its work for the session and successfully passed a balanced budget that helps working families across the state. We have done a lot of good for Maine people. From funding an increased child tax credit to put money back in the pockets of young families and investing in our child care and direct care workers who support aging Mainers, to measures that reduce costs for first-time homebuyers and increase protections for mobile home park tenants. I also had the opportunity to sponsor successful legislation to support survivors of sexual assault this year.
Whether you’re a working family facing skyrocketing child care costs or have a partner who stepped out of the workforce to care for your children, too many families are struggling with the lack of affordable child care. This year, we passed and funded legislation that doubles Maine’s Child Tax Credit to $600 per child for children under six, for families earning under $150,000 per year. Additionally, the Legislature rejected proposed child care cuts and instead invested in our care workforce and families. We passed measures that expand access to child care, particularly in rural areas, and provide a cost of living adjustment for our essential direct care workers who help our increasing population of older Mainers.
This session, we also worked to address the high cost of living by continuing to confront the housing crisis. We passed legislation to support first-time homebuyers by eliminating the transfer tax on their home purchase as well as additional protections for residents of mobile home parks, which are an important affordable housing option for Mainers on fixed incomes and affects our neighbors here in Gorham at the Friendly Village. These measures include requiring mobile home park owners to give residents 90-day notice of any rent or fee increase, expanding rent-to-own protections and creating a right of first refusal for resident cooperatives to match a third-party offer to purchase the park they live in. Lastly, we also established a statewide property tax relief task force, which will help us fix the burden of high property taxes in future legislation.
As mentioned previously, I was also honored to have sponsored successful legislation to support survivors of sexual assault this session. LD 412 prohibits the sale of self-administered sexual assault forensic evidence (SAFE) kits, which are advertised as “evidence kits” to increase access to justice for survivors. However, they are unlikely to be admissible in criminal proceedings, and only further isolate survivors from critical care provided at medical facilities — evidence collection is just one of many time-sensitive services. Furthermore, state kits are already free for survivors because they are covered under the Victim’s Compensation Act.
Despite these wins, we have a lot of work ahead of us to continue improving Mainers’ quality of life. In the next legislative session, we will have to address many of the federal funding challenges resulting from President Trump and the Congressional Republicans’ agenda to provide the ultra-wealthy additional tax breaks at the expense of everyday Americans. Maine people deserve a government that works for them, through maintaining health care access, emergency storm preparedness and a reasonable cost of living. We will work hard in the interim and through the next legislative session to continue to preserve and improve on these policies.
I encourage you to reach out to me any time with concerns about issues you care about, questions on policy or legislation, ideas on ways to better our community, or even just to introduce yourself. Please do not hesitate to email me at ellie.sato@legislature.maine.gov, or call the House Democratic Office at 207-287-1430.
Rep. Ellie Sato, D-Gorham, is serving her first term in the Maine House of Representatives and is a member of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee.