AUGUSTA- Janet Mills has stated her priorities for her last year in office as Governor of Maine.
Mills announced the priorities during her final State of the State speech delivered to the legislature on Tuesday night. The legislature will need to approve each as part of their supplemental budget.
Those priorities are:
- $300 affordability relief checks for individuals making $75,000 and under, for head of households making $112,500 and under, and for married couples making $150,000 and under. The money will come from the state’s Rainy Day Fund.
- $17.5 million for two pilot programs to build 530 new homes and apartments for middle-class families. Increase investments in existing housing programs by $52.5 million (which will unlock at least $15 million in federal matching funds). The $70 million total proposal will also use money from the Rainy Day Fund.
- Make the free community college program permanent. Currently, the legislature has only funded the program up to the class of 2025.
- Include another $46 million in the budget to meet the state’s commitment to fund education at 55%.
- Ban cell phones in schools from “bell to bell.”
- Lower reliance on fossil fuels and better weatherize homes.
- A one-time appropriation of $2.25 million to replace cuts made by the federal government to Planned Parenthood and Maine Family Planning.
- Calling for universal healthcare at the federal level.
Governor Mills delivers her State of the State speech
A written version of the Governor’s speech can be found here.
A video of the speech, from Maine Public’s YouTube page, can be found here.