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| 📷 Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, administers the oath of office to Gov. Janet Mills in Augusta on Jan. 4, 2023. (BDN photo by Troy R. Bennett) |
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🧃 A wide coalition backs a childcare push, but the governor is skeptical.
◉ Perhaps the top priority of the 2023 legislative session for Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, is a child care overhaul backed by a large coalition of groups that rarely agree, from the progressive Maine People's Alliance to HospitalityMaine, which represents restaurants and hotels and is generally conservative on economic issues.
◉ It is a local response to a national crisis facing child care that was exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, when more than a quarter of Maine's home-based daycare centers shut down. The industry is largely reliant on low-wage workers who can easily get higher-paying jobs in other sectors.
◉ Jackson's bill would make a number of changes, including a doubling of a wage supplement for workers and increasing a number of subsidies and supports for families. But the administration of Gov. Janet Mills opposed it in testimony earlier this month, saying the bill is underfunded at Jackson's current annual price tag of around $30 million.
◉ This criticism prompts questions about whether lawmakers can get the measure through this year. A committee will work Wednesday on Jackson's proposal, which will need funding in a budget document if it is going to pass. Watch the committee session.
💼 Business groups officially come out against a paid leave bill.
◉ It is no surprise given their posture in recent weeks, but two key business groups — HospitalityMaine and the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce — registered their opposition to a paid leave push from legislative Democrats in notices to their members on Tuesday.
◉ "We have made meaningful efforts this session to work with lawmakers, policy leaders, and stakeholders to craft a paid Family and Medical Leave proposal that works for both employers and employees," HospitalityMaine lobbyist Nate Cloutier wrote. "Unfortunately, this legislation goes beyond the scope of what is workable and realistic in Maine and we must oppose LD 1964."
◉ "At this time, we are opposed to the legislation, because it does not adequately address the concerns our members have expressed about the bill," the Portland Chamber said. "However, we do intend to come to the public hearing with actionable compromise proposals for the committee to consider."
◉ Those on this side were meeting with Mills weeks ago on the subject, but the governor has been silent on the new measure from top legislative Democrats who have locked down the support of virtually all their members. The bill gets a public hearing on Thursday.
💰 Maine's budget situation isn't normal, but it's proceeding normally for now.
◉ Mills' $900 million spending package is the most uncertain of her tenure under firm Democratic control of Augusta. House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, is reportedly holding out to try to get the governor to support tribal-rights initiatives, while Republicans are still pushing for tax cuts that Democrats look unlikely to grant.
◉ But lawmakers appointed by both Talbot Ross and Jackson continue to put Mills' budget through the normal process. A Tuesday notice from a budget panel aide said votes on the package may come steadily this week. We're still a long way from a final product. |
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What we're reading
🔌 A lack of working chargers may hamper Maine's electric vehicle effort.
⛰️ This $35 million welcome center at Maine's national monument would accentuate Wabanaki culture.
🤏 Maine Democrats rejected new restrictions on U.S. Senate appointments.
🚧 A Dollar General store in Maine drew heavy federal fines for unsafe working conditions.
🦸 Hallowell police say a civilian hero helped rescue two people from the top of a burning home in the heart of the city. Here's your soundtrack. |
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