Caitlin Andrews, Jessica Piper and Michael Shepherd Aug 09, 2021 09:22 am
Good morning from Augusta. The U.S. Census Bureau will release data on Thursday that will determine what Maine’s congressional and legislative districts look like for the next 10 years. Here’s your soundtrack.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Everybody travels, every team we have has a need to get somewhere and I don’t want to not be able to get them where they need to go,” said Dave Utterback, athletic administrator for the Brewer School Department, where coaches may have to drive players to games to make up for a lack of bus drivers.
What we’re watching today
The landscape for how Mainers navigate employment is already changing ahead of the end of sustained jobless aid. An extra $300 in unemployment benefits provided by Congress through the $2.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus package will end right after the Labor Day weekend, along with two federal unemployment programs created in March 2020 that have been aiding self-employed workers and those whose regular unemployment benefits expired.
It will mean the end of a safety net that has been credited with providing a boost to the economy as the country weathers the pandemic-induced recession. The deluge of federal stimulus money turned projected state and local budget shortfalls into windfalls. A large worker shortage spanning most industries has been another feature of the pandemic, with conservatives largely blaming the generous unemployment benefits, though initial data indicates states that ended those payments early did not see short-term job growth.
It is among the many changes facing workers as they navigate employment situations still being affected by the virus, particularly as the delta variant has led to a surge in cases, mostly among the unvaccinated, in the past few weeks. But unlike when the virus was first circulating, many of the protections meant to protect employees, such as state-mandated limited indoor capacity and required facing coverings, are now left up to individual businesses.
Employment requirements are already changing as well. More and more employers are making getting vaccinated a requirement of employment. Those decisions can come with tricky legal requirements, but places that have required the vaccine so far have withstood legal challenges.
Thousands of Mainers could have to repay federal unemployment benefits from earlier this year. More than 30 percent of 24,000 workers who needed to verify their prior employment status with the state by last Wednesday failed to do so, the Portland Press Herald reported. They were retroactively denied eligibility, a situation labor advocates claimed was hampered by poor communication from the state. Workers still have until the end of next week to appeal the decision, while another round of workers will have to submit similar proof by early October.
The Maine politics top 3
— “With election approaching, Maine-New Hampshire pandemic comparisons resurface in governor’s race,” Caitlin Andrews, Bangor Daily News: “How they handled the pandemic will be the highlight of both governors’ campaigns. [Gov. Janet] Mills will likely face former Gov. Paul LePage next fall, while [Gov. Chris] Sununu has not quite ruled out challenging Democratic U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan for her seat, a potentially fierce matchup. With new coronavirus cases on the rise in both states spurring differing responses from both governors, their next moves will be critical to how voters see them in 2022.
— “Canada border employees reach deal with government, preventing reopening delays,” Alexander MacDougall, BDN: “Border employees had begun a planned work-to-rule strike earlier that morning, which meant that workers would stay on the job but only do the minimal amount of work required by law. But a final round of negotiations that had begun Thursday continued throughout Friday and ended that night, lasting around 36 hours in total.”
— “Eminent domain action in Belfast can be a ‘nuclear blast,’ law school professor says,” Abigail Curtis, BDN: “City officials have said that securing the easement would allow Belfast to reap the benefits detailed in a 2018 agreement between the city of Belfast, Nordic Aquafarms and the Belfast Water District. Those benefits — described earlier this week by city attorney Bill Kelly — include providing the city with land used for recreation, including the popular Little River Trail, and the water district with enough guaranteed revenue to replace aging infrastructure and bring a new well online. City officials also believe the salmon farm will provide Belfast with needed tax revenue and new jobs, as well as giving the city land for a new waterfront park.”
Bipartisan infrastructure bill nears passage
The $1 trillion bill backed by both of Maine’s senators cleared a few more procedural hurdles this weekend. Two-thirds of senators voted to advance the legislation, which calls for new spending on highways, transit, broadband and water infrastructure and more. Both Sens. Susan Collins, a Republican at the center of negotiations, and Angus King, an independent who was part of an early group of moderates backing the framework, voted in favor.
The bill could clear the Senate tomorrow, although it is not clear when the House will take it up. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, has indicated she may wait until the Senate also passes a larger budget bill, although moderate Democrats, including Rep. Jared Golden of Maine’s 2nd District, have pushed for a vote sooner.
Today’s Daily Brief was written by Caitlin Andrews, Jessica Piper and Michael Shepherd. If you’re reading this on the BDN’s website or were forwarded it, you can sign up to have it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning here.
