Mills signs $8 billion budget, bills including Green New Deal, plastic bag ban
File photo / Courtesy Office of Gov. Janet Mills
Gov. Janet Mills signed the state's $8 billion biennial budget Monday, as well as added to the dozens of bills she has signed in recent weeks.
Gov. Janet Mills Monday signed into law the state’s $8 billion fiscal year 2020-21 budget, which expands health care, education funding, workforce development, infrastructure and the environment.
The budget was approved by the Maine Senate 25-9 Friday night and earlier approved 104-28 by the House.
“By expanding access to health care, improving our education system, delivering property tax relief, and putting money into the Rainy Day Fund, this bipartisan budget invests in Maine’s future and delivers what Maine people want,” Mills said. “I applaud Democrats and Republicans for working together to build consensus on these critical issues, and although no one got everything they wanted — as is the case in any good compromise — together we have achieved important progress on behalf of the people of Maine.”
The budget calls for $7.98 billion from the General Fund over the next two years as well as adding $19.8 million to the Budget Stabilization Fund.
The budget includes:
Health care
- $125 million to be matched with nearly $700 million in federal money for MaineCare Expansion;
- $5 million to support domestic violence and sexual assault services;
- Restoration of the Maine Low-Cost Drugs for the Elderly and Disabled program to cover an additional 1,800 Maine seniors;
- Addition of 62 new Child and Family Services staff;
- $5.5 million from the Fund for a Healthy Maine to support opioid addiction prevention efforts, increases the weekly rate for medication-assisted treatment and eliminates he 24-month limit for medication-assisted treatment;
- Allocation of an additional $10 million from the Fund for a Healthy Maine for smoking prevention and cessation.
Public education
- Raise in the state share of education funding to nearly 51 percent, including $115 million in new state support for local education;
- Paving the way for a $40,000 minimum teacher salary and initially reimburses towns at 100% to offset the cost on local budgets;
- Allocation of $18 million in the School Revolving Loan Fund, which provides critical funding to repair crumbling school infrastructure;
- Elimination of the reduced-price lunch category and includes those school children in the free-lunch category.
Workforce Training and Higher-Education
- $900,000 for adult education, $3 million for adult degree completion and $2 million for early college;
- A nearly 3.3% increase for higher education and training programs — the Maine Community College System, the University of Maine System and Maine Maritime Academy — to help keep tuition fees down;
- Continuation of ongoing workforce training funding for the Maine Community College System to help fill critical gaps in the workforce:
- Allocation of an additional $3 million for the Maine State Grant program.
Property tax relief
- Allocation of an additional $75 million in property tax relief for seniors, families and small businesses;
- Increase in the Homestead Exemption by $5,000 so Maine residents can exempt $25,000 from their property taxes;
- Expansion of eligibility for the Property Tax Fairness Credit to include an additional 13,000 home owners;
- Increase in revenue sharing from 2.5% to 3% next year, and almost 4% the following year.
Infrastructure, energy, climate and planning
- $4 million to fund Department of Economic Development initiatives including broadband and rural development grants.
- Support of a 10-year plan to triple in-state renewable energy generation sufficient to fully offset energy use in all sectors: electricity, heating, and transportation;
- Funding for a comprehensive planning group charged with establishing policy initiatives and benchmarks to meet 30-year goals for climate emissions reductions;
- $1.3 million in funding for revitalized state planning efforts across state government;
- A significant investment in capital in the Marine Resources Department.
New laws
Mills has signed 57 bills into law in recent days. Those this week include approving the "Green New Deal," which addresses clean energy and climate issues; and a ban on single-use plastic bags and more. For details on bills, visit the Maine Legislature website.
LD 166 "An Act To Protect Schoolchildren by Increasing the Penalty for Unlawful Passing of a School Bus";
LD 287 "An Act To Impose on Mental Health Professionals a Duty To Warn and Protect";
LD 309 “An Act To Eliminate the Regional Adjustment for Public School Systems";
LD 744 "Resolve, Authorizing the Commissioner of Administrative and Financial Services To Convey the Interests in Certain Real Property Located in East Millinocket";
LD 756 "An Act To Improve the Maine Workers' Compensation Act of 1992";
LD 886 "An Act To Protect Volunteer Search and Rescuers Certified by the Maine Association for Search and Rescue from Adverse Employment Actions";
LD 904 "Resolve, Directing the Commissioner of Professional and Financial Regulation To Conduct a Sunrise Review Regarding the Proposal To License Heavy Equipment Operators";
LD 1181 "An Act To Reduce Electricity Costs through Nonwires Alternatives";
LD 1222 "An Act Regarding Electric Bicycles";
LD 1260 "An Act Regarding Short-term, Limited-duration Health Plans";
LD 1269 "An Act To Update the Laws Governing Child Safety Seats and Seat Belts";
LD 1282 "An Act To Establish a Green New Deal for Maine";
LD 1416 "An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Right To Know Advisory Committee Concerning Freedom of Access Training for Public Officials";
LD 1455 "An Act To Change the Name of Township 17, Range 3 to Van Buren Cove";
LD 1468 "An Act To Enact the Maine Uniform Directed Trust Act";
LD 1491 "An Act To Establish the Maine Work Tax Credit";
LD 1505 "An Act To Amend the Marijuana Laws To Correct Inconsistencies in Recently Enacted Laws";
LD 1519 "An Act Concerning the Establishment of Benefit Corporations";
LD 1532 "An Act To Eliminate Single-use Plastic Carry-out Bags";
LD 1555 "An Act To Improve Highway Maintenance Safety";
LD 1576 "An Act To Improve the Department of Corrections' Response to Emergency Situations by Including Vehicles Operated by Certain Department Employees in the Definition of Authorized Emergency Vehicles";
LD 1592 "An Act To Allow the Dissolution of Regional School Units Composed of a Single Municipality";
LD 1601 "An Act To Amend the Laws Governing the Educators for Maine Program";
LD 1609 "An Act To Set Off Court Fines, Surcharges and Assessments against Lottery Winnings";
LD 1610 "Resolve, To Modify the Deed for a Parcel of Property in the Town of Carrabassett Valley";
LD 1637 "An Act To Prevent Medicaid Payment from a Savings Account Established under the Federal ABLE Act of 2014";
LD 1663 "An Act To Clarify Ranked-choice Voting Laws";
LD 1627 "An Act To Authorize the Use of Autocycles";
LD 1629 "An Act Regarding Future Evaluations of the Pine Tree Development Zone Program";
LD 1654 "An Act To Create Veteran-friendly Workplaces";
LD 1683 "An Act To Clarify the Definition of 'Consumer-owned Transmission and Distribution Utility'";
LD 1694 "An Act To Amend the Mental Health Insurance Coverage Laws";
LD 1697 "An Act Regarding the Timeliness of Payments to the State";
LD 1706 "An Act To Ensure Public Notification of Air Quality Violations";
LD 1717 "An Act To Clarify and Correct Maine's Fish and Wildlife Laws";
LD 1720 "An Act To Amend the So-called Dig Safe Law";
LD 1721 "An Act To Amend the Campaign Reports and Finances Laws and the Maine Clean Election Act";
LD 1729 "An Act To Create a Carrier License for Pelagic and Anadromous Fish";
LD 1735 "An Act To Clarify the Pathway for a Registered Dispensary under the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Act To Become a For-profit Entity";
LD 1740 "An Act To Clarify Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Laws Regarding Boating and Hunting Licensing";
LD 1743 "An Act To Reclassify Certain Waters of the State";
LD 1745 "An Act Regarding the Tagging and Sale of Shellfish";
LD 1753 "An Act Amending the Charter of the Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Community School District";
LD 1757 "An Act To Clarify Certain Standards for the Efficiency Maine Trust's Triennial Plan";
LD 1763 "An Act To Transfer Responsibility for Licensing of Land-based Aquaculture from the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to the Department of Marine Resources";
LD 1776 "An Act To Reduce the Membership of the Clean-up and Response Fund Review Board";
LD 1769 "An Act To Make Various Changes to the Motor Vehicle Laws";
LD 1773 "An Act To Clarify Bonding Authority for School Management and Leadership Centers";
LD 1782 "An Act To Amend the Motorcycle Rider Education and Driver Education Laws";
LD 1795 "An Act To Clarify Requirements for Assisted Living Programs Regarding Fire Safety Inspections";
LD 1796 "Resolve, To Study Transmission Grid Reliability and Rate Stability in Northern Maine";
LD 1789 "An Act To Restore the Authority of the Board of Environmental Protection";
LD 1800 "An Act To Modernize the E-9-1-1 Laws To Include Text Messaging and Other Methods of Contacting E-9-1-1";
LD 1803 "An Act To Update the Laws Regarding Death and Marriage Records";
LD 1807 "An Act To Amend Certain Laws Related to Members of the Military and the Maine National Guard";
LD 1816 "An Act To Ensure the Safety and Well-being of Infants Affected by Substance Exposure";
LD 1834 "An Act Regarding Prostitution."
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments