Maine Equal Justice's budget statement

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"While we are still learning the details of the Governor’s budget, it was heartening to hear the Governor acknowledge in her budget address last night that Maine people need better access to affordable child care, housing, health care, and education and training. We agree that these are 'investments in people' that benefit all of us.

As the governor acknowledged, Maine people are still facing historic levels of need from the pandemic. These include a housing shortage, huge built-up health care needs, and an uneven economy that is dramatically changing how families meet their day to day expenses. And Maine has significant federal funding on top of an $822 million revenue surplus that can smooth the road to economic and social recovery, making sure no families are left behind.

In the past two years Maine has also begun to address inequities that exist due to centuries of systemic racism. We are eager to see the budget and analyze how it makes further investments in racial equity and addresses these pressing needs with state resources. We call on the Governor and the legislature to ensure that Maine is a place where Black, Brown, Indigenous, and immigrant Mainers can thrive.

The Governor said that every day she is thankful that her administration expanded Medicaid on day one, respecting the will of Maine voters who enacted the law in 2017, which has extended health care to 90,000 people during the pandemic. We are too! This year Maine needs to finish the job: ensure that every Maine resident has access to affordable health care by closing the Medicaid gap that excludes many of our family, friends, and neighbors who are immigrants. Thanks to both the governor and the legislature, children and pregnant people regained coverage last year; many adults are still going without needed care and we can and need to fix that.

Maine faces a housing crisis that has only become more dire with the pandemic. While some steps have been taken to ensure that all Mainers have a safe and affordable place to live, we are nowhere near meeting the need, and every day, Mainers are experiencing homelessness, displacement from their communities, and a lack of safety and financial security. It is paramount that the Legislature now works to ensure that this budget includes targeted housing solutions, including incentives for zoning changes, that help Maine families with the lowest incomes.

This proposed budget is a starting point that the Legislature can and should build on to fund the investments Maine people are counting on to meet this moment, especially urgent housing and health care needs. Maine’s communities and workforce have great untapped potential, and we must invest in people to realize it. We have an opportunity to make sure everyone in Maine has an affordable and safe place to call home and the ability to get to the doctor and fill their prescriptions. We look forward to working together to ensure that this budget invests in all Maine people, addresses current inequities in our laws and policies, and leaves no one behind."

Maine Equal Justice hopes to see these priorities in the budget:

• LD 718: Last year, Governor Mills supported and the legislature approved access to MaineCare (Maine’s Medicaid program) for immigrants who are pregnant or under age 21. At a critical moment for public health and our economy, there is no reason we cannot close this health care gap for adults by funding LD 718.
• LD 473: Even before the pandemic, thousands of Maine households faced eviction, foreclosure, or homelessness, and the pandemic has made this problem tragically worse. LD 473 would provide financial help for up to 1,000 Maine households by creating a state-funded housing voucher program.
• LD 1326: Civil legal aid provides access to legal help for people to protect their livelihoods, their health, and their families when they cannot afford it on their own. LD 1326 would increase the state’s investment in civil legal aid by establishing a General Fund appropriation to the Maine Civil Legal Services Fund for the first time.