Maine Equal Justice has a dedicated team working long hours at the State House each year. Our goal, working alongside all of you, is to ensure the voices of people with low income are represented in our laws–especially our state’s budget! Maine’s budget is one of the most important ways we come together as a state–whether we live in Fort Kent or Kittery, whether we’re old or young, or whether we’re black, white, or brown.
The responsible investments Maine has made in recent years have helped more people afford health care, food, homes and build brighter futures across the state. These are investments that Maine people have asked for and strongly support.
Now, the legislature has finally voted on a budget bill (the budget passed along party lines with Democrats in the House and Senate supporting many of our priorities), and Governor Mills has signed it into law. The Appropriations Committee also decided to fund some bills from the Special Appropriations Table, and those bills headed to the Governor’s desk on June 25. We want to share what happened to the priorities we all worked so hard on, and what having them funded (or not) will mean for all of us.
Housing
- What happened? The legislature increased funds for General Assistance (GA) by $2 million (ongoing), added $8 million in one-time funding, and rejected harmful time limits that were in the Governor’s proposed budget. This funding closes a budget gap of $10 million and supports municipalities that are lawfully administering the program.
What does it mean? GA is our state’s program of last resort when there’s an emergency need for food, medicine, or housing that is not met by other programs. Planned spending on General Assistance needs to keep up as the cost of living (especially rent) rises, and now the legislature has done that for the first time in more than a decade. -
What happened? LD 1522, the Eviction Prevention Program, was not funded in order to extend it for two more years.
What does it mean? We’re heartbroken that because of this loss in funding, more than 1,000 Maine households who face eviction because of rapidly rising rents may lose their homes, their economic stability, or both. MEJ and housing allies will keep working to pass the EPP bill, LD 1522, sponsored by Rep. Ambureen Rana, which has been “carried over” until 2026. In the meantime, the successful pilot program has stopped accepting applications for rent relief. A national housing group will look at the results of the pilot and we believe it will help make a strong case for renewing the program. - What happened? Legislators provided about $4.5 million in one-time funding for emergency shelters.
What does it mean? Emergency shelters provide vital support to people who have lost their home - they’re both a safe place to stay and can help Mainers find a new home. While the emergency shelter system will require additional funding in 2027 and future years, this one-time spending will help stabilize an essential housing resource.
Income and educational opportunity
- What happened? A change to Maine’s Child Tax Credit that will double the credit (from $300 to $600) for kids under six passed!
What does it mean? Families with taxable income below $150k per year will see their state Child Tax Credit equivalent double for each child under six years old in their household. This will boost incomes for over 47,000 families. More than 67,500 children live in households who will now get this doubled credit, according to the nonpartisan tax policy group ITEP! - What happened? The legislature rejected harmful cuts ($5 million over two years) proposed in Gov. Mills’ budget to state-funded SNAP (food assistance) and TANF (income support) for certain immigrants with work authorization who are looking for jobs.
What does it mean? These programs help Maine immigrant families and individuals put food on their tables and pay for essentials to live. Thanks to legislators, immigrants working to build a new life in Maine (and a brighter future for us all) will continue to have access to these critical programs. - What happened? The legislature protected Head Start (Gov. Mills’ budget proposed cutting $7.2 million) and programs that support access to child care, like better pay for child care workers through the Child Care Wage Supplement (proposed cut of $30 million) and the Child Care Employment Award (proposed $5 million elimination).
What does it mean? Families can continue to access Head Start, which we’ve seen helps both families and children with low-incomes to find greater financial stability all their lives. Maine will keep supporting our child care centers, so that parents can work also.
Health care
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What happened? The legislature funded $41,000 each year to help the state administer LD 1937, a bill to strengthen Maine’s “free care” law. Free care or charity care helps low-income and uninsured Mainers access health services at hospitals without crushing medical debt.
What does it mean? More Mainers without insurance or with unaffordable plans will be able to access hospital free care programs across the state or be provided with fair payment plans.
Legal aid
- What happened? Civil legal aid groups, including Maine Equal Justice, received one-time funding of $3 million, less than the ongoing $4 million legal aid providers asked for.
What does it mean? This provides important funding for services in the coming year. Unless lawmakers add more funding in a future supplemental budget, civil legal aid programs will face cuts over the next two years. We’ll keep advocating for a budget that closes Maine’s ‘justice gap’ so that anyone in Maine facing eviction, domestic violence, benefit denials, and other critical legal needs will be able to have legal advice or representation–regardless of their income.
What’s outside the budget picture frame
After some close votes, the legislature missed the boat on passing bills to raise revenues on the very wealthy and corporations, which would have allowed Maine to fully fund urgent needs like rent relief (the Eviction Prevention Program). These revenue bills included: LD 229 (increase income taxes on higher earners while giving 70% of Mainers a tax cut), LD 1089 (raise taxes on those with incomes over $1 million a year), and LD 1879 (increase taxes for the most profitable corporations in Maine). If you’d like to speak up for fair revenue bills, the Mainers for Tax Fairness coalition (of which MEJ is a member!) has many options!
Even though the legislature is finished for this year, lawmakers are still watching and waiting to see what may happen in Washington, D.C. with reconciliation and other spending bills. If there are big cuts to programs like SNAP or Medicaid, then Maine, like other states, will be asked to pick up the bill. We’re also asking Maine people to reach out to our Members of Congress to oppose taking food, health care, or other essentials away!
Other MEJ priority bills have become law but didn’t need to be funded as part of the budget, including:
✅ Peer Workforce Navigator (PWN) Program: LD 1956, sponsored by Sen. Peggy Rotundo, passed! This helps Maine people connect with education opportunities for good jobs through the Competitive Skills Scholarship Program (CSSP), and means the work started by the pilot Maine's Peer Workforce Navigator Project can continue well into the future!
✅ Medical Debt Protection: LD 558, sponsored by Sen. Donna Bailey, also passed! It prohibits reporting of medical debt to credit agencies, which in the past has hurt Mainers’ chances for employment, housing, and economic mobility.
Curious about other parts of the budget? Our partners at Maine Center for Economic Policy have many of them broken down right here. Or you can reach out to me at Kathy at kathy@mejp.org.
