Health Insurance Exchanges Open

Starting yesterday, Mainers who do not have health insurance will be able to sign up for health insurance plans through the new health insurance exchange created by the Affordable Care Act.

These online marketplaces will allow you to compare plans and determine the best options for you and your family. The Maine Health Access Foundation has set up a fantastic resource to help you get started – Enroll 207.

If you need help enrolling, you can call Opportunity Alliance at 877-429-6884, orMaine’s designated consumer assistance program at 800-965-7476.

Last week, Speaker Mark Eves and I toured the University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Diagnostic Lab. The Insect and Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab was established in 1989 to farmers, businesses and communities across the state with plant disease and insect identification to support healthy agriculture.
Touring the lab illustrated that the building and program is bursting at the seams and does not meet the needs of today’s farmers and community members. When the legislature returns in January, we will attempt to get the Cooperative Extension’s lab project onto a bond proposal for voters to approve in 2014.
Before the tour, the Speaker and I met with the UMS Board of Trustees and Presidents. We had a great discussion about the future of higher education, the state’s role, and what we can do together to inspire more Maine students to further their education beyond high school.
Click here to learn more about the Diagnostic Lab Upgrade.

For the fourth year in a row, Forbes Magazine has ranked Maine the worst state to do business. According to the Forbes report, Maine’s poor rating is partially based on the state’s “lousy job and economic growth forecast.” According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Maine ranks dead last for job creation since 2010.

I have real concern with the Forbes ranking because the truth is, Maine is a great place to start or build a company. I’ve heard from entrepreneurs and business owners across our state touting their successes. At the same time, we have challenges to address, like our making our education system more accountable, filling the skills gap, and the high cost of health care.

One of the biggest concerns I’ve heard from business leaders is the self-inflicted damage from our Marketer-in-Chief. For three years, Governor LePage has been telling the world what a terrible place Maine is to do business — and that has an effect. Just like a CEO signals confidence or anxiety about the strength and direction of a company, the Governor signals to the rest of the country whether or not Maine is a good place to live, work, invest, and play.

We can do better. We must do better. We will do better, once we start working together to invest in our assets, lower our costs, and attract the best and brightest right here to Maine.

Click here to read more from the Bangor Daily News.

Task forces prepare final reports to the full Legislature and then policy committees get to work on their findings.

This year, we established several groups to work on issues of tax expenditure reform, nonprofit taxation, health insurance exchanges, corrections, the criminal code, cancer-related deaths, and the Riverview Psychiatric Facility.

Some of the groups have already started scheduling their Fall meetings

• Mon, Sep 16th, 8am: Tax Expenditure Review Task Force
• Mon, Sep 23rd, 9am: Maine Health Exchange Advisory Committee

Other committees will be scheduling more meetings in the coming weeks. I look forward to seeing their recommendations.

Eloise was sworn-in Thursday morning in a small ceremony in the Governor’s office, and took her seat for the special session we held. I look forward to working with Senator Vitelli over the next year-and-a-half.

There are also three education bonds totaling $35.5 million that will fund infrastructure upgrades to classroom and science labs at the University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System, and Maine Maritime Academy. The package also includes $14 million for armory maintenance and renovations

While Democrats had hoped to include needed investments in research and development, this package was the result of laborious compromise, and we have received a promise from the Governor and legislative Republicans to take up an R&D bond in January of next year.

The $149.5 million bond package will be on the ballot this November, and I encourage everyone to support these important investments.

Also on Thursday, the Legislature unanimously passed a bill to address some systemic problems at the Riverview Psychiatric Center. Recently, Riverview has come under fire from the federal government regarding Riverview’s response to safety concerns. Riverview was at risk of losing its certification and federal funding.
The bill, LD 1515 is a small step forward in addressing the problem. As passed, the measure expands a mental health unit at the Maine State Prison and formed a committee to develop a long-term fix to the problems at Riverview.

On Wednesday, voters across the city approved the supplemental school budget of $1.9 million for the next school year. These funds are available due to the work we did on the biennial budget to restore and increase funding to public schools.
The bulk of that money will go towards covering teacher retirement costs that were shifted from the state to cities and towns. In addition, Portland will restore eight positions that had been cut under the previously approved budget.

On Monday, the LePage Administration announced that the Department of Environmental Protection will seek to erode smog regulations in Maine. A quick primer about this policy: Maine was a leader in forming the 13-state regional pact to combat smog and improve air quality. The pact was based on the Clean Air Act, spearheaded by Senator Ed Muskie and in 1990, the Clean Air Act was amended and championed by Senator George Mitchell. As a result, the 13-state regional effort works to control cross-border ozone pollution.

The DEP’s proposed change would end a requirement that new or refitted plants meet the most stringent emission standards, also referred to as the lowest achievable emission rate. Additionally, the proposal seeks to eliminate the requirement that such plants compensate for their emissions by buying offsets on a regulated market.

These rule changes by the DEP were moving forward without consulting legislators and without a public hearing. The Speaker of the House and I wrote an open letter to Govenor LePage urging him and the Department of Environmental Protection to hold a public hearing to discuss the potential rule changes.

I am happy to report that our letter did just that and a public hearing will take place this fall.

Under the new program, the Property Tax Fairness Program, eligible Mainers will be able to claim property taxes as a credit on their income taxes, instead of having to complete a separate application. This new credit will be available starting in January 2014.

To qualify for the credit you must:

• Be a Maine resident for any part of 2013;
• Own or rent a home in Maine in 2013;
• Have an adjusted gross income of $40,000 or less; and
• Pay more than 10% of your adjusted gross income, or pay rent more than 40% of your adjusted gross income, toward property taxes

Mainers under the age of 70 may receive up to $300, and Mainers 70 and older may receive up to $400 through the credit.

Click here to read more

Wednesday morning marked the end of the First Regular Session of the 126th Legislature. With the exception of a day or two in September, the Legislature will not reconvene until next January.

Upon adjournment, my friend and colleague Senator Seth Goodall formally resigned his Senate seat to accept a Presidential appointment as the New England Administrator to the Small Business Administration.

When I was first elected to the State Senate, Senator Goodall was my seatmate, and as two young freshman, we learned the ropes together and became strong friends and allies. When I was elected President of the Senate, I was extremely proud to serve with Senator Goodall as Senate Majority Leader. While his moving on is a tremendous loss for the Senate, I know he will do great things with the Small Business Administration, and I wish him all of the best.

New Leadership in the Senate

Upon Senator Goodall’s resignation, his position as Senate Majority Leader became vacant. Senator Troy Jackson, then Assistant Majority Leader, was unanimously elected to serve as Majority Leader. I have enjoyed my time working with Senator Jackson, and I look forward to the next year-and-a-half fighting for Maine people.

With Senator Jackson’s advancement, his position was unanimously filled by my friend and colleague from Portland, Senator Anne Haskell. As many of you know, Senator Haskell represented Stroudwater and parts of central Portland in the House before being elected to the Senate last year.

Maine is well-served by the experience, commitment, and tireless advocacy of Senators Jackson and Haskell. We have a team of leaders who will continue fighting for the very things important to Mainers, like improving our economy, getting people back to work, a strong public education system, and affordable health care.

Budget Veto Override

On Wednesday, legislators took the most important vote of the session: the budget veto override. In bipartisan votes, in both the House and Senate, legislators overwhelmingly rejected the governor’s veto of our bipartisan budget.

Through months of hard work and cooperation, the Legislature developed a budget that is balanced and responsible. It restores nearly two-thirds of the governor’s proposed $400 million property tax shift, while increasing funding for education and restoring prescription drug support for seniors.

In order to fund these essential programs and services, Democrats and Republicans came together to close $40 million in corporate tax loopholes, and Democrats accepted the Republican proposal to temporarily increase the sales tax by half a penny and the meals & lodging tax by one percent for two years.

By overriding this veto, we avoided a catastrophic state shutdown, which has not happened in over twenty years. A shutdown would have indefinitely put thousands of hard-working, middle-class Mainers out of work and would have suspended critical state services, like driver’s license renewals and state park maintenance.

As I have said before, this budget is not perfect, but it is a workable solution that keeps thousands of middle-class Mainers employed while ensuring vital state operations continue. This budget and our veto override speak to the spirit of Maine — cooperation and compromise always win over cynicism and irresponsibility.

Budget Veto Threat

Yesterday, the Governor announced his intention to veto the two-year budget the legislature approved. The budget was the product of months of good, bipartisan work, and the Governor refuses to support it.

Governor LePage’s proposal for a two-month budget is unconstitutional, as confirmed by the Attorney General. The state needs a two-year budget approved by July 1st, 2013 to keep our state running. I am working with my colleagues in the legislature to override the Governor’s eventual veto and ensure Maine stays on the right track.

Click here to read more from the Bangor Daily News.

This Sunday, June 9th, Portland will host the 40th Annual Old Port Fest, a fantastic event that brings thousands of people to downtown Portland. There will be a kick-off parade starting at 11am at the top of Exchange Street, and festivities will continue into the evening. The Old Port Fest is always a great time, and I hope to see you there!

Click here for the details.