PORTLAND—Senate President Justin Alfond, a Portland Democrat, will moderate a panel of experts regarding the Health Insurance Marketplace established under the Affordable Care Act on Wednesday December 4, 2013 at 7:00 p.m., in the Talbot Lecture Hall at the University of Southern Maine in Portland. Panelists include Ray Hurd, Regional Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service;  Kevin Lewis, CEO of Maine Community Health Options (MCHO); and Kristine Ossenfort, Director of Government Relations for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine. MCHO and Anthem are two insurance companies operating in the marketplace.

WHO: Senate President Justin Alfond; Ray Hurd, Regional Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; Kevin Lewis, CEO of Maine Community Health Options; and Kristine Ossenfort, Director of Government Relations for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine.

WHAT: Health Insurance Marketplace Consumer Forum

WHEN: Wednesday, December 4, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.

WHERE: Talbot Lecture Hall, University of Southern Maine, 92 Bedford St, Portland.

LD 1835, sponsored by Assistant Senate Minority Leader Justin Alfond, D-Portland, affects the Disproportionate Tax Burden Fund, commonly known as “revenue sharing 2.”

Currently, all municipalities receive a set percentage of revenue sharing from the state from sales taxes and other fees that helps pay for local services. Revenue sharing 2 kicks in for cities and towns that have a property tax rate that exceeds 10 mills.

A mill is equal to $1 of tax per $1,000 of property value. In other words, a homeowner in a town with a mill rate of 10 would pay $2,000 in taxes on a $200,000 home.

Alfond said his bill would restore the revenue sharing 2 portion of the tax code to its original intent by increasing the threshold from 10 mills to the statewide average mill rate, currently 11.76.

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Click here to read more from the Bangor Daily News.

The State of Maine just recently finished a new priority competitive request for proposal for new major capital improvement. Seventy-one schools applied for the opportunity to replace one or more schools in their district (see list here). Five Portland schools applied (Hall, Longfellow, Reiche, Presumpscot, and Lyseth). Hall received the most points based on many catagories and finished 12th overall. The Maine Department of Education identified six schools to be funded in this round. It is very unlikely that Portland will receive any state funding for major capital improvements.

On a brighter side, the State also has a school revolving renovation fund (SRRF). The State is poised to announce that the fund has $10-12 million available and requests for proposals will be open again this spring. Hopefully Portland will submit strong SRRF proposals. The SRRF was created by Maine Legislative action in 1998. SRRF was established in order to provide funding assistance to School Administrative Units (SAUs) to ensure that Maine’s students have a safe, healthy, and appropriate learning environment. The SRRF provides assistance where SAUs have identified needs in the areas of health and safety, building systems, learning space upgrades and small-scale capital improvements.

Hike, Ski, or Ski Bradbury to Pineland – 2-4 p.m., Friday, March 2. Sponsored by the Royal River Conservation Trust (207-632-6112), participants will explore the new trail from the State Park to Pineland Farms. Variable trips to match the interests of participants. The group will meet at the Tryon Mountain trailhead in Pownal, on Lawrence Road 1 mile north of the intersection of Elmwood and Lawrence roads.
Winter Hike/Snowshoe with the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club – 10 a.m., Saturday, March 3. Participants should bring their own gear. A limited number of rental snowshoes are available for $5 per half-day.

Bradbury Blizzard Snowshoe Race – 11:00 am, Sunday, March 4.
Pre-registration is required; spectators welcome.

Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park
426 Wolf Neck Road, Freeport, ME 04032, FMI: (207) 865-4465

Wabanaki Nature Legends – 2 p.m., Saturday, March 3. A short walk on the White Pines Trail with stops for stories based on Wabanaki Legends.

Winter Steamer Dig – 2 p.m. Sunday, March 4. Try your hand at digging steamer clams!

Please send your responses to Justin@JustinAlfond.com. Thank you in advance for your help!

1) Your name
2) Name of Business
3) What’s happened with your insurance premium in the last year? Did it go up or down?  By how much?
4) When did you get your most recent insurance quote?
5) Was the quote for the same number of employees as last year? If not, do you have more or fewer employees?  How many?
6) Have the ages of your employees changed significantly in the last year?  Are they older or younger?
7) When you received your most recent quote, did you change the
way you handle health insurance at your business?

“Small businesses are making real difference in turning things around in Maine,” Senator Alfond said. “They have brought new jobs to the area in a tough economy.”

At the Wednesday event, about 200 people attended the Portland Development Corporation’s 16th annual business awards ceremony where the Greater Portland Convention and Visitors Bureau, the VIA Agency, and Planet Dog were honored as being outstanding small businesses.  Planet Dog received the 2011 Small Business of the Year award. Planet Dog,
which was founded in 1997, was cited for its support of local initiatives and donations to a wide variety of causes.

On Thursday, local spa Akari hosted an event where the Small Business Administration announced that Bangor Savings Bank was the largest provider of loans to small businesses in Maine , lending $14,889,050 in loans to 68 new or existing businesses.

In the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2011, Maine banks granted 393 SBA loans totaling $79 million to small businesses statewide. The SBA’s definition of a small business is one employing less than 500 workers. According to 2008 data, there are 147,484 small businesses in Maine, accounting for 59.7% of private-sector jobs in the state.

One of those small businesses is Akari, a beauty and wellness salon located in the heart of the Old Port. Access to SBA loans has helped Akari owner Allan Labos renovate a former bank building on Middle Street and significantly expand his services. The 3-story salon and day spa offers hundreds of loyal customers beauty, wellness and medi spa
services, along with a clothing boutique and elegant bistro. Akari currently employs 50 individuals.

For more information contact Senator Alfond’s office at 287-1515

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• Cuts in General Assistance: Governor LePage’s budget proposes a reduction in reimbursement for general assistance from 90% to 75%. This change would shift $1,260,000 of costs to Portland’s local property tax payers for the next two years. In 2010, over 4,300 Portland residents were granted support through General Assistance. The General Assistant program spent $6,346,125 in 2010, with 92% of the assistance covering food and shelter. To read more about Portland’s General Assistance program, click here.

On November 23rd, I went to Deering High School for the annual District 3 City Council annual meeting. The meeting drew well over 50 people as we discussed issues around: disorderly homes, traffic speeds, trash and leaves pickup, Capisic Pond Park, construction park update, and many other topics. Thank you to all the residents of District 3 who care so deeply for their neighborhoods.