AUGUSTA—The Senate enacted a Democratic-led measure to restore $40 million in funding to Maine’s towns and cities to ensure towns can continue providing essential services and keep property taxes down.

“Today many lawmakers sent a message back home: we will keep our promises. Passing this measure and keeping our promise is the responsible thing to do for our community and the property taxpayers of Maine,” said Senate President Justin Alfond of Portland.

Town officials have been outspoken about the harm to communities and strain on local budgets if this measure isn’t passed by the Legislature. Maine towns stand to lose an average of nearly 62 percent* of state funding for their local budgets if revenue sharing is not restored.

More than half of Maine towns have either just begun their fiscal year or will do so while the Legislature is in session; other towns are facing a June deadline. The towns of Scarborough and Pittsfield have both adopted resolutions in support of the measure.

Governor LePage has crusaded against revenue sharing. Last year, he proposed to eliminate revenue sharing in his budget. In December, Governor LePage doubled down on his threat to eliminate revenue sharing to towns and went so far as to call revenue sharing “welfare.” And earlier this month, Governor LePage issued a new threat to hold back bond investments if the Legislature passed the measure. He’s also made it well known to lawmakers and the press that he will veto the measure, if passed.

According to state law, revenue sharing is funded by the state’s collection of sales and income taxes and must be used to offset local property taxes. For the past several years, revenue sharing to towns has steadily decreased, even though state revenues have increased. This year alone, funding dropped from $98 million to $65 million, even lower than the state’s share in 1994.

“It is a priority for us in the Legislature to keep our word to towns across Maine so that property taxes on homeowners and businesses don’t rise and essential services like police and fire departments and schools are not cut,” said Senator Dawn Hill, the Senate Chair of the Appropriations Committee and co-sponsor of the bill.

The measure passed by the Legislature funds revenue sharing by tapping $21 million from dollars reserved for critical purposes, $4 million by drawing down dollars from a GOP-initiated account reserved for tax breaks for the wealthy, and $15 million from new revenue, meaning revenue that was above December’s reprojection and is unappropriated.

Despite the false claims made by some Republicans, two representatives from Moody’s and S&P have said utilizing monies from the budget stabilization fund would not lower the state’s credit rating.

The measure LD 1762, passed in the Senate earlier this week with a vote of 33—2 and the House passed it 114-21 last week.

AUGUSTA –Tuesday morning, the House voted 92-45 to override Governor LePage’s veto of a measure sponsored by Senate President Justin Alfond to help feed hungry students by increasing participation in the federal Summer Food Services Program.

“This is a victory for Maine students. The Legislature stood together in helping potentially thousands of hungry students all across Maine during the summer time,” said President Alfond of Portland. “Our students are Maine’s future and it’s critical we give every student the opportunity to thrive all year around.”

The House vote comes two days after the Senate voted 25 to 10 to override Governor LePage’s veto.

The measure requires eligible schools (schools with more than half of their students qualifying for free or reduced price lunches that hold summer activities) take advantage of the Summer Food Services Program, a federal program administered by the USDA. The federal program reimburses school districts for 100% of the cost of food for a summer food program, and schools can opt out of the program if they cannot find a partner organization such as a church, civic organization, nonprofit, or other school or if the cost is too great.

About 20 percent of children in Maine are food insecure, and USDA research has shown that households with children experience an increase in food insecurity during the summer.

More than 84,000 Maine children qualify for free and reduced-price school meals through the National School Lunch Program. According to the Food Research and Action Center, Maine’s summer food participation rate is 16.5%, meaning more than 70,000 qualified children in Maine did not have access to a summer meal through a summer food program. According to the USDA, Maine has the 3rd highest rate of food insecurity in the nation, up from 7th last year, with one in five Maine children experiencing food insecurity.

The bill will become law ninety days after the Legislature adjourns sine die.

This is the seventh veto of Governor LePage’s that the legislature has overridden. In January, the Legislature overrode Governor LePage’s veto of a bill to help people quit smoking. Last year, the Legislature overrode Governor LePage’s veto of the state’s two-year budget, as well as vetoes of a comprehensive omnibus energy bill, a measure to provide funding to the STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) Council of Maine, a bill adjusting fees for county registries of deeds, and a bill to require warrants for cell phone tracking.

AUGUSTA—In a vote of 33-2, Senate Democrats led the charge to approve a measure restoring $40 million in funding to Maine’s towns and cities to ensure towns can continue providing essential services and keep property taxes down.

“Towns across our state have financially stretched budgets. They came to us with a problem that needed to be solved. Towns across our state, regardless of political affiliation, wholeheartedly support this measure because they know the state should and must keep its promise,” said Senate President Justin Alfond. “In this business, you have to stand up and be accountable to the property taxpayers of your town. Passing this measure and keeping our promise is the responsible thing to do.”

Town officials have been outspoken about the harm to communities and strain on local budgets if this measure isn’t passed by the Legislature. Maine towns stand to lose an average of nearly 62 percent* of state funding for their local budgets if revenue sharing is not restored.

“Last year we all worked across the aisle to make a promise to our towns; we pledged our best effort. We made a promise to towns to ensure good schools, police to ensure safety, and skilled firefighters. Now is not the time to upend all of that work,” said Senator Dawn Hill, the Senate Chair of the Appropriations Committee and co-sponsor of the bill. “Restoring these funds will ensure our towns don’t have to raise property taxes or further reduce essential services like public safety or education, or do both.”

More than half of Maine towns have either just begun their fiscal year or will do so while the Legislature is in session; other towns are facing a June deadline. The towns of Scarborough and Pittsfield have both adopted resolutions in support of the measure.

“There’s been an outpouring of positive response from the people in my district. People back home call us ‘Augusta.’ They don’t differentiate between Democrats and Republicans, or the House and the Senate. They depend on us to do right for their towns, no matter our party or where we serve,” said Senator Jim Boyle of Gorham, who also represents part of Westbrook and part of Scarborough.

Governor LePage has crusaded against revenue sharing. Last year, he proposed to eliminate revenue sharing in his budget. In December, Governor LePage doubled down on his threat to eliminate revenue sharing to towns and went so far as to call revenue sharing “welfare.” And earlier this month, Governor LePage issued a new threat to hold back bond investments if the Legislature passed the measure. He’s also made it well known to lawmakers and the press that he will veto the measure, if passed.

“Once again, Governor LePage is threatening to hold Maine’s economy hostage if he doesn’t get his way,” said Senate Majority Leader Troy Jackson of Allagash. “Today, the Senate sent a message that we will not be held hostage. We will stand up for our towns and cities and keep our funding promise.”

According to state law, revenue sharing is funded by the state’s collection of sales and income taxes and must be used to offset local property taxes. For the past several years, revenue sharing to towns has steadily decreased, even though state revenues have increased. This year alone, funding dropped from $98 million to $65 million, even lower than the state’s share in 1994.

The measure passed by the Legislature funds revenue sharing by tapping $21 million from dollars reserved for critical purposes, $4 million by drawing down dollars from a GOP-initiated account reserved for tax breaks for the wealthy, and $15 million from new revenue, meaning revenue that was above December’s reprojection and is unappropriated.

Despite the false claims made by some Republicans, two representatives from Moody’s and S&P have said utilizing monies from the budget stabilization fund would not lower the state’s credit rating.

The House initially approved the bill, LD 1762, last week in a 114-21 vote and passed it again under the hammer earlier today. The measure will now be sent back to the House for further votes.

AUGUSTA–This morning, the Senate voted 25-10 to override Governor LePage’s veto of a bill to feed hungry students by increasing participation in the federal Summer Food Services Program.

“This is a victory for Maine students. This bill will help thousands of hungry students all across Maine perform better in school because they will have access to food in the summertime,” said Senate President Justin Alfond of Portland, the sponsor of the bill.

More than 84,000 Maine children qualify for free and reduced-price school meals through the National School Lunch Program, but only 14,000 have access to a summer food program.

“I believe that all my fellow Senators, whether you’ve experienced it personally or not, know in your hearts that no child deserves to go hungry. No child should be blamed for being poor,” said Senator Chris Johnson of Somerville. “I
also know as a member of the Education Committee, and of an RSU Board, that it’s not too much to ask schools to have a conversation about whether to have a summer food service program. I say conversation, because that is all this bill requires. There is no mandate. If a school finds the administrative costs to burdensome, or cannot find a partner organization, they can simply opt out.”

The measure requires eligible schools (schools with more than half of their students qualifying for free or reduced price lunches that hold summer activities) take advantage of the Summer Food Services Program, a federal program administered by the USDA. The federal program reimburses school districts for 100% of the cost of food for a summer food program, and schools can opt out of the program if they cannot find a partner organization such as a church, civic organization, nonprofit, or other school or if the cost is too great.

“Early in my career, I worked as a Head Start teacher and saw firsthand the connection between a good breakfast or lunch and the readiness to learn,” said Senator Eloise Vitelli of Arrowsic. ”If we want our children to fulfill their potential, it is crucial that we provide them with a strong foundation. We need to feed our children’s bodies, minds, and souls.”

About 20 percent of children in Maine are food insecure, and USDA research has shown that households with children experience an increase in food insecurity during the summer.

“There are more than 3,000 children in my district who are eligible to receive food from the summer food program. At a time when more families are struggling to make ends meet and more children are hungry, it is irresponsible and unconscionable of us not to do everything we can to reduce student hunger,” said Senator Colleen Lachowicz of Waterville.

Maine now has the third highest rate of hunger in the country, up from seventh just last year.

“When children don’t get enough nutritious food, they fall behind physically, cognitively, academically, emotionally, and socially,” said Senator Rebecca Millett of Cape Elizabeth. “This bill offers a cost effective way to help ensure 70,000 Maine children have a better chance to start the school year on the same footing as their peers – sharp, curious, and ready to learn.”

This is the seventh veto of Governor LePage’s that the Senate has overridden. In January, the Legislature overrode Governor LePage’s veto of a bill to help people quit smoking. Last year, the Legislature overrode Governor LePage’s veto of the state’s two-year budget, as well as vetoes of a comprehensive omnibus energy bill, a measure sponsored by Senator Emily Cain of Orono to provide funding to the STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) Council of Maine, a bill adjusting fees for county registries of deeds, and a bill to require warrants for cell phone tracking.

The bill, LD 1353, “An Act To Further Reduce Student Hunger,” will now be sent to the House for an override vote.

AUGUSTA – On Thursday morning, a measure allowing Maine businesses to sell securities as a means to raise start-up capital while maintaining Maine’s strong consumer and investor protection laws received initial approval from the Senate.

“Maine is a great place to start a business and, with this bill, we have a unique opportunity to support entrepreneurs, increase investing opportunities for more Maine people, and be a national leader in turning ideas into jobs,” said President Alfond. “This bill takes the innovative model developed by online crowd funding websites and brings it to the next level.”

Under the proposed measure, any Maine-based business interested in crowd investing can register with the Office of Securities and sell small amounts of equity to individual investors, with a maximum investment per person of $5,000. The business would set a target amount to raise, of no more than $1,000,000, and a hard deadline to raise it by. If the business owners do not raise the target amount by the set deadline, all of the contributed money is returned to the investors.

President Alfond added, “By allowing and encouraging small-scale investment in companies, Mainers tell the world, if you have a vision and a plan, we want to support you and help your business grow.”

The bill, LD 1512, “An Act To Increase Funding for Start-ups,” now moves to the House for its initial approval and will return to the Senate for enactment.

AUGUSTA — Governor Paul LePage delivered tired messages and divisive policy proposals that would harm the middle class and stunt income equality on Tuesday rather than using his State of the State address to offer productive solutions for Maine.

LePage resuscitated and repackaged policies that would drive down wages and undercut Maine workers and continued to make excuses for denying health care to tens of thousands of Mainers, including nearly 3,000 veterans, while attempting to spin Maine’s lagging economic growth.

“Maine needed to hear real solutions from Governor LePage. Instead, he offered the same old ideas that have already failed our state,” said Senate President Justin Alfond of Portland. “Maine needs a blueprint to grow our economy and instead Governor LePage offered pages from his divisive political playbook. Maine deserves better than bad policy and political rhetoric.”

While other New England states have fully recovered all of the jobs lost during the recession, Maine has recovered only one-third of the jobs –ranking third-worst among states, according to the non-partisan Maine Center for Economic Policy Center.

“We were hoping to hear a positive vision to move our state forward and create opportunity for all, but instead Governor LePage rolled out divisive and failed policies that will only hurt our economy and our people,” said Speaker of the House Mark Eves of North Berwick. “He continued to make the same old excuses to deny life-saving health care to tens of thousands of Mainers, including nearly 3,000 veterans. We know the consequences of not accepting federal health care dollars are deadly. Plus, we are losing out on more than $700,000 per day to create jobs and stimulate our economy – that’s more than $24 million in the last month alone.”

A new study in Health Affairs found that if Maine does not accept the federal government’s deal to expand access to health care, more than 900 Mainers will have to suffer catastrophic medical expenses and nearly 2,000 Mainers will have uncontrolled diabetes.

Governor LePage also continued to advocate for right-to-work policies, even though states with so-called “right to work” laws have higher poverty rates and higher rates of workplace deaths, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“Right to work isn’t what it sounds like. It’s shorthand for driving down wages so hardworking Mainers earn less–$1,500 less in fact. That’s the wrong way to treat Maine workers,” said Senate Majority Leader Troy Jackson of Allagash. “We need a leader who will focus on how to shrink the income inequality not divide it further. Maine deserves a leader who will hold up the ladder of opportunity, not yank it up behind him, leaving the working poor with little to no opportunities.”

Governor LePage also proposed a ballot initiative to drastically cut taxes and state spending, similar to the TABOR initiatives rejected by Maine voters in 2006 and 2009.

“How many times does Maine have to say no to TABOR? This is nothing more than TABOR 3.0,“ said House Majority Leader Seth Berry of Bowdoinham. “Maine needs a fair tax code. Instead, Governor LePage wants to cut services and hike property taxes for the middle class yet again.”

Governor LePage continued his attacks on anti-poverty programs that help struggling families.

Nearly one in four children under the age of five now lives in poverty in Maine, an increase from the previous year, and almost 85,000 children are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches.

“While Governor LePage puts down struggling Mainers, Maine children are going to bed at night with empty tummies,” said Assistant House Majority Leader Jeff McCabe of Skowhegan. “It’s unacceptable that one in four of Maine children is hungry, and Governor LePage has failed to offer any solutions.”

Finally, Governor LePage proposed additional law enforcement resources to combat Maine’s drug problem, but failed to offer support for treatment programs.

“Governor LePage doesn’t realize we can’t arrest our way out of Maine’s drug problem,” said Assistant Senate Majority Leader Anne Haskell of Portland. “Law enforcement cannot do this alone; we need to address addiction by treating it as the disease it is or Maine will continue to lose.”

Substance abuse cost Maine $1.4 billion in 2010, up 56 percent from 2005, but spending on substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery accounted for only a small fraction of that cost.

Hello. I’m Senate President Justin Alfond.

Tonight, Governor Paul LePage will deliver the State of the State to the Legislature and to the people of Maine.

For those of you who listen tonight, you may agree with what the Governor has outlined. Or you may not.

But one thing all of us, as Mainers, agree on is that we want to live in a state that prospers.

We want to know that our children will have a more secure and brighter future than our own.

We want to know that our parents, as they age in to their twilight years, can do so with dignity.

We want to know that if we work hard, we can pay our bills and put away money for our future.

We know what a growing, and prosperous economy looks like.

It’s an economy where our small businesses are thriving and innovating, with access to capital, and a skilled workforce;

It’s where our kids get an exceptional education from our public schools–from pre-K to college and beyond;

And where they choose to stay in Maine because the opportunities that lie ahead of them exist right here-in Maine.

It’s where families don’t live in fear that mounting medical bills will lead to bankruptcy or the loss of their home.

And it’s where the Maine economy is leveraging our competitive advantages–like our cities and town centers, our working forests, farms and coastland to attract people and new businesses.

Mainers have a long history of prospering. And we can do it again.

But we’ve got some work to do.

The number of families who are living in poverty and homeless is rising more than ever before.

In fact, and sadly, one in four children in Maine is hungry–it’s the third highest rate of child hunger in the nation. That’s unacceptable.

Our economy is still lagging behind the rest of our New England neighbors and job growth is nearly stagnant.

While our New England neighbors have regained ALL of their jobs lost during the recession, Maine has only regained one-third.

We can do better than that.

As lawmakers you put us in charge to make the tough choices and come up with solutions to these challenges. And you’re right: it’s up to us.

Inevitably there are those places where we may not find agreement–whether it’s providing health care to 70,000 Mainers, including 3,000 veterans through MaineCare expansion or keeping our funding promise to Maine’s towns and cities through revenue sharing.

There’s plenty of room for disagreement but when political rhetoric trumps good policy, no one wins. We were sent to Augusta to serve the people of Maine.

It’s been said before: no one party has the monopoly on good ideas. And, it’s true. The people of Maine don’t care if it’s a Democratic idea or a Republican idea, they want solutions.

We must work together to find those areas of common ground. Areas where we can work together–with our Republican colleagues and with the Governor to move our state forward.

Thank you for listening. This is Senate President Justin Alfond of Portland.

AUGUSTA – Top Democratic leaders in the State Legislature issued the following statement on the budget-writing committee’s vote yesterday to restore municipal revenue sharing cuts.

“Since day one, Democrats have made clear that keeping our promise to our towns was a top priority and one that we would address with urgency. On Monday afternoon, we told Republican leaders in no uncertain terms that we would vote on a bill to keep that promise,” said Speaker of the House Mark Eves of North Berwick. “We have an obligation to the towns we represent and our constituents to prevent spiking property tax hikes and cuts to schools and public safety.”

Under the LePage administration, state revenues have increased, but aid to towns, or revenue sharing funds to towns, has plummeted. If the Legislature does not blunt these proposed cuts, aid to towns will decline by 79 percent by 2015.

“Towns across our state are financially stretched. They came to us with a problem that needed to be solved. This measure to restore $40 million in revenue sharing was wholeheartedly supported by towns across our state, regardless of political affiliation. Democratic committee members proudly took their vote yesterday; a vote that keeps the state’s 40 year promise and will help prevent massive property tax spikes and cuts to essential services,” said Senate President Justin Alfond. “In this business, you have to stand up and be counted. And the Republicans didn’t do that. Worse, they lied. We expect to have policy disagreements but not this: they have disparaged the integrity of many hard working lawmakers and we cannot sit quietly as they attempt to do so. Mainers are counting on us to work together and do better.”

AUGUSTA—On Wednesday, Senate President Justin Alfond’s measure to make college more affordable and increase degree attainment for Maine students, received strong support during a public hearing in front of the Legislature’s Education Committee.

“Every year the cost of college goes up and its putting a financial burden on students and their families,” said President Alfond. “This trend of rising college costs is preventing many Maine students from completing their college degree. When students who are starting out are saddled with more debt than they can expect to make in a year, the pathway for affording college is less clear.”

The measure directs the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee to explore several options and determine the best option for Maine students that will both decrease the cost of higher education and the way college is paid for, including options that guarantee tuition, increases funding for the State of Maine Grant Program, and Oregon’s “Pay It Forward” model.

The measure received support from the Maine State Chamber, the University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System, the Maine Educational Loan Authority, and the Maine Youth Caucus, among others.

“I know firsthand the benefits of a strong education and believe that while college may not be for everyone, no one should miss out on this opportunity because of cost or uncertainty,” said Senator Rebecca Millett of Cape Elizabeth, a co-sponsor of the measure, who also serves as Senate Chair of the Education Committee.

Statistics show that the average debt for Maine college students had jumped 25% since 2008 to $29,352–putting Maine at the 7th highest debt per student in the nation.

Millett added, “Many Mainers recognize the importance of a college degree in a changing, competitive 21st century economy. In the next 14 months, Maine jobs requiring postsecondary degrees are expected to grow seven times faster than jobs that do not require such qualifications. But while more jobs are requiring a college degree, financing that degree is increasingly difficult.”

L.D. 1703, “An Act to Increase College Affordability and the Rate of Degree Completion” will have its work session in the coming weeks.

“Whether the issue is income inequality, job creation, strengthening the economy, or workforce development, the nexus for each of these is degree affordability and attainment” said President Alfond in his testimony. “While it may be a heavy lift, I’m confident that we have the will and determination, and the tools and guidance, to solve this issue together–so that we can help the thousands of Mainers facing barriers to degree completion and degree affordability. The time to act is now.”