Maine’s Economy An Outcry for Payday Lending Reform When MECEP joined a dozen nonprofit labor, business, senior, economic justice, and community organizations from Maine to call for stronger federal consumer protections against predatory payday lenders, […] Jody Harris Posted October 18, 2016 Tags Consumer Protection, Federal
Education, Taxes and Budget Demystifying Maine’s school funding formula to show how Question 2 will move our students to the head of the class Question 2 on this November’s ballot increases revenue for education by $159 million a year. The state would distribute revenue raised through the existing state funding formula, […] Sarah Austin Posted October 17, 2016 Tags Education, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Education, Maine’s Economy, Taxes and Budget New MECEP report: Question 2 will raise more than $150 million annually to invest in student learning On November 8, Maine voters will consider Question 2, a ballot initiative that would roll back recent tax breaks for the wealthy and dedicate this revenue to […] Mark Sullivan Posted September 20, 2016 Tags Education, Revenue, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Health Care Mounting evidence reinforces the case for accepting federal funds to improve health care access and affordability in Maine Several recent studies and analyses of the 31 states that have accepted federal money to increase access to health care demonstrate the continued benefits of doing so. […] James Myall Posted September 6, 2016 Tags Federal, Health Care, Medicaid
Education, Health Care Faster internet speeds, wider availability would boost Maine’s economy If it took a while for your internet service provider (ISP) to load this page onto your computer, you’re not alone. Maine has some of the slowest […] James Myall Posted August 31, 2016 Tags Economy, Education, Health Care, Infrastructure
Jobs and Income Increasing the minimum wage to $12 will raise the annual pay of 93,000 Maine women by an average of $3,200 This November, Mainers will vote on an initiative that would gradually raise Maine’s minimum wage from $7.50 to $12 an hour by 2020. The effects of the […] Sarah Austin Posted August 19, 2016 Tags Incomes, Minimum Wage, Wages
Jobs and Income, Maine’s Economy Workers in low income families are most likely to get a raise (bar chart) Mark Sullivan Posted August 17, 2016 Tags Incomes, Minimum Wage, Wages
Health Care, Maine’s Economy, Taxes and Budget Augusta’s adherence to austerity holds Maine back Conservative fiscal policies at the state and national level have been a key cause of the lackluster economic recovery following the Great Recession, according to a new […] James Myall Posted August 15, 2016 Tags Economy, Education, Health Care, Infrastructure, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Education, Maine’s Economy Let’s make sure that every Mainer who aspires to succeed can go back to school With summer beginning to wind down, thousands of Mainers are getting ready to go back to school. This September, Maine’s post-secondary schools—colleges, universities, and community colleges across […] Marpheen Chann-Berry Posted August 10, 2016 Tags Education, Higher Education
Maine’s Economy, Taxes and Budget Failure to invest in Maine’s future is the real fiscal negligence We all want a financially sound state government, but Governor LePage seems bent on undermining our public services in the name of fiscal integrity. His most recent […] Jody Harris Posted August 8, 2016 Tags Budget, Economy, Taxes