Taxes and Budget Lawmakers, advocates see Mills’ ‘flat’ budget as a starting point for negotiations The governor’s plan relies heavily on federal dollars for its COVID-19 health response and rebuilding from the economic crisis. Any federal relief that comes to the state […] Beacon Posted January 15, 2021 Tags Budget
Health Care As relief deal nears, Maine CDC says federal funding needed for equitable vaccine distribution Shah also discussed vaccine equity and the Maine’s COVID-19 racial disparities earlier Wednesday during a meeting with the state’s Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous and […] Beacon Posted December 17, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Racial Equity
Taxes and Budget Report: Taxing the wealthy will lead to a quicker economic recovery in Maine In a news release about the report, the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP) pointed to three taxes mentioned in the report as essential for helping the […] Beacon Posted December 15, 2020 Tags Budget, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Health Care Advocates call for incarcerated Mainers to be prioritized in state’s COVID vaccine plan The issue has also drawn the attention of the state’s Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous and Maine Tribal Populations. James Myall, one of the […] Beacon Posted December 14, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Health Care
Maine’s Economy King, Collins among bipartisan lawmakers backing compromise relief package One of the main sticking points is whether the package will include a provision to shield employers from liability if a worker contracts coronavirus at work. The current […] Beacon Posted December 2, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Federal
Health Care Maine group launches campaign to put universal health care on the ballot Ryder also pointed to a 2019 study done by the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP) that examined how a hypothetical universal health care system would work in the […] Beacon Posted November 20, 2020 Tags Health Care
Jobs and Income ‘People are in survival mode’: Unemployed Mainers face financial cliff as benefits end Picard said the program was ended because the average insured unemployment rate for the last 13 weeks in Maine fell below five percent. By law, the program […] Beacon Posted November 19, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Unemployment
Jobs and Income, Maine’s Economy Report: Addressing systemic racism in economy would benefit all Mainers Under the state’s current economic system, white residents are advantaged over Black, indigenous and other people of color. A new report from the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP) outlines […] Beacon Posted November 16, 2020 Tags Economy, Inequality, Racial Equity
Health Care Report: 105,000 Mainers could lose health coverage if ACA is struck down The nation’s highest court will have a 6-3 conservative majority if President Donald Trump’s nominee, 7th U.S. Circuit Court Judge Amy Coney Barrett, is confirmed. Her pending […] Beacon Posted October 20, 2020 Tags Affordable Care Act, Federal, Health Care
Taxes and Budget Slashing state budget would slow Maine’s recovery, report warns If state lawmakers take the same path that their predecessors took in the aftermath of the Great Recession, Maine may once again see a slower recovery from […] Beacon Posted September 30, 2020 Tags Budget, Revenue, Taxes