Jobs and Income

Maine nears making farmworkers eligible for minimum wage

“Workers in Maine’s agriculture industry, disproportionately Black, Latino, and Indigenous Mainers, have been subject to exemptions from basic labor laws that make them much more likely to […]

Beacon

Posted July 10, 2023

Tags Immigration, Job Quality, Jobs, Minimum Wage, Racial Equity

Health Care, Taxes and Budget

Campaign to extend MaineCare coverage to all eligible noncitizens vows to fight on

“Maine should be a place where all of us, regardless of background or origin, can get health care when we need it. Unfortunately, this week the Maine […]

Beacon

Posted June 28, 2023

Tags Health Care, Immigration, Medicaid

Jobs and Income

Maine could join growing list of states with a $15 minimum wage — unless Mills objects

Some economists have argued that raising the state’s current minimum wage of $13.80 to $15 would create a meaningful increase to workers’ paychecks and help many working […]

Beacon

Posted June 14, 2023

Tags Incomes, Job Quality, Jobs, Minimum Wage

Taxes and Budget

The window for balancing Maine’s tax code this session may be closing

Proponents said amending Maine’s income tax is the most direct way to inject more fairness into the state’s tax code, while helping to fund critical needs such as […]

Beacon

Posted June 7, 2023

Tags Budget, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes

Jobs and Income, Taxes and Budget

Mills’ proposal to cut paid family leave benefits could make it unusable for low-wage workers

Proponents of the bill say Mills’ plan would make the program potentially unusable for many low-income workers who wouldn’t be able to make ends meet with such […]

Beacon

Posted June 1, 2023

Tags Paid Family and Medical Leave

Jobs and Income, Taxes and Budget

A cautionary tale from Connecticut as Maine lawmakers weigh privatizing paid leave

James Myall, an analyst with the Maine Center for Economic Policy, also cautioned against having a private administrator of a state paid leave program, pointing to the […]

Beacon

Posted June 1, 2023

Tags Paid Family and Medical Leave

Taxes and Budget

Effort to undo LePage’s estate tax cut for millionaires returns to Augusta

Between 1973 and 2015, according to the Maine Center for Economic Policy, the top 1% of Maine families captured 42% of all income growth, leaving just 57% for the […]

Beacon

Posted May 18, 2023

Tags Estate Tax, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes

Taxes and Budget

Podcast: Are corporate tax breaks worth it? Probably not.

As Gov. Janet Mills looks to “modernize” the Pine Tree Empowerment Zone corporate tax credit program, Esther and Ben are joined by Maura Pillsbury of the Maine […]

Beacon

Posted May 11, 2023

Tags Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes

Taxes and Budget

Parents, advocates urge lawmakers to reduce poverty in Maine by expanding child tax credit

In Maine, the expanded federal program in 2021 provided increased funds for 142,000 families with 229,000 children — and like the proposed state program, it was refundable, […]

Beacon

Posted May 5, 2023

Tags Child Tax Credit, Tax Fairness, Taxes

Jobs and Income, Maine’s Economy

Report: Maine’s direct care system is facing a crisis due to poor pay and low staffing

Stubbornly low wages have left the direct care workforce in Maine in a “fragile state,” leading to a significant labor shortage that has resulted in fewer available […]

Beacon

Posted April 27, 2023

Tags Caregiving, Direct Care Work, Economic Security, Economy, Job Quality, Jobs, Wages

Beacon

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Maine nears making farmworkers eligible for minimum wage

Campaign to extend MaineCare coverage to all eligible noncitizens vows to fight on

Maine could join growing list of states with a $15 minimum wage — unless Mills objects

The window for balancing Maine’s tax code this session may be closing

Mills’ proposal to cut paid family leave benefits could make it unusable for low-wage workers

A cautionary tale from Connecticut as Maine lawmakers weigh privatizing paid leave

Effort to undo LePage’s estate tax cut for millionaires returns to Augusta

Podcast: Are corporate tax breaks worth it? Probably not.

Parents, advocates urge lawmakers to reduce poverty in Maine by expanding child tax credit

Report: Maine’s direct care system is facing a crisis due to poor pay and low staffing