Education Maine’s blue collar workers have college debt too — and welcome the relief MECEP policy analyst James Myall broke down different categories of workers by analyzing the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances and found they all to varying degrees […] Beacon Posted September 2, 2022 Tags Economic Security, Education, Federal, Higher Education, Student Debt
Taxes and Budget Biden signs into law Democrats’ wide-ranging climate change, health care and tax bill The bill, named the Inflation Reduction Act, was hailed by analysts in Maine, who said the tax and health care provisions would help create a more fair […] Beacon Posted August 17, 2022 Tags Budget, Federal, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Report: Millionaires didn’t flee when tax rates increased in certain states “When social ties are strong, fiscal and financial incentives have a smaller playing field and less influence on individual behavior,” the authors argue, adding that “embeddedness allows […] Beacon Posted August 12, 2022 Tags Tax Fairness, Taxes
Maine’s Economy Podcast: The corporate profiteering behind inflation and what we can do about it Jin Woo Chung, senior economist for the Groundwork Collaborative and James Myall, policy analyst for the Maine Center for Economic Policy join host Cate Blackford to discuss rising prices, […] Beacon Posted July 29, 2022 Tags Inflation
Health Care LePage wrongly blames Medicaid expansion for Maine’s worker shortage After Medicaid expansion won at the ballot box in 2017, LePage still refused to file for expansion with the federal government, prompting a lawsuit led by the […] Beacon Posted June 16, 2022 Tags Affordable Care Act, Health Care, Medicaid
Health Care Opinion: Expanded Good Samaritan law is simple and will save lives A recent report by the ACLU of Maine finds that out of the 38,893 arrests in 2019, 3,614—or roughly one out of 11— were for drug-related offenses and almost […] Beacon Posted June 7, 2022 Tags Economic Security, Health Care, Inequality
Jobs and Income Legislators sustain Mills’ vetoes of progressive labor and criminal justice reform bills “Frankly, it’s an indefensible decision,” James Myall of the Maine Center for Economic Policy wrote on Twitter. “Fear of retaliation by employers is real, and by blocking this effort […] Beacon Posted May 9, 2022 Tags Economic Security, Job Quality, Paid Sick Days
Taxes and Budget ‘Unconscionable’: Lawmakers criticize budget plan to send checks to higher-income Mainers Some advocates also praised the budget plan. In an email, Maine Center for Economic Policy president Garrett Martin lauded the expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit and […] Beacon Posted April 15, 2022 Tags Budget
Taxes and Budget Podcast: Better targeting Maine’s one-time checks could fund health care and housing James Myall of the Maine Center for Economic Policy joins the podcast to discuss the current debate in the State House over how much should be sent […] Beacon Posted April 7, 2022 Tags Budget
Education Students, advocates applaud new law that bans withholding transcripts over debt The Maine Center for Economic Policy, which advocated for the law, said that nearly 10,000 students in the University of Maine system and attending Maine’s community colleges […] Beacon Posted April 5, 2022 Tags Education, Higher Education