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
Taxes and Budget Poll: Mainers prefer investments in housing, infrastructure over one-time checks Policy analysts at the Maine Center for Economic Policy have argued that if the one-time checks were more narrowly targeted, and the amount deposited in the Rainy […] Beacon Posted March 30, 2022 Tags Budget, Revenue
Taxes and Budget Biden proposes billionaire tax to pay for increased spending on military, public health Megan Michaud, vice president of programs and policy with the Maine Center for Economic Policy, said by closing offshore tax loopholes and taxing the unrealized capital gains on […] Beacon Posted March 29, 2022 Tags Budget, Federal, Revenue, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Legislature OKs bill to address ‘dark store’ tax scheme, measure to lift limits on clean syringes As Beacon previously reported, large chain stores try to exploit a “dark store” tax scheme by arguing their retail properties should be valued the same as abandoned shopping centers that […] Beacon Posted March 23, 2022 Tags Budget, Dark Stores, Tax Fairness, Taxes