Taxes and Budget Dems looking to add housing, behavioral health funding to budget proposal Some analysts say that while the direct checks will likely prove popular in an election year, the effects will be short lived. “While $500 can mean a […] Beacon Posted February 18, 2022 Tags Budget, Health Care, Housing
Jobs and Income LePage admits Medicaid expansion ‘good for Maine,’ but still wants cuts to program James Myall, a policy analyst with Maine Center for Economic Policy, estimates that roughly 86,000 Mainers currently enrolled in MaineCare would be subject to the requirement if […] Beacon Posted February 17, 2022 Tags Health Care, Job Quality, Medicaid
Taxes and Budget Mills touts one-time payment in address, glosses over housing, overdose, climate crises Some progressive groups criticized the proposal for not prioritizing those Mainers most in need at a time when Maine has seen a dramatic increase in wealth among the state’s […] Beacon Posted February 11, 2022 Tags Budget
Taxes and Budget Sen. King joins Democratic legislators in call for tax fairness at state and federal level Fecteau and Terry spoke about the tax landscape in Maine and the importance of creating a fairer system in the state. During the panel discussion, Sarah Austin, […] Beacon Posted February 2, 2022 Tags Budget, Federal, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Jobs and Income Lawmaker seeks to protect workers who take paid time off from retaliation James Myall, a policy analyst with the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP), told Beacon in a recent interview that workers’ fear of using leave was well-documented at the […] Beacon Posted January 31, 2022 Tags Job Quality, Jobs, Paid Sick Days
Taxes and Budget Report: Only a third of PPP money went to the workers it was intended for Keeping in line with previously released data that demonstrated that PPP loans overwhelmingly went to big businesses, the new study found that the loans were inefficient in their […] Beacon Posted January 26, 2022 Tags Budget, Federal, Jobs
Jobs and Income, Taxes and Budget Income of wealthiest in Maine nearly doubled from 2019 to 2020, report shows Sarah Austin, director of policy and research at the Maine Center for Economic Policy, said because there weren’t any big changes to the tax code between those […] Beacon Posted December 2, 2021 Tags Incomes, Inequality, Tax Fairness
Taxes and Budget Golden votes no as House passes landmark social spending bill After months of debate, the U.S. House early Friday passed President Joe Biden’s landmark social spending bill, which will invest $1.85 trillion in child care, health care, […] Beacon Posted November 19, 2021 Tags Budget, Children, Coronavirus, Federal, Health Care
Maine’s Economy Opinion: Rising prices is exactly why we must pass Build Back Better While the rising cost of living may appear worrying at first, it is important to keep the wider economic context for families in mind. Existing federal relief […] Beacon Posted November 17, 2021 Tags Coronavirus, Economy, Federal
Jobs and Income After pandemic exposed Maine’s frayed safety net, report details best policy solutions The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that policymakers must take steps to improve working conditions and ensure greater racial and economic equity, according to a new report […] Beacon Posted November 9, 2021 Tags Coronavirus, Inequality, Job Quality, Jobs, Unemployment