Taxes and Budget Maine leaders urge Congress to end gridlock on COVID-19 relief package Democratic leaders and White House officials met Friday for the 10th time in 12 days, but those talks broke down again as the two sides remained hundreds of billions […] Portland Press Herald Posted August 7, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Federal, Recession, Unemployment
Jobs and Income As safety net disappears, out-of-work Mainers plead for more help Some workers collecting jobless benefits are genuinely waiting to be recalled to their old jobs, Myall said. Others may have a hard time finding adequate childcare or […] Portland Press Herald Posted July 27, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Federal, Unemployment
Maine’s Economy Maine workers, labor groups warn of widespread suffering unless federal jobless aid is extended Cutting aid while the country is still in a crisis could have devastating effects on the local economy, too. Maine’s unemployment rate was 9 percent in May, […] Portland Press Herald Posted July 10, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Federal, Unemployment
Jobs and Income, Maine’s Economy Maine lawmakers urge colleagues to prioritize bills aimed at ending systemic racism In mid-June about 28 percent of the Maine’s positive COVID-19 cases were among Black residents – who make up just 1.4 percent of the state’s total population. […] Portland Press Herald Posted July 2, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Inequality, Racial Equity
Health Care, Jobs and Income Maine has nation’s worst COVID-19 racial disparity An analysis by the Maine Center for Economic Policy yielded similar results, albeit using a different method of analyzing the numbers. That analysis showed an infection rate […] Portland Press Herald Posted June 21, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Inequality, Racial Equity
Jobs and Income, Maine’s Economy Panel recommends ways for Mills to address racial disparities in Maine A commission formed to help the state end racial disparities and discrimination is urging Gov. Janet Mills to use federal CARES Act funds to support a response […] Portland Press Herald Posted June 18, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Inequality, Racial Equity
Jobs and Income Maine women and young adults hit hardest by unemployment It is the first detailed look at which groups have lost the most jobs since many businesses in Maine and across the country ground to a halt […] Portland Press Herald Posted May 19, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Jobs, Unemployment
Maine’s Economy Commentary: Pandemic relief will drive up the deficit. That’s a good thing Federal officials must do everything in their power to meet this historic moment. While some may bristle at the thought of doing or spending too much, the […] Portland Press Herald Posted May 16, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Economy, Federal
Maine’s Economy Think tank projects $1.2 billion budget shortfall for Maine Nonpartisan research and policy institute the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is projecting a huge budget shortfall for Maine by the end of the next fiscal […] Portland Press Herald Posted May 6, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Economy, Federal
Maine’s Economy The View From Here: Who backs the front line worker? Who are our front line workers? Thanks to some timely work by Sarah Austin, a policy analyst from the Maine Center for Economic Policy, we have a pretty […] Portland Press Herald Posted April 26, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Economy, Federal