Group urges $400M annual revenue boost to solve Maine poverty, equity issues

The letter urges lawmakers to commit to raising $400 million in new revenue annually. While that figure would not meet all of Maine’s unmet needs, it would allow lawmakers to fully fund the state’s 55% commitment to public schools and municipalities “for the first time ever” and leave roughly an additional $250 million available to meet other urgent needs, it says.

The letter’s signers are Behavioral Health Community Collaborative, Maine AFL-CIO, Maine Center for Economic Policy, Maine Council on Aging, Maine Education Association, Maine Equal Justice, Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, Maine People’s Alliance, Maine Service Employees Association – SEIU Local 1989, Maine Women’s Lobby, Mainers for Working Families, Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund and Southern Maine Workers’ Center.

Click here to read the full story, first published February 26, 2021 in MaineBiz.