Maine’s Economy REPORT: Overtime bill would guarantee living wages for workers with long hours A bill before the Maine Legislature would give middle-class Mainers a much-needed raise by restoring lost overtime protections for 28,000 workers. The bill — LD 402, “An […] James Myall Posted February 11, 2020 Tags Overtime, Wages
Taxes and Budget Maine's Legislature has a chance to stop corporations like Walmart from using 'dark store theory' to rig the property tax code Big-box chains benefit from the fire and police protection and infrastructure provided by our municipalities. Their employees and their children benefit from the public education provided by […] Sarah Austin Posted February 6, 2020 Tags Property Tax, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Proposed family caregiver credit would recognize Mainers for millions of hours of unpaid labor Maine’s patchwork system of professional caregivers is inadequate to meet the needs of every resident with long-term care needs. To fill these needs, Mainers step up to […] Sarah Austin Posted February 6, 2020 Tags Caregiving, Wages
Taxes and Budget REPORT: Corporations' offshore tax haven abuse costs Mainers millions of dollars Corporations depend on things like an educated workforce, consumers with enough income to pay for services and products, and infrastructure that facilitates commerce. As a state and […] Sarah Austin Posted February 5, 2020 Tags Revenue, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Up to $6,885 available for low-income, working Mainers — but only if they file their taxes Our economy does better when working people can afford the basics. One tool that helps is the Earned Income Tax Credit, a tax break for low- and […] Sarah Austin Posted January 31, 2020 Tags EITC, Income Tax, Taxes
Maine’s Economy MECEP Map: Economic Insights for Maine's Legislative Districts 2020 State of the Districts Dive into the data to discover the economic trends in Maine’s legislative districts, and how they compare with other regions in Maine. […] MECEP Posted January 31, 2020 Tags Economy, Local
Health Care After one year, Medicaid expansion is delivering for Mainers One year ago, newly inaugurated Governor Janet Mills used her first act in office to implement the voter-approved Medicaid expansion law. With the stroke of her pen, tens of thousands of Mainers […] James Myall Posted January 10, 2020 Tags Health Care, Medicaid
Maine’s Economy More than a quarter of Maine workers will get a raise from minimum wage increase in 2020 On January 1, Maine’s minimum wage will increase from $11 to $12 per hour — the last of three scheduled $1 increases approved by voters in a […] James Myall Posted December 30, 2019 Tags Minimum Wage
Maine’s Economy Report: More than one in ten Maine families lacks adequate, nutritious food Food is fundamental to human life, but more than 77,000 Maine households — more than one in ten — lacks the nutrition needed to thrive, while one […] James Myall Posted December 23, 2019 Tags Economic Security, Food Insecurity
Taxes and Budget Two years later, Trump Tax Cuts are a proven failure Two years ago, today, the US Senate enacted the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” or TCJA, known more commonly as the Trump Tax Cuts. The $1.9 trillion […] Mario Moretto Posted December 20, 2019 Tags Trump Tax Cuts