Low-income Maine residents would benefit from Governor LePage’s proposed sales tax fairness credit

Buried in Governor LePage’s tax reform proposal is a good provision that would create new refundable income tax credit for low-income Maine residents. This credit is meant […]

Labor Department’s minimum wage testimony misses the mark

Instead of informing yesterday’s public hearing on a raft of bills that would raise Maine’s minimum wage, the Maine Department of Labor chose to present a slew […]

Testimony in Support of LD 843, An Act to Raise the Minimum Wage and Index It to the National Average Wage

“An increase in Maine’s minimum wage is long overdue. Adjusted for inflation, the minimum wage in Maine is lower than it was forty years ago. Wages for […]

Labor Force Participation Falling (graph)

A paperwork obstacle is denying Maine kids healthy, nutritious school meals

We all know that being hungry can make us irritable, tired, and addled. We only have to watch the recent Snickers™ television commercials to appreciate we are […]

The only surprise in Maine’s labor force participation decline is why it took so long to happen

Maine’s labor force participation was 64.1% in 2014, down from 65.1% in 2013, according to model-based estimates from the Labor Department released earlier this year. Maine’s 2014 […]

Testimony in Support of LD 380, Resolve, To Establish a Working Group to Aid with the End of Student Hunger

“School is hard enough without having to suffer the maladies that hunger causes. The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 […]

Many non-resident estates would benefit from Governor LePage's proposed estate tax repeal

As I explained previously, Gov. LePage’s proposal to eliminate Maine’s estate tax would exclusively benefit the wealthy. And now, thanks to information provided to the Taxation Committee […]

Many non-resident estates would benefit from Governor LePage’s proposed estate tax repeal

As I explained previously, Gov. LePage’s proposal to eliminate Maine’s estate tax would exclusively benefit the wealthy. And now, thanks to information provided to the Taxation Committee yesterday […]

Federal grants now available for local food initiatives

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree today announced the availability of new grants to support local agriculture under legislation she sponsored, the Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act, enacted as […]