Maine’s Economy, Taxes and Budget Advocates say projected revenue surplus should be spent on housing, childcare and other social services “The state can use this surplus to remove barriers that currently hold people back from fully participating in and benefiting from our economy,” said Sarah Austin, director […] Maine Morning Star Posted November 29, 2023 Tags Budget, Child Care, Economic Security, Economy, Revenue
Taxes and Budget MECEP responds to revenue forecast Today, November 28, Maine’s Revenue Forecasting Committee met to discuss preliminary numbers for their December 1 revenue forecast. The governor and legislature use these forecasted figures in […] Posted November 28, 2023 Tags Budget, Revenue
Maine’s Economy, Taxes and Budget Maine projected to have $265M in additional revenue through 2025 The liberal Maine Center for Economic Policy said the Democratic-controlled Legislature should prioritize creating more affordable housing and boosting wages in education, child care and direct care […] Bangor Daily News Posted November 28, 2023 Tags Budget, Child Care, Economic Security, Economy, Housing
Maine’s Economy, Taxes and Budget Maine expects $265 million budget surplus over 2 years MECEP Policy Director Sarah Austin called for additional investments in housing and wages for teachers, child care providers and direct care workers. “Maine has the resources to […] Portland Press Herald Posted November 28, 2023 Tags Budget, Child Care, Housing, Revenue
Jobs and Income, Maine’s Economy State of Working Maine 2023: Boosting Maine's Workforce Download the PDF: Full Report Summary Stories The major challenge facing Maine’s economy is the state’s plateauing workforce. In 2003, approximately 3 percent of jobs in Maine […] James Myall Posted November 20, 2023 Tags Affordable Care Act, Budget, Caregiving, Child Care, Children, Economic Security, Economy, Education, Housing, Immigration, Incomes, Inequality, Job Quality, Jobs, Paid Family and Medical Leave, Wages
Taxes and Budget Rollout of pandemic food benefit cards to schoolchildren confuses many Mainers But James Myall, a policy analyst for the left-leaning Maine Center for Economic Policy, said while it’s true that in some cases people are getting the money […] Portland Press Herald Posted October 4, 2023 Tags Budget, Children
Taxes and Budget Good Jobs First finds business subsidies contribute to racial and wealth inequality For years, research organization Good Jobs First has been at the forefront of examining the impacts of using public money to subsidize wealthy corporations. Now in a […] Maura Pillsbury Posted September 7, 2023 Tags Budget, Inequality, Racial Equity, Tax Breaks, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Wednesday Sit-Down: Budget showdown Sarah Austin from the Maine Center for Economic Policy sat down with CBS13 to discuss the battle over the budget in Congress. Click here to watch the […] Fox 23 Posted August 23, 2023 Tags Budget, Federal, Wednesday Sit Down
Jobs and Income Worker wins and setbacks in the 2023 legislative sessions In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been steady gains in the overall output of Maine’s economy and workforce, employment levels, and wages for people […] James Myall Posted July 31, 2023 Tags Budget, Direct Care Work, Economic Security, Fair Scheduling, Inequality, Job Quality, Jobs, Overtime, Paid Family and Medical Leave, Wages
Taxes and Budget Workers made big gains this session, but some important policies were deferred “I think paid family leave is definitely one of the biggest wins for workers and it will make a huge difference for many people,” said James Myall, […] Beacon Posted July 20, 2023 Tags Budget, Job Quality, Jobs, Paid Family and Medical Leave