Taxes and Budget Economic relief should target people who need it most Governor Janet Mills has proposed using the majority of Maine’s historic $1.2 billion budget surplus to pay for economic relief checks to 800,000 Mainers. While the rising […] James Myall Posted March 29, 2022 Tags Budget, Children, Economic Security, Food Insecurity, Housing, Inequality
Taxes and Budget MECEP statement on the Governor’s announced budget change package AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP) applauds the governor’s proposed additional funding for behavioral health services as a step toward addressing unmet needs left out of the original budget […] Posted March 18, 2022 Tags Budget, Health Care, Housing, Property Tax, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Dems looking to add housing, behavioral health funding to budget proposal Some analysts say that while the direct checks will likely prove popular in an election year, the effects will be short lived. “While $500 can mean a […] Beacon Posted February 18, 2022 Tags Budget, Health Care, Housing
Taxes and Budget Wealth tax bill addresses defects in our tax code and would increase funding for local services and affordable housing Ensuring fair taxation of wealth should always be a priority, and the pandemic has revealed just how important it is. Mostly low-wage workers on the frontlines of […] Sarah Austin Posted May 24, 2021 Tags Housing, Inequality, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Maine’s Economy Transformative “American Rescue Plan” will deliver $6 billion to Maine’s economy The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act recently approved by Congress will deliver roughly $6 billion to Maine’s economy, according to recent MECEP analysis. The top initiatives that will support Maine’s economic […] James Myall Posted April 2, 2021 Tags Children, Coronavirus, Economic Security, Economy, Education, EITC, Federal, Housing, Infrastructure, K-12 Education, SNAP, Taxes, Unemployment
Maine’s Economy With pandemic hardship as high as ever, Congress must move quickly on COVID relief The COVID-19 public health and economic crisis is bigger than any seen in our lifetimes, leaving tens of thousands of Mainers struggling to work, feed their families, and keep a roof over their […] James Myall Posted February 17, 2021 Tags Coronavirus, Economic Security, Economy, Federal, Food Insecurity, Housing, Unemployment
Maine’s Economy Maine renters are at lowest danger of getting evicted, national study shows MaineHousing, which has partnered on the state to administer $28.4 million in rental assistance, said in November that 14,000 Mainers had taken advantage of the program, which […] MaineBiz Posted December 31, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Housing
Maine’s Economy Bipartisan plan from Collins, King represents a better start for COVID relief than GOP ‘skinny’ bill Tens of thousands of Mainers continue to face hardship during the ongoing pandemic and economic crisis and will face an even bleaker winter if Congress does not pass a new round of […] James Myall Posted December 3, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Economic Security, Federal, Food Insecurity, Housing, Revenue, Unemployment
Jobs and Income RELEASE: As holiday season begins, Maine families face stark hardship from pandemic, economic crisis Congress must pass new round of COVID relief to address hunger, housing insecurity and joblessness for tens of thousands of Mainers AUGUSTA, MAINE — Maine enters the holiday […] Posted November 18, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Economic Security, Federal, Food Insecurity, Housing
Maine’s Economy Tracking the economic impact of COVID-19 in Maine MECEP is monitoring several short-term indicators to track the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on Maine’s economy. Sources for each indicator can be seen in the descriptions below. Indicator 1: COVID-19 cases in Maine […] James Myall Posted July 9, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Economic Security, Economy, Food Insecurity, Health Care, Housing, Medicaid, Unemployment