Taxes and Budget How Maine is spending federal rescue plan funds Under the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), over $4.5 billion of federal funding is flowing into Maine to contend with the impacts of the COVID-19 […] Maura Pillsbury Posted May 19, 2022 Tags ARPA, Budget, Children, Economic Security, Economy, Health Care, Infrastructure
Taxes and Budget The best of the budget for Maine’s economy The 130th legislative session began with a surplus of more than $800 million which was revised up to $1.2 billion in March. The bipartisan budget approved last […] Sarah Austin Posted April 28, 2022 Tags Budget, Economic Security, Economy, Education, Housing, Infrastructure, K-12 Education, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget American Rescue Plan funds create local opportunities to advance equitable pandemic recovery Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in March of 2021, sending $130 billion dollars to county and municipal governments across the country to support recovery […] Maura Pillsbury Posted March 15, 2022 Tags Budget, Infrastructure, Local
Maine’s Economy, Taxes and Budget MECEP statement on Build Back Better framework AUGUSTA, Maine — Garrett Martin, president & CEO at the Maine Center for Economic Policy, released the following statement on the advancement of President Biden’s Build Back […] Posted October 28, 2021 Tags Budget, Caregiving, Education, Federal, Health Care, Infrastructure
Taxes and Budget Running on fumes: Lack of will imperils fund that keeps Maine roads, bridges safe In the near term, an increase in fuel taxes would likely be the simplest policy to implement. Raising the fuel tax would help spread the burden of […] Penobscot Bay Pilot Posted September 2, 2021 Tags Budget, Infrastructure
Taxes and Budget What does the $1 trillion infrastructure bill mean for Maine? James Myall of the progressive Maine Center for Economic Policy says the funding could make a big difference pushing forward a backlog of planned transportation projects in […] WMTW Posted August 8, 2021 Tags Budget, Federal, Infrastructure
Taxes and Budget Closing the tax gap would help fund broad new priorities The Biden administration is proposing broad investments in infrastructure and supports for American families and identifies improved tax enforcement as one way to pay for it. Through […] Maura Pillsbury Posted July 14, 2021 Tags Federal, Infrastructure, 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 General Fund dollars are no solution for Maine's transportation needs Maine faces an annual shortfall of $232 million annually to fund priority transportation infrastructure projects, with the largest unmet needs in bridge projects and highway reconstruction. This […] James Myall Posted February 28, 2020 Tags Bonds, Infrastructure, Taxes
Maine’s Economy, Taxes and Budget Policy Basic: Bonds are a vital tool for investing in the public good A strong and thriving economy depends on long-term investments in roads and bridges, clean water and schools, and other public goods that benefit people and businesses now and in the […] Jody Harris Posted February 21, 2020 Tags Bonds, Infrastructure