Dear Friends,
First of all, thank you for the honor and privilege of serving you in the Maine Senate.
When I gathered with my colleagues at the Augusta Civic Center in December to be sworn into office, I knew this would be a year of challenges. Maine families, seniors, veterans and small businesses were counting on us to lead them toward health and economic recovery. I’m pleased to say this was a year of challenges met. Here are some of the highlights from this year:
Delivering more than $400,000 to Hermon and more than $2.7 million to Bangor through increased municipal revenue sharing and aid to schools. I also successfully supported Hermon’s efforts with the state to promote further economic development and growth.
Fully funding public education at 55%. This marks the first time Maine has met the 55% threshold mandated by Maine voters in 2004.
Delivering on property tax relief. We expanded the Property Tax Fairness Credit, improved the Homestead Exemption Program, and so much more.
Delivering for our seniors. I sponsored and the Legislature passed important bills to bring nearly $100 million in funding to help stabilize our nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
Finally, we also set funds aside for future emergencies, growing the Rainy Day Fund to $492 million — a historic high.
As always, I’m grateful for the opportunity to represent you in the Senate. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with your questions, concerns, or thoughts.
Sincerely,
Sen. Joe Baldacci
Investing in Maine children and working families
Virtually sharing one of my favorite stories, “The Wide-Mouthed Frog,” with children at the Penquis Early Childhood Education Centers. I read to three different classrooms at the same time via Zoom. It was a treat.
Investing in Maine kids and families is an investment in Maine’s future. But kids can’t learn when they’re hungry. It’s a sad truth that many children across Maine don’t know where their next meal will come from. That’s why we passed a law to ensure that all students have access to free school meals. We also put resources toward helping vulnerable students stay on track to graduate by passing a law to help those facing disruptions like homelessness, foster care or school relocations get their diploma.
Helping young Mainers identify pathways to good-paying jobs is an easy way to set them up for success while growing our workforce. That’s why we invested in Jobs for Maine Graduates, career exploration and career and technical education programs that lead to good-paying jobs or higher education. Lawmakers also invested in the University of Maine and Community College Systems to stabilize costs and increase access to higher education.
Fighting for health care
The polar dip is an annual event that raises money for Camp CaPella, which provides summer recreation opportunities for children and adults with disabilities. State Rep. Kevin O’Connell and I were happy to take the plunge for a good cause.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we began this year with the COVID-19 Patient Bill of Rights, requiring all state-regulated health care plans to cover the cost of testing, screening and vaccination. This was vital to our health and economic recovery. However, our fight to lower health care costs didn’t stop there.
We created the Office of Affordable Health Care to rein in health care spending and took on Big Pharma to improve drug price transparency. We also created an emergency insulin program and increased access to HIV prevention medication. These reforms will save lives.
My colleagues and I also worked to ensure that health care coverage plans actually cover the needs of Maine people. We expanded access to dental care and made sure that new and expecting mothers have access to vital care to ensure the health of themselves and their children. At the same time, we defeated proposals to allow junk insurance plans to be sold to Mainers.
Finally, I sponsored a new law to reduce lung cancer rates in Maine by creating a program for landlords and other homeowners to receive incentives to test their buildings for radon more frequently.
Supporting our seniors and veterans
Meeting residents of a local senior housing facility.
In Augusta, we made sure to keep our seniors and our veterans at the top of our agenda. Maine nursing homes and senior living facilities have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, I sponsored a bill that provided critical funding to support nursing facilities
to make sure these establishments can continue their vital work. Just as important is making sure hardworking caretakers are paid well. We raised MaineCare wage rates for direct care workers. I also supported measures to keep Maine’s seniors in their homes by reviving a program that would allow the state to pay the property taxes of eligible Mainers. Seniors and Mainers with disabilities who qualify can stay in their homes, and the state can recoup those costs later.
I proudly sponsored a bill to make it easier for veterans, military members and their families to move to Maine, especially for those that are students. I also supported measures that support our state’s veterans by investing in mental health services and helping to decrease their property tax burden.
Supporting small businesses
Small businesses are the cornerstones of our communities and economy. In our area, these businesses are vital to our local economy, especially during our busy tourist season. After a tough year, my colleagues and I worked hard to make it easier for small businesses to recover, grow and thrive. We passed laws to support Maine’s restaurant industry, inspired by the business owners who reached out for help. We opened up new economic recovery grants for businesses still struggling to rebound and ensured businesses won’t be penalized for increased unemployment caused by the pandemic. Lawmakers also created a new program to help lower the health insurance costs for small businesses.
While much of our work looked to help our economy recover, lawmakers also made vital investments in
the future of our economy beginning with high-speed, reliable internet. We also worked to help new businesses open their doors and expand by creating a grant program, offering technical assistance and cutting red tape.
Supporting small business means making sure people can get to storefronts. One of the bills I was most proud of becoming law was my bill to study the possibility of passenger rail to Bangor. The new law grants us an opportunity to study the feasibility of implementing a rail service that would bridge some of the most populous parts of our state. Mainer’s are ready for a robust passenger rail system, and I am excited that we’re getting that process underway.
Delivering for Maine taxpayers
Gov. Mills signing one of many bills we passed this year with a special visit from my daughter Caroline.
Hardworking Maine families and seniors have raised the alarm about skyrocketing property taxes all across the state. It’s why I have made it my mission to deliver meaningful relief. Here’s what we did this year:
Funded education at 55 percent: For the first time since voters mandated the state pay 55 percent of public education costs, the state has fulfilled its obligation to students, teachers and taxpayers. This historic funding will help schools get what they need to get our kids back on track and shift costs away from property taxpayers.
Restored revenue sharing by 2023: We laid out a plan to fully restore revenue sharing by 2023. This influx in funds reduces the amount property taxpayers have to pay for essential municipal services, such as paying our first responders, maintaining our parks and public spaces, and plowing.
Boosted the Homestead Exemption Program: We agreed to fully reimburse municipalities for the Homestead Exemption Program. This program allows residents to deduct $25,000 off the value of their home before calculating their property tax bill. To benefit, Mainers must file an application with their local tax assessor by April 1.
Expanded the Property Tax Fairness Credit to cover 95,000 Mainers: We also temporarily increased the Property Tax Fairness Credit, boosting the maximum benefit from $750 to $1,000 for eligible working families and $1,200 to $1,500 for seniors. We also permanently expanded eligibility so it will cover an estimated 95,000 Mainers. Eligible Mainers can access this benefit when they file their state income taxes.