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Governor Janet Mills announced today that MaineHousing will double its rental assistance from $500 to $1,000 through the COVID-19 Rental Relief Program beginning next Monday, August 3rd. The Governor, who established the program with MaineHousing in April, is dedicating an initial $5 million in Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) to support the expansion. The Governor today also signed an Executive Order continuing expanded timeframe protections for renters in the evictions process.
Today, the Revenue Forecasting Committee (RFC) projected that State General Fund revenues will decrease by $524 million in Fiscal Year 2021, $434 million in Fiscal Year 2022, and $449 in Fiscal Year 2023 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Mills issued the following statement in response:
Governor Janet Mills issued the following statement on Legislative Republicans' continued effort to jeopardize Maine's public health measures:
"For the life of me, I cannot understand why Republicans care more about Massachusetts money than the life of a Maine person.
Department also awards $1 million to boost rural hospital lab capacity and opens second round of Keep Maine Healthy grants for municipalities
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced today four additional COVID-19 “swab and send” testing sites, the award of $1 million in federal funding to rural hospitals to increase their labs’ capacity to process COVID-19 tests, and a second round of grants to municipalities under the Keep Maine Healthy Plan to support local COVID-19 public health, education, and prevention efforts.
Governor Janet Mills announced today a series of steps her Administration is taking to assist and support school systems across Maine as they consider whether and how to return to in-classroom instruction this fall. Each of these actions aims to provide essential support to promote a safe return for children, teachers, and school staff.
In combination with other federal funds, Maine’s support for providers meets Bipartisan Policy Center recommendation for recovery
The Mills Administration announced today that it will invest more than $8 million from the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund to further boost access to child care and support Maine’s working families in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Governor Janet Mills, Director of Opioid Response Gordon Smith, and Commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services Jeanne Lambrew issued the following statements in response to the 2020 first quarter drug overdose death report released today by the Maine Attorney General’s Office:
Employer relief, ensuring safety of schools and child care, broadband investment, and sustaining public health measures among Committee’s top recommendations
Governor Janet Mills announced today that her Economic Recovery Committee has delivered to her its immediate recommendations to stabilize and support Maine’s economy through the unprecedented disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under a partnership between Maine DHHS and health care organizations, drive-through and mobile testing is greatly expanding throughout Maine
The Mills Administration announced today that seven health care organizations will collectively launch nearly 20 “swab and send” COVID-19 test collection sites that will send samples to the Maine State Lab for testing, strengthening access to safe and accessible testing for residents, tourists, seasonal workers, and other visitors to Maine.
Governor Janet Mills proclaimed today, Monday, July 13, 2020, Ashley Frederick Bryan Day in honor of world-renowned author and illustrator Ashley Frederick Bryan. Governor Mills issued the following statement:
$170 million in payments to Maine for rate relief, broadband expansion, electric vehicles, and heat pumps are also accelerated
Governor Janet Mills issued the following statement in response to an announcement from Sappi that it will permanently shut Paper Machine No. 9 and major components of the energy complex at the Westbrook mill:
In line with nearly every other state in the nation, Governor Mills also renews Maine’s State of Civil Emergency for another 30 days
Governor Janet Mills today issued an Executive Order requiring large retail businesses, restaurants, outdoor bars, tasting rooms, and lodging establishments in Maine’s more populous cities and coastal counties to enforce the State’s face covering requirement.
The Mills Administration announced today that it is exempting visitors from the States of Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey from the 14-day quarantine requirement or negative COVID-19 testing alternative, effective this Friday, July 3, 2020.
Governor Janet Mills announced today that she has appointed Reverend Kenneth I. Lewis, Jr., Senior Pastor at Green Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Portland, and Isaiah Reid of Kingfield, a student at University of Maine at Farmington, as her representatives to the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous and Maine Tribal Populations. The announcement follows the Governor’s decision to dedicate $50,000 in funding from the Governor’s Contingent Account to support the work of the Commission.
Governor Janet Mills today applauded the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June Medical Services v. Russostriking down Louisiana’s restrictions on abortion services:
“This is a welcome decision for women not only in Louisiana but for women acrossthe country who have fought to protect their rights in the face of relentless attacks by politicians. In Maine, my Administration will work to ensure that every person can access affordable, high-quality health care, including safe reproductive services, no matter their income, their zip code, or the color of their skin.”
Grants support Maine towns as they undertake critical work to protect Maine people and visitors from COVID-19
Standing up for Maine’s vital lobster industry and its hardworking men and women, Governor Janet Mills today urged U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to deny a petition by Pew Charitable Trusts that would prohibit the use of vertical lines in the American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries in four areas of the New England coast.
Governor Janet Mills issued the following statement on the President’s Memorandum on the United States Lobster Industry:
Governor Janet Mills announced today that she will dedicate $50,000 in funding from the Governor’s Contingent Account to support the work of the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous and Maine Tribal Populations. The Governor has said that she hopes the Commission will help us more fully understand racial disparities in Maine and how we might begin to address them.
$35 million will support the 25 percent required match for COVID-related expenses incurred by eligible organizations in Maine.
The Mills Administration announced today that it is dedicating $35 million of Maine’s $1.25 billion in Coronavirus Relief Funding (CRF) provided through the CARES Act to help local and tribal governments and other qualified entities cover costs incurred as a result of COVID-19.
The Mills Administration today posted additional COVID-19 Prevention Checklists for businesses and activities to voluntarily resume on July 1 as part of Stage 3 of the Administration’s Restarting Maine’s Economy Plan . The checklists, written in close collaboration with industry leaders and public health experts, outline health and safety protocols for businesses and activities to comply with in order to resume safely. The checklists posted today include:
While outdoor seated bar service is still permitted, indoor bar service presents a higher risk of COVID-19 transmission and is linked to outbreaks in several other states
The Mills Administration announced today that it is postponing the reopening of indoor service at bars to protect public health given the higher risk of COVID-19 transmission in such settings.
The Federal government earmarked billions to support agricultural producers impacted by the pandemic
On Friday, Governor Mills called for the USDA to designate maple syrup as an eligible Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) specialty crop. Doing so will create the pathway for Maine's maple producers to receive needed CFAP payments. Maple is currently ineligible for CFAP, and the industry is suffering due to a variety of factors due to COVID-19, including price drops, annual event cancellations, and restaurant closures.
Governor Janet Mills issued the following statement on Juneteenth: