Gov. Janet Mills has signed legislation to increase temporary assistance payments to families experiencing deep poverty. Payments will increase by 20%, meaning a single-parent family of three will now receive nearly $870 per month. Ann Danforth, policy advocate with Maine Equal Justice, said the aid will help families get beyond just surviving. “It enables parents to be able to have child care, to go to work,” said Danforth, “and enables kids to grow up in strong families, where they are then able to participate in the workforce, too.” Nearly one in eight Maine children live in poverty. The b ..read more

This week on the Beacon Podcast, Cate interviews Hillary Knight with the Capital Region Public Defenders Office in Augusta, who clarifies what the right to counsel means for Mainers, some of the realities of meeting the constitutional right to counsel, and some hopeful developments in the state. After a lawsuit in 2022 (which is ongoing) claimed the state was violating poor defendants’ constitutional rights by failing to provide them with adequate counsel, Maine opened its first public defender office in Augusta in 2023 (More on this ongoing saga here.) Resources for talking with your Members ..read more

Last November, I found myself crouched on the tile floor of my bathroom. Its coolness grounded me, helped remind me I’m still breathing. On the counter above sat a pregnancy test with two pink lines — positive.  I knew I would terminate the pregnancy, but despite my certainty, I was terrified, because we live in uncertain, judgmental times with disturbing health outcomes for women.  Two days later, I sat on an exam table in my doctor’s office, the paper beneath me crinkling with my anxious attempts to settle. She confirmed my at-home test. I slumped to my car clutching a paper bag w ..read more

Conservationists in Maine said reinstated protections of the Endangered Species Act could help wildlife already struggling to adapt to climate change. Economic impacts will no longer be considered when listing certain species as threatened or endangered but the threat of climate change will be a factor. Anya Fetcher, federal policy advocate for the Natural Resources Council of Maine, said so-called “blanket rule” protections will also be revived. “This is basically, while they are considering whether they should become endangered, they’re going to continue to protect those species as if they ..read more

Last week, Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a small bill, one that received no formal opposition in committee and would have helped some of our most vulnerable Mainers stay out of jail, get jobs, and rebuild their lives. LD 2246 would have ended our three strikes law against petty theft. As Michael Kebede of the ACLU of Maine put it, under current law, “Stealing three loaves of bread on three separate occasions… could mean five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.” “[LD 2246] will ensure that Maine does not needlessly punish people who commit crimes of poverty,” he added. It would also ensure that someo ..read more

What is tax fairness? Taxes help pay for things that benefit everyone, like good schools, clean air and water, and safe roads. Businesses also need these things to succeed, along with a healthy, housed, and educated workforce, modern infrastructure, and affordable energy. Fair taxes mean everyone pitches in according to their means, so those who have less pay less, and those who have more pay more. Unfortunately, the vast majority of states still have upside-down tax structures, meaning that families with wealth pay a smaller portion of their income in taxes than families with low income. That ..read more

Today on the Beacon Podcast, Ben and Esther discuss updates from the legislative session including the new pilot program for housing subsidies, the outcome of Planned Parenthood’s proposed constitutional amendment regarding protecting access to abortion, and the Sears Island offshore wind proposal. Additionally, the two discuss Pres. Biden’s new plan to help erase or lower student debt for approximately 30 million people. Ask a question or leave a comment for a future show at (207) 619-3182. Subscribe to the podcast feed using any podcasting app or subscribe on Apple Podcasts. The post Podca ..read more

Advocates for women veterans, who’ve experienced sexual trauma while serving in the military, are asking state lawmakers for much-needed funding. Previous legislation backed the creation of two sexual trauma liaisons at community-based organizations in the state, but funding never came to fruition. Executive Director of the Augusta-based Sisters-in-Arms Center, Rebecca Cornell du Houx, said lawmakers have a chance to help veteran survivors rebuild their lives. “To have a consistent clinician there to provide that trauma treatment to the woman veteran in a place that they’r ..read more

When the late Gov. Joe Brennan, who passed away this week at the age of 89, was first elected to the Maine legislature in 1965, the first bill he sponsored was to abolish the reprehensible practice of putting kids in jail for truancy. I don’t know if this was from his lived experience (he reportedly skipped school more than once to improve on his pool game) or from his innate ability to understand injustice. But, pushing juvenile justice reform like this was boldly humanitarian and progressive. One of the last public positions he took, as a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1996 against Susan ..read more

Housing advocates are applauding a spending plan passed by Democrats which includes $18 million in funding for rental assistance. Legislative Democrats endorsed a proposed state supplemental budget on Saturday that included funds for a state-run housing voucher program pilot.  The plan, which passed the Democratic-majority Appropriations Committee in a 7-5 vote along party lines, goes beyond what Gov. Janet Mills has already called for to address the state’s housing crisis, which continues to deepen in Maine, as it does in many parts of the country, after decades of underproduction of af ..read more