Coming as a surprise to no one, Governor Mills and Augusta Democrats circumvented legislative Republicans and the democratic process by passing their far-left two-year budget without bipartisan support.   This will be Mills’ second partisan spending package forcibly passed without Republican support. A move that is highly unusual. Governor Mills has made it loud and clear that she has absolutely no desire to work across the aisle or respect the priorities and opinions of her constituents. In fact, Democrats ignored and shut down the call for tax cuts by Republican legislators at every tu ..read more

This week, rumors are circulating that our state could be facing a partisan Democrat budget because Republicans are making the common-sense call to reduce state spending and comply with the state’s spending cap. Last week, we told you about the spending cap and its bipartisan history: “In 2005, Governor Baldacci signed bipartisan legislation which limited state spending growth, set targets to reduce the tax burden, and established the Maine Budget Stabilization Fund. The purpose of the law was to limit out-of-control government spending, provide tax relief, and ensure that education funding ..read more

LAWMAKERS SCHEDULE HEARING ON POTENTIAL WAYS TO PENALIZE YOUR PAYCHECK & HIKE TAXES     As if Maine’s tax burden isn’t high enough, two Maine lawmakers have proposed legislation that would increase Maine’s income tax. The Taxation Committee will hold a public hearing on Thursday, March 23rd at 1:00 PM for LD 843 and LD 667 which propose raising taxes on Maine families and small businesses. LD 843 seeks to hike Maine’s top marginal income tax rate to 11.15%. This would be the second highest income tax rate in the country, second to only California. LD 667 takes a different app ..read more

On Wednesday, the Maine Health & Human Services Committee voted on party lines to REJECT a common-sense measure that would have prohibited taxpayer funded welfare benefits from being used at Disneyland, liquor stores, casinos and strip clubs be requiring that recipients keep receipts for purchases. The Health & Human Services Committee held a work session and voted AGAINST LD 117: An Act to Prohibit the Use of Electronic Benefits Transfer System Cards for Cash Withdrawals. This common-sense welfare reform measure would ensure that welfare benefits on EBT cards – funded by taxpayers ..read more

Late last week, the majority of the Maine Health & Human Services Committee voted to include welfare for non-citizens in the state budget. Many of these non-citizens are not in the United States legally. Some on the Committee decided it was necessary to include language to provide welfare for non-citizens in the state budget – based on a bill that has not even received a public hearing yet. The bill is Legislative Document 199. Presumably, liberals wanted to bury this in the budget, without having to fund a stand-alone bill. Should Maine taxpayers really be on the hook to pay for MaineCar ..read more

In case you missed it yesterday, Representative Jack Ducharme penned an op-ed to the Bangor Daily News where he shined a light on Governor Mills’ latest two-year budget proposal that is currently being discussed by the Legislature.   Several weeks ago, we told you that Governor MIlls proposed a whopping $10.3 billion two-year budget. Not only did this budget spend $1 billion more than the previous two-year budget passed in 2021, but it also changes Maine’s statutory spending limit.   Conveniently, the new statutory spending limit is changed to EXACTLY what Governor Mills’ proposed t ..read more

Should Maine taxpayer dollars be used to fund vacations, liquor stores and strip clubs? NO! Last month, the Maine Health & Human Services Committee held a public hearing on Legislative Document 117, sponsored by Senator Eric Brakey, which ensures that benefits provided on EBT cards cannot be redeemed for cash. In the past, Maine’s welfare dollars have been spent at vacation hotspots such as Disneyland, casinos and strip clubs. This bill is a common-sense measure to ensure that Maine’s welfare dollars are spent for their intended purpose – to provide assistance for recipients’ basic nece ..read more

LEGISLATIVE ALERT – SUPPORT LD 117 Should Maine taxpayer dollars be used to fund vacations, liquor stores and strip clubs? A public hearing has been scheduled for LD 117: An Act to Prohibit the Use of Electronic Benefits Transfer System Cards for Cash Withdrawal, sponsored by Senator Eric Brakey. LD 117 ensures that benefits provided on EBT cards cannot be redeemed for cash. In the past, Maine’s welfare dollars have been spent at vacation hotspots such as Disneyland, casinos and strip clubs. This bill is a common-sense measure to ensure that Maine’s welfare dollars are spent for their ..read more

The latest report from the Mills Administration’s Chief Economist offers a grim analysis of Maine’s economic condition. The July 2022 Maine Economic Indicators Report revealed our economy is deteriorating, Mainers are losing real economic wealth, and our workforce participation has not recovered since the pandemic. Maine Economic Indicators is a report assembled by the Office of the State Economist. The Report noted Maine’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell 1.3% from the preceding quarter. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) defines the Gross Domestic Product as a measurement of the goo ..read more

The Maine Democratic Socialists of America launched a series of destructive ballot initiatives to fundamentally alter the City of Portland. The initiatives are led by former Mayor Ethan Strimling who is currently embroiled in a lawsuit resulting from his eviction from his $980 per month Portland-based apartment.   The first referendum increases the minimum wage for every worker in Portland to $18 an hour and eliminates the tipped wage, which the Democrat Socialists label a “vestige of slavery.” Maine servers strongly opposed the elimination of tipped wage proposals in the past. The r ..read more