Presiding Officers and Budget Chairs Release Statements Following Passage of the Supplemental Budget

AUGUSTA, Maine – The Legislature yesterday passed a supplemental budget (LD 2212) and sent it to the governor’s desk for signature. Once the supplemental budget has been signed, it will take effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourns sine die (without day). 

Following the passage of the supplemental budget, the Presiding Officers and the Chairs of the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee released the following statements: 

“Right now in Washington, we’re watching decisions being made that ask working people to carry more of the load while giving more to those who already have the most. In Maine, we’re doing the opposite,” said Senate President Mattie Daughtry (D-Brunswick). “This budget is aimed at protecting everything we hold dear as Maine people. It lowers costs, invests in the things Mainers rely on like child care, housing, and health care — it makes sure our economy actually works for the people who keep it running. Our businesses and families need us to invest in child care, our workforce needs us to invest in education, and Maine people deserve to have investments that help them not just get by but truly thrive, especially in uncertain times.”

“It’s often said budgets are a reflection of our values. Mainers across the state shared what they value and what a budget that reflects those values should look like,” said House Speaker Ryan D. Fecteau (D-Biddeford). “They want a budget that helps alleviate the rising costs of filling up their gas tanks, heating their homes, buying groceries, and affording child care. Democrats are delivering a fiscally responsible, balanced budget. It will strengthen existing programs and fund them sustainably into the future by finally asking the wealthiest Mainers to pay their fair share. Democrats have heard Maine people, and we have fought for the things that will make a real difference for them. This is a budget that values Maine families, values Maine workers, and values Maine communities.” 

“This budget puts real money back in people’s pockets while making sure the services we all depend on remain intact,” said Sen. Peggy Rotundo (D-Lewiston), Senate Chair of the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee. “We’re delivering 11.5 million dollars in direct property tax relief, over 124 million dollars in direct tax relief over the next two years through tax conformity, all while investing in the future of our great state through things like increasing teacher salaries and expanding housing supply. Maine people are trying to manage rising costs in such uncertain times, and I am so pleased that this budget helps them do that. At the heart of this budget is making sure working people can actually afford to live, work, and build a life here in Maine.”

“We have done work in this budget that I am especially proud about,” said Rep. Drew Gattine (D-Westbrook), House Chair of the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee. “We have made the tax system in Maine more fair. We’ve found a way to provide ongoing revenue by asking the highest earners in our state to pay just a small percentage more – that’s money that will ensure access to health care, provide property tax relief in the face of rising housing costs, provide assistance to help folks heat their homes, and support workforce development to strengthen Maine’s economy in communities across the state.” 

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