Archives for "Budget"
Rally Set to Urge Senator’s Snowe and Collins to Support the Jobs Bill
Hundreds plan to rally tomorrow in Lobsterman’s Park in Portland to urge Senator’s Snowe and Collins to support H.R. 4213, an important jobs bill!
Will you be there?
Here are the event details:
Where: Lobsterman’s Park, in front of the Nickelodeon Theatre in Portland
When: Wednesday, June 30th at 12:00pm
H.R. 4213 will extend unemployment benefits, provide vital funding for affordable housing, and will extend enhanced federal funding to the states for health care. If this bill doesn’t pass, we could see up to $85 million more dollars cut out of Maine’s state budget!
Let us know you’re coming by clicking here!
Advocates Urge Congress to Extend Unemployment Benefits, Health Care Assistance, and Aid to States
From the Maine Center for Economic Policy:
Augusta, Maine (Thursday, June 3, 2010)— Advocates supporting the extension of critical federal support for economic recovery today called on the members of Maine’s Congressional Delegation to continue their support for important federal assistance to state Medicaid programs to help states, like Maine facing significant fiscal crisis, as well as for maintaining needed health care and unemployment benefits for their people.
“This is a critical juncture for the economic security of thousands of unemployed Mainers, for the effort to recover from the Great Recession and for the future economic prosperity of all Maine families,” said MECEP Executive Director Christopher “Kit” St. John. “We are grateful to all four members of Maine’s congressional delegation for voting for these measures in the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and at different times this year to extend the unemployment and health care benefits through the end of 2010 and the enhanced federal Medicaid assistance through state fiscal year 2011. With record long-term joblessness plaguing the nation, now is the time to maintain our investment in critical safety net programs, not cut them. The fastest way to address the nation’s long-term deficit is to get the economy going again with the help of these emergency programs.”
Read more at the www.mecep.org.
Listen to MPBN’s story: “Thousands of Mainers on Verge of Unemployment Benefits”
Maine’s Budget in Jeopardy
Next week H.R. 4213, also known as the Extenders Bill, heads to the U.S. Senate for a vote. This bill plays a vital role in protecting health care services for Maine families and health care job in Maine.
Sadly however, this bill and Maine’s budget are now in jeopardy!
Originally the bill was supposed to extend enhanced federal funding for state Medicaid programs for six months, along with extending unemployment benefits and COBRA subsidies for health insurance through the end of 2010.
Last week however, the U.S. House passed a version of the Extenders Bill that eliminates the extended federal funding for state Medicaid programs. Maine is depending on that funding. Without it, Governor Baldacci and the legislature could be forced to make up to $85 million dollars in more cuts to Maine’s budget!
There is still an opportunity to get this funding BACK into the bill! When H.R. 4213 goes to the Senate next week, Senator Snowe and Collins can advocate for it. In fact, just a couple of months ago, they both voted for these extensions in the original Tax Extenders Bill!
Please call Senators Collins and Snowe’s offices TODAY!
- Thank them for their support of extending the enhanced FMAP in the past.
- Urge them to advocate for putting the extension of the enhanced Medicaid match rate (or FMAP) back into the tax extenders bill, HR 4213, when they return to the Senate after the Memorial Day recess.
- Explain that the enhanced FMAP is critical for protecting both vital health care services and health care jobs in Maine.
Once you’ve made the call, click on this link so we can keep track of how many calls have been made!
U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe
(202)224-5344
U.S. Senator Susan Collins
(202)224-2523
“Education is our most severe crisis, and the danger is increasing”
The Portland Press Herald published an important and thoughtful “Maine Voices” piece today written by James Gale, a 7th and 8th grade math teacher from Bath.
“BATH — It is no secret that among industrialized nations, our high school students perform at the bottom of the list in math and sciences.
School administrators, presidents and lawmakers have addressed this trend in recent times with initiatives and incentives intended to make schools more accountable, economical and successful.
Yet today, schools face the worst economic dilemmas in recent history and America is no better off among advanced nations.
Here in Maine, we have been hit hard.
Programs and teachers are being cut in districts statewide, and many gubernatorial candidates are actually in agreement that Maine needs to increase the number of students in classrooms in order to close in on the national average.
The scope of the situation is not only dire in that our kids are failing and we cannot fund them for success, but worse, people with the potential power to influence and implement change are proposing a major step backward in the effort to improve quality education in schools.
That schools are focusing on finding only the most affordable paths to improve test scores is fundamentally misguided. The culture of education should not be fused with the culture of the corporate world.
It is one thing for a corporation to overemphasize profits; the quality of products or services slips, product and/or workplace safety is ignored, and injuries, lawsuits, recalls and other controversies are imminent.
We have seen this scenario played out before us many times in recent months and years.
Businesses must present a service or product that is worth its price in the eyes of the consumer.
If it is a high-quality product or service, it will gain in popularity and earn profits.
An honest business requires skillful economic planning, and above all, an emphasis on the product or service offered.
A dishonest business will cut corners, overemphasize the numbers, and attempt to convince its market that the product or service is worth a higher price than it really is, at the risk of the aforementioned consequences.
When we cut corners in education, we risk more than a product recall, an injured employee or a dissatisfied customer base.” See full story at the Portland Press Herald.
“States’ budget crises land on children”
Here’s a troubling story by the AP about the consequences of huge budget cuts by state government across the country. These consequences clearly demonstrate the need for fiscal responsibility and investment in public services.
“CHICAGO – Now the crisis is reaching the children
In Arizona, a program that helped blind high school students care for themselves and find jobs is suspended. In South Carolina, all five state-run group homes for kids closed and a program that helped paroled youths get jobs is shuttered. And in Hawaii, a program to reduce child abuse and neglect was cut so much that two years after serving 4,000 families, it now serves 100.
All over the country, the financial crisis has forced states to make historic cuts to close what the National Conference of State Legislatures found was an overall budget gap of $174.1 billion this fiscal year and has lawmakers looking to trim another $89 billion next year. That means slashing services to the one population they’ve long protected: children.” Read More.
What would you do to create 3,000 jobs in Maine?
That very question is what Maine’s Senate is confronted with today, as it works to pass an $85 million dollars bond package, LD 1826. This bond package could bring more than 3,000 jobs to Maine.
Creating jobs is an extreme priority for Maine and the nation right now, especially in a time when almost 32,000 Mainers have lost their job since the start of the recession. After all, our economic recovery depends on getting Mainers back to work. The best way to do that is to fuel our economy by investing in and expanding our public infrastructure.
LD 1826 will do just that. If it passes, $85 million in state dollars would be matched by another $54 million in federal funds. Among other programs, the funds would be spent on the following job saving or job creating projects:
- Purchase 241 miles of Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway (saves up to 1,000 jobs)
- Improved Freight rail service & Preparation for Passenger Rail Topsham-Lewiston/Auburn (120 jobs)
- Mountain Division Rail-Western Maine (120 Jobs)
- Highway Maintenance (835 jobs)
- Ocean Gateway-Portland (168 jobs)
- Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund (304 jobs)
- Wastewater Treatment Facility Construction (460 jobs)
In a time when Maine families are struggling to make ends meet, this bond offers great opportunity hope.
Kudos to Obama Administration and Congressional Delegation
Last week, Maine’s supplemental budget won bi-partisan approval as it passed through the house, senate, and was signed by Governor Baldacci seamlessly.
What seems to be overlooked in this budget is the tremendous amount that federal stimulus money helped our leaders eliminate many of the damaging cuts that were included in the original supplemental budget proposal.
Thanks to the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009″ (ARRA), which directly provided $550 million in enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAP), education and fiscal stabilization funds to balance the biennial budget last year, and the pending “American Workers, State, and Business Relief Act of 2010,” our federal leaders were able to infuse $114 million in new revenues into the supplemental state budget.
These new revenues allowed our state to take a responsible approach to our fiscal crisis.
Maine Can Do Better has personally thanks the Obama Administration, Representative Chellie Pingree, Representative Mike Michaud, Senator Snowe, and Senator Collins for their support of ARRA and the “American Workers, State, and Business Relief Act of 2010″.
Read the press release and letters here.
Maine’s Supplemental Budget takes a Responsible Approach
After two months of work, on Monday night (2.22.10), the house appropriations committee voted to unanimously approve Maine’s supplemental budget.
Thanks to new revenues from the 2009 federal stimulus bill and a newer companion measure that together will directly infuse $114 million into the state budget (both of which had the support of Maine’s U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, as well as Maine’s U.S. Representatives Michael Michaud and Chellie Pingree), the supplemental budget was able to restore important funds to vital public structures that were cut in the original supplemental budget proposal.
Here are some of the restorations:
- 70 million in programs serving the needs of seniors, people with disabilities and families living in poverty
- $26 million in support for k-12 education
- $11 million in funding to Maine towns and cities
- $8 million for higher education; and $5.6 million in property tax relief to low and middle income families.
Maine Can Do Better is praising this effort.
“These federal revenues and the restorations in the budget clearly demonstrate that Maine’s state and federal leaders recognize the need to preserve public structures that serve all our interests, especially in challenging times,” said Ben Dudley, spokesperson for Maine Can Do Better, “The heart of fiscal responsibility is to prevent problems from getting worse and more costly down the line. That’s precisely what the restorations in this budget do.”
To read Maine Can Do Better’s complete response to the supplemental budget click here.
New Federal Money Helps Fill Maine’s Budget Gap
Thanks to the U.S. Senate passing legislation that will extend enhanced federal medicaid assistance to the states, Governor Baldacci has outlined about $94 million in proposed budget restorations.
Maine’s U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, as well as U.S. Representatives Michael Michaud and Chellie Pingree all voted in favor of this federal action.
According to a press release from the Governor’s office… he proposes to:
- Fill the $35 million placeholder proposed in the current budget for increased federal Medicaid support;
- Restore $33.6 million in proposed reductions in health and human services, including proposed cuts to the Drugs for the Elderly program, hospitals, nursing homes, service providers and crisis services;
- Restore $5.6 million to a proposed reduction in the Circuit Breaker Program, which benefits 13,000 low- and middle-income homeowners;
- Restore $5 million to municipal revenue sharing in fiscal year 2011;
- Restore $5 million to General Purpose Aid to Education;
- Restore $1.1 million for schools who voted to support the State’s education reform law but whose partner districts rejected administrative consolidation;
- Restore $580,000 for adult education;
- Provide $470,000 in debt service for the University of Maine System to bring facilities at the University of Maine into ADA compliance and remove asbestos and mercury contamination;
- Provide $200,000 for the Maine Uncontrolled Hazardous Sites Cleanup; Restore $80,000 to the Maine Judiciary.
Read his full Press Release by clicking here.
Times Record Says “Maine Can Do Better”
Great editorial in the Times Record this Thursday:
“Yes, it’s good news that a $50 million improvement in state revenues and a $28 million Medicaid windfall allowed Gov. John Baldacci a week ago to lower the state’s budget shortfall by some $78 million.
And on Wednesday, the state budget picture brightened even more with the announcement that additional federal funds would come to Maine under the just-approved Jobs Bill, bringing the Medicaid windfall up to $46 million.
Those revenue boosts have enabled Baldacci to restore millions in funding for health and human services, including increased support for nursing homes, assisted living facilities, disability services, mental health crisis intervention and home-based services. The governor also partially restored funding for public schools and higher education — with $20 million being provided for K-12 education and $8 million for higher education in FY 2011. He also added $6 million for municipal revenue sharing for FY 2010.”
See the full story at the Times Record.