Get More Information

 

 For updated information please follow this link.

Our state budget is a reflection of our shared values. Unfortunately, the current supplemental budget proposal is not consistent with Maine people's desire to invest in our neighbors and communities by working together and sharing resources for everyone's benefit. 

Instead of reducing costs, the state budget as currently proposed would simply shift costs to more expensive and inefficient outcomes while putting more and more people in harm's way.

The fabric of our communities would be weakened by cuts like these that would:

HEALTH CARE

  • Eliminate prescription drug coverage for 18,000 MaineCare members living in poverty.
  • Eliminate critically needed mental health services for thousands of Mainers. These services help keep some children and adults out of institutions, help other children succeed in school, and keep adults working and out of the law enforcement system.
  • Eliminate, reduce, or delay vital home care services thousands of seniors and people with disabilities need to stay in their own homes (which are one tenth the cost of nursing homes).
  • Reduce access to needed health care for adults living in deep poverty (the “non-categoricals”). This sets up the cruel and expensive cycle of people delaying needed care, getting sicker, and resorting to the E.R., where costs are shifted, making health care more expensive for all of us.
  • Cut access to alcohol and drug addiction treatment services for the majority of adolescents and adults, resulting in far greater public cost for prisons, schools and hospitals.
  • Eliminate podiatry services for all MaineCare members, including those with diabetes.

EDUCATION

  • Reduce $34.1 million in General Purpose Aid to Education, on top of the $36.5 million reduction taken last session. These cuts are likely to result in higher local property taxes.
  • Delay achieving 55% state funding of k-12 education for one more year.
  • Reduce $6.5 million in the Department of Education, resulting in a 50% reduction in funding to implement Maine’s Learning Results.
  • Reduce $2 million in funding for Maine’s Community College System, and
  • Reduce $7 million in funding for the University of Maine System, which alone would result in a $56 million loss to Maine’s economy.

PUBLIC HEALTH & FAMILY SECURITY 

  • Eliminate all state funding to critical services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, putting hundreds of women and families in crisis and danger, and likely closing programs, shelters and services.
  • Force thirteen family planning centers to close and reduce hours at ten more. Many of these are in rural areas where health care services are already limited. This drastic reduction will return family planning funding to a level not seen since the 1980's - a time when Maine's teen pregnancy rates were among the highest in the nation.
  • Reduce reimbursement to foster and adoptive families that care for children with very significant needs. Some families may no longer be able to care for these children, while others will be reluctant to bring new children into their homes.
  • Eliminate access to local General Assistance programs for 13,000 very poor families with children. General Assistance is our most basic safety net protecting people from hunger and homelessness.
  • Eliminate state-funded Food Stamps for legal immigrants.

We’re all harmed when budget cuts are directed at seniors,children, people with serious health problems, and survivors of violence. Ourcommunities will pay more as costs are shifted to expensive and inefficientoutcomes like emergency room visits, nursing home care, shelters, and even jailtime.

Maine Can Do Better! As an alternative to shrinkinginvestment in our communities, we must collect the resources needed through avariety of fair and common sense means. By maintaining our investment incommunity basics, we will keep costs minimized and help Maine people,businesses, and communities achieve their maximum potential.

For more detailed information on Maine's current statebudget, visit the Maine Center for Economic Policy.

 



Maine Can Do Better
565 Congress St., Suite 200
Portland, Maine 04101
phone: 207 797-9207
email: info@mainecandobetter.org
© 2008, All Rights Reserved