Energy Assistance is On the Way for Small Businesses

In response to this year’s massive swing in electric rates, the Maine Legislature and Governor Mills passed LD 2010 – a bill proposed by Senate President Troy Jackson to provide small businesses some relief from high energy costs. This legislation makes tiered credits available for small businesses with high electricity costs based on their usage.

Now the Governor’s office has announced that more than 2,900 small businesses across the state will be receiving these one-time utility assistance credits as part of Governor Mills’ Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan. More than $7 million was invested in this program, meaning each business will receive a credit of at least $2,300 to offset its energy costs.

“Increases in the cost of energy are hurting Maine small businesses, and we are stepping up to help,” said Governor Janet Mills. “This utility credit will provide more than $2,000 in relief to help small businesses deal with higher energy prices, delivering a small measure of relief for our business owners. We will continue to do all we can to help Maine businesses and Maine people deal with high costs.”

“In the middle of an energy crisis driven in part by conflict overseas and corporate greed, we must do everything we can to help small business owners and everyday Maine families. This starts with the tiered energy credit for eligible small businesses,” said Senate President Troy Jackson. “I’m hopeful that this credit will provide some much-needed relief to businesses with higher energy burdens that are an essential part of rural communities like mine."

Thank you to Senator Jackson and Governor Mills for working together to curb electric costs for our small businesses!

Thousands Of Mainers Stand To Benefit From Closure Of The “Family Glitch.”

The Biden Administration recently announced that the Treasury Department is finalizing a fix to the so-called Family Glitch in the Affordable Care Act.

We previously reported on this flaw where workers who can afford employer healthcare plans for themselves are covered, but their whole family loses eligibility to buy healthcare plans in the ACA marketplace at a reduced price, even if the employer’s plan doesn’t offer affordable coverage for family members.

In a recent statement, President Biden said he wants to make sure “the law works the way Congress intended.”

Fixing the Family Glitch would ensure that an additional 5 million uninsured Americans have health insurance – 34,000 of whom are Mainers.

That includes working Mainers like John Farr of Winslow, who could no longer afford healthcare coverage for his family after a salary raise put him just $600 ($50 per month) beyond the limit for MaineCare.

The closure of the Family Glitch means family members of workers currently without health insurance will be able to access affordable coverage through CoverME.gov as early as next month.

Mainers for Working Families believes every Mainer deserves quality healthcare they can afford. We commend the Biden Administration and our leaders in the Maine Legislature for their efforts to make healthcare more accessible and affordable.

Five questions candidates for Governor in Maine should be asked to answer at the next debate.

Question 1: At some point in everybody's life, they are going to need to take an extended period off from work. Whether they have a new child, they need to care for an aging parent, or they become sick. 11 states currently have a Paid Family & Medical Leave program that provides up to 12 paid weeks off from work, would you support Maine becoming the 12th state?

Question 2: There are a number of large multinational corporations that do business in Maine but don’t pay their fair share in taxes. Would you close the loopholes in our tax code that allow corporations to hide profits overseas?

Question 3: The city of Seattle enacted legislation banning foreign-influenced corporations from spending money to influence elections. Following the explosion of foreign-money spent to influence the referendum on the proposed “New England Clean Energy Connect” transmission line, would you support banning election spending from corporations that are more than 5% owned by a single foreign government?

Question 4: Voting is the bedrock of a democracy. Would you support creating permanent absentee voting in Maine to make it easier for people who prefer to vote absentee?

Question 5: Over 200,000 Mainers have gone without needed prescription medication due to cost. What steps will you take to lower prescription drug costs in Maine?

Don’t forget to tune in! The next debate will be hosted by the Bangor Daily News and CBS News 13 at 7 PM on Monday, October 24.