A Statewide Paid Family Leave Policy Is the Rainy Day Fund Mainers Need.

Without the flexibility to take time off from work, navigating family care needs can be nearly impossible.

Unexpected challenges at home quickly become more stressful when working Mainers have to choose between a paycheck and caring for a sick family member or addressing their own serious medical and mental health needs.

What we need is a rainy day fund that Mainers can use when these challenges arise. That’s what a statewide Paid Family and Medical Leave program would be. It would ensure people have an extended period of paid time off to care for a new child or a sick family member.

Thankfully policymakers in 2021 worked to establish a commission to help develop a statewide Paid Family and Medical Leave program. For over a year, members of the Commission on Paid Family and Medical Leave — made up of bipartisan legislators from both chambers, corporate and small business representatives, and health and labor experts — have been working together to develop a PFML program that is unique and attuned to Maine’s needs.

The group will provide its recommendations for consideration in the 2023 legislative session. That means that next year, our lawmakers will have the chance to enact a PFML program to help Maine workers support themselves when the unexpected happens.

It's never been clearer how important paid leave is for keeping our families, communities, and workplaces healthy and strong. Mainers For Working Families urges our leaders in Augusta to deliver a comprehensive PFML program for working Mainers.

No one deserves to miss out on a paycheck because they need to take time off for themselves or their families. Maine’s working families have made themselves clear: the time to deliver a comprehensive, easily accessible Paid Family and Medical Leave program is now.

Learn more about Paid Family Medical Leave in Maine here.

Maine Leaders Continue to Demonstrate Their Commitment to Protecting Abortion Access.

In May, we reported on a leaked draft opinion leak that exposed the U.S. Supreme Court’s intention to reverse Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that legalized abortion access nationwide.

A few weeks later, the nation’s highest court followed through on its draft opinion and rendered a 6-3 decision to reverse the longstanding notion that access to an abortion is a constitutional right.

Since then state legislatures across the country have rushed to either protect abortion access, or propose laws to further restrict a woman’s right to choose.

Thankfully Governor Mills and our leaders in the Maine legislature have continued to prioritize the health and bodily autonomy of Mainers.

Following the Supreme Court’s recent decision, Governor Mills signed an Executive Order to further safeguard access to abortion in Maine and to protect Maine health care providers who provide reproductive health care and their patients.

“Unlike the majority of the U.S. Supreme Court, I do not believe that women’s rights or women’s health care are dispensable,” said Governor Mills.

Senate President Troy Jackson and Senate Majority Leader Eloise Vitelli also reinforced their commitment to protecting abortion access for Mainers.

“In the wake of this decision, please know that Maine Senate Democrats will fight back against efforts to undermine abortion rights and stand united for reproductive freedom,” said Senator Jackson.

“This ruling from the Supreme Court is unconscionable. Rather than protecting the sanctity of life, it will only endanger the lives of everyday people. I vowed in my youth to fight for the right to access abortion care, and it’s clear this fight is far from over. I join with countless people across our state when I say, despite this decision handed down to us from Washington, Maine will not go back,” said Senator Vitelli.

Current law states that people in Maine have an affirmed right to choose to terminate a pregnancy pre-viability, regardless of the reversal of Roe v. Wade. State law also requires MaineCare and other insurance companies covering pregnancy to also cover abortion care without additional restrictions or limitations.

Mainers seeking abortion care can reach out to Planned Parenthood of Northern New England for guidance or learn more at the Department of Health And Human Services webpage.

Mainers For Working Families applauds our leaders in Augusta for continuing to safeguard the right to abortion and other reproductive rights.

Maine’s Legislators are Working for Us

The Maine Legislature just wrapped up an incredibly productive session. From healthcare access and affordable housing to tax fairness and strong, secure elections, our leaders in Augusta have tackled some of our state’s most pressing issues on behalf of Maine’s working families.

WATCH: Mainers Pushing Their Lawmakers to Deliver Results

The part-time nature of our state government means our legislators are just like us. They’re teachers, small business owners, farmers, and hardworking people looking out for their families and their communities. At the same time, it’s thanks to motivated people like you that we gained so much ground in Augusta this year. Your advocacy for policies designed to support working families helped us to address the challenges facing Mainers with the necessary urgency.

Here’s to how far we’ve come, and to the progress yet to be made.