Veterans show overwhelming support for Paid Family and Medical Leave

Over one hundred veterans and family members from across the state have signed on to a letter from Mainers For Working Families calling for the establishment of a statewide Paid Family & Medical Leave (PFML) program. The Maine State Legislature is currently considering a bill that would establish a commission to develop a PFML benefit program.

“As a veteran, I know just how hard it can be to adjust back to civilian life,” said Auta Main, a community organizer for Mainers For Working Families. “Navigating the healthcare marketplace and benefit packages offered through your employer can be very challenging. Even if a veteran is eligible for VA healthcare, their family members may not be. A Paid Family & Medical Leave program would give veterans the security to retain employment, even if they need to take time off for their health or their family’s health.”

“Our veterans gave all of themselves for our country, but when they return home, they’re too often left behind,” said Evan LeBrun, Executive Director of Mainers For Working Families. “We need to do everything we can to help them readjust to life at home, while giving them the time and support they need to heal. A statewide Paid Family & Medical Leave program is crucial for our veterans, so they can care for themselves and support their loved ones, without losing their job.”

A comprehensive statewide PFML benefit program would provide Mainers with extended paid time off to care for a loved one or take care of a personal medical issue.

“We know that veterans experience mental health disorders, substance use disorders, post-traumatic stress, and traumatic brain injury at a higher rate than people who have not served, and that about 20 veterans a day commit suicide,” the letter states.

“That’s why we, the undersigned, are advocating that Maine create a paid family and medical leave benefit program. We believe that this type of public policy is particularly important for veterans and their families.” To read the full letter, click here.

The Maine State Legislature is currently considering LD 1559, “An Act To Create the Commission To Develop a Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits Program.” This bill, if passed, would bring together experts on postpartum and maternal care, elder care, employers, and members of the Legislature with expertise on labor issues and family and medical benefits to help make PFML a reality.

The Labor and Housing Committee will host a public hearing on LD 1559 on Friday, May 7 at 9:00 A.M. ET. You can view the hearing on the committee’s YouTube channel.

As housing crisis worsens, Maine homeowners need property tax relief

Maine has a housing crisis on its hands. Bolstered by an influx of homebuyers from other states escaping major cities amidst the pandemic and driving up real estate prices, the supply of affordable housing is dwindling rapidly.

For those who are fortunate enough to own a home in Maine, these rising prices translate to increased property taxes. South Portland, for example, warned its residents that they could see a 30-50 percent increase in their property taxes as a result of changes to the region’s housing market. The regressive nature of property taxes means that two people in the same jurisdiction will pay the same amount in property tax, regardless of the income of the homeowner(s). With many people losing income as a result of the pandemic’s economic effects, hardworking Mainers are at risk of being driven out of their homes by these regressive taxes, and there is a very real possibility that they won’t be able to find another place to live.

Maine’s legislature is now actively working to provide vulnerable homeowners with property tax relief through a series of bills, including:

• LD 576, “An Act To Increase Property Tax Relief For Veterans”: This bill, introduced by Senate President Troy Jackson in February, would raise the property tax exemption for senior and disabled veterans of federally-recognized war periods from $6,000 to $10,000 starting in 2022.
  

• LD 1482, “An Act To Improve Access to Property Tax Exemptions for New Homeowners”: This bill would allow new home buyers in Maine to become eligible for the homestead property tax exemption as soon as they purchase their home.
  

• LD 1514, “An Act To Provide for Fairness in Property Taxation by Assessing a One-time Tax on Financial Assets”: This bill increases funding for state-sponsored housing programs and municipal budgets using revenue from a one-time, 0.5% tax on financial assets over $5,000,000 for Maine’s wealthiest residents.
  

Mainers for Working Families strongly supports these measures to relieve the growing property tax burden in our state. Homeownership is a point of pride for many of Maine’s working families, and we must do everything we can to ensure every Mainer has continuing access to safe and affordable housing.

Healthcare costs are too high – a state level health insurance assessment could solve this

With high premiums and overpriced prescription medication, health care is becoming out of reach for too many working families and seniors.

Our state representatives can do something about it by passing LD 1463: An Act To Make Health Care Coverage More Affordable for Working Families and Small Businesses. This bill would continue the federal healthcare assessment (HIA) on a state level and use the new revenue to make healthcare more affordable.

Tell the Maine legislature: Please support An Act To Make Health Care Coverage More Affordable For Working Families And Small Businesses (LD 1463).

The federal HIA was a fee that private insurance companies paid to access the healthcare market - by paying this fee, they could expand their customer base.

When this fee ended under the Trump administration, private insurance companies saw their profits soar. Meanwhile, Mainers and people all over the country are struggling to afford the basic care they need to be healthy.

LD 1463 would continue this assessment on the state level, which could bring in around $30 million in revenue for the state. Sign here to tell your representatives to pass LD 1463!

This revenue stream could be used to fund programs to lower premiums or reduce out-of-pocket costs for Mainers. It also will help close the “family glitch.”

The family glitch affects thousands of working families who can’t afford a family plan offered through an employer, but because the employed family member can afford a self-only plan, the rest of the family loses eligibility for marketplace subsidies.

Every single person deserves affordable and quality health care. Period. Continuing the Health Insurance Assessment at the state level will help Maine achieve that.