By Rep. Parnell Terry

The increasing cost of living is making it harder for working families in Gorham to make ends meet. Gas, groceries and electricity feel like they’re getting more expensive every day. In Augusta, I worked hard this year to pass bills that will help keep money in Mainers’ pockets and provide relief from rising costs.

To help Gorham families with young kids, we passed a measure last year that doubles Maine’s Child Tax Credit to $610 per child for children under six for families earning under $150,000 annually starting this year. Raising kids is hard enough, and this will help young families afford bringing up the next generation of Mainers.

Additionally, this year, we passed an initiative to send $300 relief checks to eligible Mainers to help with rising costs. Individuals making less than $50,000 a year, heads of household earning under $75,000 and married couples filing jointly making less than $100,000 annually are eligible to receive checks. However, to be automatically mailed a check, you need to have filed a 2025 state tax return. Checks are expected to hit mailboxes later this summer.

For Gorham residents who may not file taxes regularly, like those who rely solely on Social Security, more information will be available soon at https://www.maine.gov/revenue/ to assist with filing the necessary documentation by Oct. 15, 2026. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

Property taxes are also rising unsustainably, hurting family budgets. To help provide additional relief, we also increased the maximum Property Tax Fairness Credit benefit on rent or property taxes paid from $1,000 to $1,500 for eligible Mainers under 65. We also maintained state funding for municipalities to help offset the cost of basic, important services we all rely on, like public education and drivable roads and bridges. This state funding makes sure property taxes don’t rise even more while we work to find state solutions to help bring costs down.

I’m also pleased to share that in the future, Gorham Public Schools will receive more money from the state. The statewide education funding formula hasn’t been significantly updated in 20 years, and communities like ours have been paying more than our fair share. I worked to help pass legislation that makes long overdue changes to education funding, which will also further offset our local property tax bills.

Finally, we all know that life happens, and sometimes it’s necessary to help care for a loved one in need and take time off from work. This is why the Legislature created Maine’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Program three years ago, which is now accepting applications as of May 1. Eligible workers can apply for up to 12 weeks of paid time off for life events like the birth of a child or to recover from a medical procedure. Learn more at www.maine.gov/paidleave/.

While there’s a lot more work to be done to address the high cost of living, I’m proud of these measures to help put money back in Mainers’ pockets and maintain the vital public infrastructure our community depends on.

If you have any questions or concerns about available state programs and tax credits, or need assistance accessing other support, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at Parnell.Terry@legislature.maine.gov. It is an honor to serve as your state representative.