With the second session of the 132nd Legislature in full swing, my colleagues and I have begun working on the supplemental budget – changes to the two-year budget the Legislature passed last year. This budget is one of the most important pieces of legislation in the second session, and it will play a critical role in shaping the direction of our state in the near future.

Gov. Janet Mills released her budget proposal at the end of January. Now, it’s in the hands of the Legislature, and we are working with the governor, state departments and agencies, public-interest groups, and the public to finalize a balanced budget, as required under the Maine Constitution.

This session, the budget will reflect Maine Democrats’ continued commitment to the foundations that support healthy communities, like public education and access to health care. It will also prioritize measures that provide relief to address the increasing cost of living. The governor’s budget proposal includes many provisions aimed at making progress in these areas, but the entire bill will undergo rigorous negotiation over the coming weeks.

Addressing affordability includes maintaining the state share of K-12 public education costs at 55% and state-funded direct relief programs like the Property Tax Fairness Credit and the Homestead Exemption, so costs for local services don’t fall more on municipalities and further increase property taxes.

In order to offset increased costs for families, the proposed state budget also includes additional funds to ensure Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients can continue to put food on the table. Moving forward, many of the services that Mainers rely on will receive drastically reduced federal funding.

Federal cuts are having a significant impact. To address this, more state funds will be needed to support our state Medicaid program, MaineCare, as well as family planning services, which include cancer screenings, vaccinations, access to birth control, and testing and treatment for STIs. Significant funds will also need to be dedicated to comply with MaineCare work requirements imposed by Congress, which will cost the state $3.8 million.

In addition to the budget, Democrats are working on a slate of bills to address the affordability crisis, including legislation that would remove the sales tax on all Mainers’ residential electricity bills, build more affordable housing and help Maine homebuyers lower their mortgage rates, putting homeownership back within reach of more working families.

To address the ongoing health care crisis, we are also working on legislation like LD 2208, An Act to Offset Federal Cuts to Health Insurance for Certain Maine Families and Seniors, which would provide funding to rural hospitals, stabilize insurance costs and support MaineCare’s accessibility.

As a part of my work serving on the legislature’s Judiciary Committee, we are reviewing several initiatives in the budget to preserve Mainers’ constitutional rights and access to justice. These initiatives would provide much-needed funding for public defense services to continue to address the Sixth Amendment constitutional crisis, and ensure that every Mainer has the right to due process protected.

Another judiciary-related issue in the budget that I have been tracking closely is funding for the inventory and tracking of sexual-assault kits. Right now, Maine is the only state in the nation that has not passed legislation to meaningfully address forensic examination kit backlog and processing issues. Funding this legislation will be just one step of progress towards expanding access to justice for survivors of sexual assault.

We have a lot more work to do, but I am confident that the passage of a supplemental budget will have a positive and lasting impact across Maine and right here in Gorham. It speaks to our commitment to addressing the pressing needs of our community and ensuring a brighter future for all Mainers.

You can contact me by email at Ellie.Sato@legislature.maine.gov or by phone at 207-287-1430 if you need assistance navigating state services. Please don’t hesitate to reach out, even just to introduce yourself. I can best represent our community by directly hearing about the issues you care about.