Gov. Mills focuses $10 billion budget proposal on education, health care, housing, roads
AUGUSTA (WGME) – Governor Janet Mills unveiled her $10 billion proposed budget for Maine’s next two years Wednesday.
The budget focuses on education, health care, housing and roads.
Mills says the budget is balanced, does not raise taxes and leaves the state’s rainy-day fund untouched.
The budget laid out Wednesday was a continuation of the governor’s priorities under her last budget and even her first term in office.
A big priority in the governor's proposal is investing in childcare and education.
Mills wants to keep meeting the state's obligation to pay 55 percent of local education costs, which first happened under her administration.
“In this budget, we also fully fund free meals, free school meals,” Mills said.
The proposal also includes $15 million earmarked to keep providing two years of free community college, this time for high school students graduating in 2024 and 2025.
“I think it is very good news for Maine students,” Maine Community College System President David Daigler said.
Maine's community college system saw enrollment go up when the program launched during the pandemic.
“Our economy needs the skills that our colleges are providing, and it needs them very quickly,” Daigler said.
Another top priority is health care with support for seniors, people with disabilities, the child welfare system and hospitals.
She wants $237 million in state and federal funds for mental health and substance use disorder services.
“When it comes to behavioral health, we all read and heard about the need for more behavioral health services of all sorts,” Mills said.
The governor also proposes $30 million to build affordable workforce housing and $400 million for Maine DOT to update and build roads and bridges.
“Anyone can look around and see that there's a lot of work to be done,” Mills said.
“It's an OK start,” Senator Trey Stewart (R-Aroostook) said. “I think the devil is always in the details.”
Republican leaders aren't revealing where they stand on the package just yet.
“We're pleased to see a lot of the priorities that Republicans highlighted in the energy relief bill included in this package,” Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor) said. “What we're concerned about is the fact that we're getting a billion-dollar surplus without a tax cut.”
Though like the governor, they too want to see the final budget get support from two-thirds of legislators.
“I think that's just what everybody wants to see,” Faulkingham said. “That's exactly the way the legislature is supposed to function.”
This is now headed to lawmakers and making its way through the committee process.
It’s expected to take months before the budget is voted on by the legislature.
