Legislature Passes Child Care Affordability Bills

The Maine Legislature has been making some progress on passing bills to make child care more accessible and affordable for working families.  

On March 5, the Maine House voted 77-65 to pass LD 1955, An Act to Increase Child Care Affordability and Early Childhood Educator Stability in Maine. The measure, sponsored by Sen. Mattie Daughtry (D-Cumberland), would provide $15 million to the Child Care Affordability Program, which pays for a portion of child care costs for working families in Maine.

The measure would clear the waitlist for the program and make it available for many more working class families. The bill, which has drawn opposition from most Republicans, passed the House 72-68 on a roll call vote and the Senate without a roll call. It’s now on the appropriations table while lawmakers decide which bills will get funded in the supplemental budget.

The Maine House also voted 72-68 on March 5 to pass LD  2066 An Act to Establish the Child Care Employment Award. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Henry Ingwersen (D-York), would make child care more affordable for child care workers and eliminate current waitlists.

Bill to Improve Loan Program for Workers Impacted By Government Shutdowns

The Maine House has voted 106-36 and the Senate voted 31-0 to pass a bill that would improve a new law that provides access to state-backed, no-interest loans for federal and state workers who have to work without pay during government shutdowns. On Tuesday, union leaders testified in support of LD 2102, An Act to Clarify and Strengthen the Government Shutdown Loan Guarantee Program, by Kristi Mathieson (D-Kittery), makes improvements to the loan program based on our experiences during last fall’s federal government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, lasting 43 days. The bill would:

Ensuring that eligibility is not dependent on applying for unemployment benefits, credit checks, membership status, or in-person appearance.

• Repealing the 10 percent cap on guaranteed payments, eliminating lender uncertainty.
• Providing an additional $250,000 allocation to strengthen the fund.

Legislature Passes Transit Safety Bill, Awaiting Funding

The House voted 125-16 and the Senate approved a bill “under the hammer” to protect drivers from violent passengers.LD 2102, An Act to Clarify and Strengthen the Government Shutdown Loan Guarantee Program, sponsored by Sen. Teresa Pierce (D-Cumberland), would require public transit agencies to install vehicle security barriers that protect transit bus operators from assaults. The measure would also provide grants to public transit agencies for the purchase, installation and maintenance of vehicle security barriers. The measure is awaiting funding on the Legislature’s Appropriations table.