Jobs and Income, Maine’s Economy REPORT: Cuts to Pandemic Unemployment Compensation would harm 182,000 Mainers The COVID-19 relief plan released by US Senate Republicans on July 27 would slash Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) by $400 per week, affecting approximately 182,000 Mainers […] James Myall Posted July 28, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Incomes, Unemployment
Maine’s Economy Tracking the economic impact of COVID-19 in Maine MECEP is monitoring several short-term indicators to track the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on Maine’s economy. Sources for each indicator can be seen in the descriptions below. Indicator 1: COVID-19 cases in Maine […] James Myall Posted July 9, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Economic Security, Economy, Food Insecurity, Health Care, Housing, Medicaid, Unemployment
Maine’s Economy Policy Memo: Distribution of Coronavirus Relief Funds in Maine The following is a reproduction of a memo produced by MECEP policy analysts Sarah Austin and James Myall for the Governor’s Economic Recovery Committee. To see the […] Sarah Austin Posted July 1, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Recession
Maine’s Economy REPORT: Economic downturn from Coronavirus will dwarf Great Recession, demands bold policy response UPDATE (April 30, 2020): As confirmed cases of COVID-19 rise and the coronavirus pandemic continues to rock the economy, several of the indicators in this report have […] Sarah Austin Posted April 1, 2020 Tags Budget, Coronavirus, Economy, Federal, Recession, Revenue
Maine’s Economy REPORT: Policy priorities for the federal response to COVID-19's economic fallout As the coronavirus pushes the nation into a recession, the response by federal policymakers will determine the extent of the economic harm on families and small businesses. […] James Myall Posted March 26, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Federal, Recession
Maine’s Economy, Taxes and Budget Policy Brief: To address wealth inequality, Maine must strengthen its estate tax More and more of society’s wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few families. At the same time, taxes that target the wealthy have been slashed, […] Sarah Austin Posted February 27, 2020 Tags Estate Tax, Inequality, Revenue, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Maine’s Economy, Taxes and Budget Policy Basic: Bonds are a vital tool for investing in the public good A strong and thriving economy depends on long-term investments in roads and bridges, clean water and schools, and other public goods that benefit people and businesses now and in the […] Jody Harris Posted February 21, 2020 Tags Bonds, Infrastructure
Maine’s Economy REPORT: Overtime bill would guarantee living wages for workers with long hours A bill before the Maine Legislature would give middle-class Mainers a much-needed raise by restoring lost overtime protections for 28,000 workers. The bill — LD 402, “An […] James Myall Posted February 11, 2020 Tags Overtime, Wages
Maine’s Economy MECEP Map: Economic Insights for Maine's Legislative Districts 2020 State of the Districts Dive into the data to discover the economic trends in Maine’s legislative districts, and how they compare with other regions in Maine. […] MECEP Posted January 31, 2020 Tags Economy, Local
Maine’s Economy Report: More than one in ten Maine families lacks adequate, nutritious food Food is fundamental to human life, but more than 77,000 Maine households — more than one in ten — lacks the nutrition needed to thrive, while one […] James Myall Posted December 23, 2019 Tags Economic Security, Food Insecurity