The state of Maine’s budget debate ahead of Janet Mills’ virtual speech

But Sarah Austin, a budget analyst for the progressive Maine Center for Economic Policy and a member of the state’s economic forecasting commission, argues the opposite is true. Her group has criticized Mills’ new conformity plan. The state’s revenues are up, and the promise of more federal aid means the state should “respond to the moment” and help those who are struggling in the pandemic, not “stick to the letter” of what she has already proposed, Austin said.

Click here to read the full story, first published February 23, 2021 in the Bangor Daily News.