Forget the motherhood medals — Maine parents need real support

If Republicans want more babies, they should stop punishing the parents who already have them. Parents don’t need platitudes. They need paid leave, child care they can […]

Maine Morning Star

Posted May 12, 2025

Tags Caregiving, Child Care, Children, Economic Security, Food Insecurity, Paid Family and Medical Leave

Health Care, Taxes and Budget

I’m not on Medicaid — so why should I care about cuts to Medicaid?

Congress is currently considering major cuts to Medicaid and other programs. Changes to Medicaid, which provides health insurance for 1 in 5 Americans and 400,000 Mainers, would […]

Megan Michaud

Posted May 12, 2025

Tags Budget, Children, Health Care, Medicaid, Seniors, Taxes, Trump Tax Cuts

Taxes and Budget

Lawmakers push to increase state child income tax credit to support Maine families

According to the Maine Center for Economic Policy, 12.6 percent of children in Maine live in poverty. Click here to watch the full video, first posted April […]

NewsCenter Maine

Posted April 8, 2025

Tags Budget, Child Tax Credit, Children, Taxes

Taxes and Budget

Bipartisan lawmakers, educators, parents push to expand Maine’s child tax credit

Garrett Martin, president and CEO of the Maine Center for Economic Policy, called the child tax credit expansion a smart economic move for Maine, citing research that […]

Maine Morning Star

Posted April 8, 2025

Tags Budget, Child Tax Credit, Children, Taxes

Taxes and Budget

Parents of Maine young children could have increased tax credit under proposed legislation

“We’ve seen it work,” added President and C.E.O. of Maine Center for Economic Policy Garrett Martin. “When the federal child tax credit was expanded during the pandemic, […]

WABI

Posted April 7, 2025

Tags Budget, Child Tax Credit, Children, Taxes

Jobs and Income, Taxes and Budget

Maine must invest in child care, not cut it

At a glance: Proposed budget cuts to child care funding will reduce wages for child care workers, limit child care availability, and weaken Maine’s economy Child care […]

Arthur Phillips

Posted March 3, 2025

Tags Budget, Caregiving, Child Care, Children, Direct Care Work, Tax Fairness, Taxes

Jobs and Income, Taxes and Budget

Guaranteed Income — An Explainer

What is Guaranteed Income? Guaranteed Income is a method of providing regular, unrestricted cash payments to supplement individuals’ income. It is one of several no-strings-attached cash strategies […]

Karin Leuthy

Posted August 15, 2024

Tags Children, Food Insecurity, Guaranteed Income, Incomes, Poverty

Education, Jobs and Income

Poor pay and strained working conditions cause staffing shortages in Maine schools

At a glance: Maine has a shortage of educators due to wages that are not competitive Maine educators make less on average than peers with similar levels […]

James Myall

Posted April 8, 2024

Tags Children, Economic Security, Education, Job Quality, Jobs, K-12 Education, Wages