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 While supportive of Medicaid funding, public pushes back on cuts in Mills’ short-term budget fix Last year, the Maine Center for Economic Policy in partnership with the Maine Council on Aging released a report that found sizable gaps already exist between care needed and […] Maine Morning Star Posted January 24, 2025 Tags Caregiving, Direct Care Work, Job Quality, Wages
Jobs and Income Maine speaker seeks higher wages for health care workers The push for higher pay among direct care workers who work in rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and behavioral health facilities is backed by the Maine Center for […] The Center Square Posted January 23, 2025 Tags Caregiving, Direct Care Work, Job Quality, Wages
Jobs and Income Maine Speaker proposes bill to boost wages for direct care workers The Maine Center for Economic Policy estimates that Maine needs 2,300 more direct care workers to meet the state’s demand. A raise could help recruit more workers. […] WGME Posted January 14, 2025 Tags Caregiving, Direct Care Work, Job Quality, Wages
Jobs and Income, Taxes and Budget Speaker of Maine House unveils bill to ease health care workforce shortage A June 2024 analysis by the Maine Center for Economic Policy think tank said that Maine needs to hire an additional 2,300 full-time direct care workers — there are […] Portland Press Herald Posted January 13, 2025 Tags Budget, Direct Care Work, Job Quality, Jobs
Taxes and Budget MECEP statement on Mills budget proposal “Governor Mills’ budget comes up short for workers and families,” says MECEP President and CEO Garrett Martin. “While Mainers struggle with soaring costs, wealthy people and multinational […] Posted January 10, 2025 Tags Budget, Direct Care Work, Health Care, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Increasing tobacco tax, AI protections among 2025 Maine health priorities Jess Maurer, executive director of the Maine Council on Aging, and Arthur Phillips, the economic policy analyst with the Maine Center for Economic Policy, both said they […] Maine Morning Star Posted January 2, 2025 Tags Budget, Direct Care Work, Job Quality, Jobs
Jobs and Income Commission recommends more caregiving support to address Maine’s persistent gender disparities Women are more likely to work part-time roles or drop out of the workforce altogether in order to care for family members when such services aren’t available. […] Maine Morning Star Posted December 12, 2024 Tags Caregiving, Direct Care Work
Jobs and Income State of Working Maine 2024: Gains and Gaps in a Strong Economy Report PDF Summary pdf view stories State of Working Maine 2024 examines Maine’s economy and how it performs for working Mainers, particularly in the post-COVID era. A […] James Myall Posted October 23, 2024 Tags Caregiving, Child Care, Direct Care Work, Economic Security, Economy, Food Insecurity, Gender, Health Care, Higher Education, Housing, Immigration, Incomes, Inequality, Job Quality, Jobs, Minimum Wage, Poverty, Racial Equity, Unemployment, Wages
Taxes and Budget New budget projections highlight the need to get serious about raising revenue Update: Read MECEP’s November 25, 2024 statement on the revised revenue forecast. At a glance: Projected budget shortfalls are nothing new Ultimately lawmakers must work with the […] James Myall Posted October 7, 2024 Tags Budget, Direct Care Work, Education, Health Care, K-12 Education, Medicaid, Revenue
