The latest edition of our Impact newsletter is now available!
Weekly edition of IMPACT, a publication of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce | January 28, 2021
View this edition online	View an archived edition online
Taxation committee work session on the supplemental budget ends quickly Republicans move to adopt full conformity to business proposals, issue ultimately tabled by Democrats The Joint Standing Committee on Taxation in their work session of Thursday, January 28, voted to table the tax conformity issue following a motion by Rep. Ted Kryzak to adopt fully conformity to the federal government on LD 42, An Act Making Certain Supplemental Appropriations and Allocations and Changing Certain Provisions of the Law Necessary to the Proper Operations of State Government (Emergency). In total, the work session lasted nearly 25 minutes. Read more...
Tax Conformity & the Payroll Protection Program: We need your help! This week, the Joint Standing Committees on Appropriations and Financial Affairs and Taxation held a series of public hearings on LD 42, An Act Making Certain Supplemental Appropriations and Allocations and Changing Certain Provisions of the Law Necessary to the Proper Operations of State Government (Emergency). To assist you in discussing this issue with your legislators, we have compiled the following talking points. Read more...
Governor Mills: “Let’s solve the PPP issue” Governor asks departments to identify potential Federal funding that may be able to maintain balanced budget & adopt Federal tax treatment of PPP loans Late in the day on January 27, Governor Janet Mills announced in a press release that she has asked her departments to explore whether federal funding may exist to help Maine provide the same beneficial tax treatment to Payroll Protection Program (PPP) funds that the federal government has. Read more...
Leadership Summit 2021: Focusing on the Strength and Growth of Maine’s Economy February 4 and 5, 2021 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.   The Maine State Chamber’s annual Leadership Summit provides opportunities for board members and invited guests to connect with state government commissioners and Maine legislative leadership, including committee chairs and key committee members. The Maine State Chamber takes pride in providing opportunities for Maine’s business and government leaders to engage in honest, open dialogue about top public policy issues. This year, due to COVID-19 and the need to comply with social distancing guidelines, we will be offering our program virtually. Read more...
With improving public health metrics, Mills administration ends early business closing time Later this afternoon, Governor Janet Mills announced that she will end the 9:00 p.m. early closing time for businesses, effective Monday, February 1, 2021. The decision is the result of Maine’s improving public health metrics, including a decrease in Maine’s positivity rate and new COVID-19 cases per million. Read more...
Senior Leaders of Tomorrow Development Program: “Leaders don’t create followers; they create more leaders.” – Tom Peters The Maine State Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Sojourn Partners, LLC to bring you a program that will help you prepare your organization’s leaders of tomorrow. Read more...
Maine’s higher education community working to increase value and training quality workforce The Maine State Chamber of Commerce is continuing its efforts to enhance Maine’s processes for education and workforce development. During the January 26 briefings before the Joint Standing Committee on Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business (IDEA), attendees listened to how Maine’s community colleges, as well as public and private universities, are working to increase value and deliver quality individuals to our workforce. Read more...
Governor Mills announces actions to advance floating offshore wind research array in Gulf of Maine In letter to fishing industry, Governor Mills affirms Maine’s commitment to the climate, energy and economic benefits of floating offshore wind, proposes moratorium on new wind projects in more heavily fished state waters On January 25, Governor Janet Mills today proposed a series of actions to advance the nation’s first floating offshore wind research array in federal waters and to protect Maine’s more heavily fished state waters. In a letter to Maine’s licensed commercial fishermen (PDF), Governor Mills announced that she will propose for the Legislature’s approval a 10-year moratorium on new offshore wind projects in waters managed by the state and that she has directed the Governor’s Energy Office to review offshore wind regulations and again opened channels and opportunities for meaningful input from fishermen and marine industries siting the proposed research array. Read more...
Upcoming Public Hearings Legislation of Interest Public hearings are open to everyone, despite the Statehouse’s restricted access status during the pandemic. Typically, the committee’s meeting room is listed below, but during the pandemic, Maine State Chamber members should plan to watch and listen to legislative committees by using one of the Legislature’s YouTube channels. The Legislature also released these guides for participation in public hearings and work sessions, and you will need to register to submit testimony if you plan to testify on a particular bill. Also, this public hearing schedule is subject to changes and updates; we advise that you check the committee’s calendar or contact the committee clerk. Each committee name listed below is linked to the corresponding committee page. Each week, Maine Chamber staff studies each of the recently printed bills to assess potential impact on business trends. We are sharing those bills of concern with you here. If you have concerns regarding any bill, please communicate those concerns to a member of our advocacy team by calling (207) 623-4568.   A total of 36 business-related bills have been tracked to date since the session began on January 6, 2021! View the list of Public Hearings for February 1-12... View the complete list of legislation we're watching for you...
Federal Update: President Biden issues more Executive Orders, takes further action to address the COVID-19 crisis; Senators Collins and King, and Rep. Golden meet with new Administration on proposed stimulus package; Rep. Pingree to Chair Appropriations Subcommittee Since taking office last Wednesday, President Biden has issued dozens of Executive Orders. In addition to the orders outlined in Impact last week, the President has taken further actions aimed at fighting COVID-19. Read more...
Maine State Chamber launches “The Maine Take with Dana Connors” with special guest, U.S. Senator Susan Collins Beginning February 1, the weekly public affairs program will livestream Monday afternoons The Maine State Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce the February 1 launch of The Maine Take with Dana Connors, a weekly public affairs and current events livestream program hosted by Maine State Chamber President and CEO Dana Connors. U.S. Senator Susan Collins will be Connors’ special guest on the inaugural episode, livestreaming this Monday, February 1 at 3:00 p.m. The Maine Take will livestream every Monday thereafter from 3:00 p.m. to approximately 3:45 p.m. on the Maine State Chamber’s website and on YouTube. Read more...
The Bottom Line podcast celebrates 40th episode     Airing live on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month, The Bottom Line builds upon the Maine State Chamber’s former cable access television show of the same name. The Bottom Line features a wide variety of guests and presents interviews relevant to public policy priorities both in state and nationally, to economic recovery efforts of the pandemic, and to other significant issues of interest to Maine’s business community. Read more...
Meet the Commissioners event provides forum to share priorities and insights with Maine’s business leaders On the morning of Wed., January 27, the Maine State Chamber hosted a webinar session featuring Maine’s commissioners and bureau directors to provide members with an increased understanding of the roles and responsibilities of each state department, as well as the critical collaboration that occurs in the delivery of its programs. Read more...
Maine State Chamber promotes release of new report illustrating how early childhood programs’ scarcity undermines Maine’s rural communities Prominent community leaders, educators, and a parent of twin preschoolers release a film and report discussing the challenges created by the lack of high-quality early education and care in rural Maine Community leaders from business including the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, law enforcement and retired military rhelped eleased a new report entitled “Early Childhood Programs’ Scarcity Undermines Maine's Rural Communities.” The report highlights the disproportionate challenges that rural children face in accessing high-quality early programs and other supports. A short film accompanied the report release and included views of this pressing problem from early educators, a superintendent, and a parent of twin 4-year-old boys. Read more...
STEM Workforce Development in Maine Session IV: The Future of STEM Jobs and Innovation in Maine Wednesday, February 10 | 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Join the Maine Chamber of Commerce’s Education Foundation and the national Science is US campaign on Wed., February 10 beginning at 1:00 p.m. for a series of virtual discussions on STEM Workforce Development in Maine. This fourth session in the STEM series will focus on The Future of STEM Jobs and Innovation in Maine. Read more...
TO UNSUBSCRIBE, CLICK HERE. NOTICE: In an ongoing effort to thwart the activities of online hackers, the Maine State Chamber has researched and tested the links in this document and determined that they are safe.