The latest edition of our Impact newsletter is now available!
Weekly edition of IMPACT, a publication of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce | April 8, 2021
View this edition online	View an archived edition online
LD 920 proposes to raise taxes and fees on critical business services On Tuesday, April 6, Ben Gilman, general counsel for the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, delivered testimony before the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology in opposition to LD 920, An Act to Promote Oversight of and Competitive Parity among Video Service Providers. Read more...
Taxation committee tables Seed Capital Tax Credit program On Wednesday, April 7, the Joint Standing Committee on Taxation tabled LD 229, An Act to Increase Investment Caps in the Maine Seed Capital Tax Credit Program. There are projects that will bring potential jobs and investment waiting for the outcome on this bill. Read more...
Pine Tree Development Zone bill tabled in IDEA committee On Tuesday, April 6, the Joint Standing Committee on Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business (IDEA) held a work session on LD 730, An Act to Protect Economic Competitiveness in Maine by Extending the End Date for Pine Tree Development Zone (PTDZ) Benefits. In her March 23 testimony strongly supporting LD 730, Linda Caprara, senior government relations specialist for the Maine State Chamber, thanked Sen. Matthea Daughtry (D-Cumberland) for sponsoring this important bill. 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 234 business-related bills have been tracked to date since the session began on January 6, 2021! View the list of Public Hearings for April 12 through April 23... View the complete list of legislation we're watching for you...
Relief plans for licensed childcare and early education providers reviewed In the past week, the Right from the Start Coalition (RFTS) discussed the current operating conditions of Maine’s childcare providers. While 96% of currently licensed childcare and early education providers are open, they are struggling to meet demands due to limited capacity and long wait lists. Of the 300 respondents in a recent survey, 25% have indicated that permanent closure within the next six months is a real threat. Read more...
USA Today: ‘People are only going to pay so much for a pizza’ Peter Gore, executive vice president for the Maine State Chamber of Commerce was quoted in a recent article in USA Today. His quote is excerpted below, but we encourage you to read the full article here.   In Maine, where the minimum wage stands among the nation's highest at $12.15, the state Chamber of Commerce opposes a $15 federal standard.   “I think the minimum wage is (already) too high in Maine,” said Peter Gore, the chamber's executive vice president.   While he believes the pay floor is excessive throughout the state, he says businesses in the more urban southern part of the state, which includes Portland, can better afford it. In those areas, the cost of living is higher, sales are robust, and restaurants and retailers must pay higher wages anyway to attract workers. Portland’s minimum wage is scheduled to rise to $15 an hour by early 2025.   But in the rest of the state, which is largely rural, “it’s a real struggle,” Gore says. “The economy isn’t as strong” and a big minimum wage jump would force restaurants or shop owners to reduce hours, cut employees or raise prices so sharply that they lose customers.   “People are only going to pay so much for a pizza or hamburger,” he says.
Sen. David Woodsome: It’s time to update career and technical education in Maine The Bangor Daily News published this Opinion piece by Sen. David Woodsome of District 33. Sen. Woodsome serves on the Legislature’s committee on Education and Cultural Affairs and taught and coached in Maine schools for 35 years. Read more...
To learn more or to register, please click on the event image or links below. Broadband Expansion in Maine: Bring ME Up To Speed Series Webinar 3: New England’s Regional Perspective Sponsored by Mission Broadband Tuesday, April 27 | 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Held Virtually on Zoom Register Here | More Information Age Friendly Maine, Connecting Across Generations Tuesday, May 4 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Held Virtually on Zoom More Information | Register Here
Mills Administration updates COVID-19 Prevention Checklists     Administration will continue to review and revise guidelines to reflect progress on vaccinations and align with Maine’s strategy to combat COVID-19    Earlier this week, the Mills Administration posted updates to the following COVID-19 Prevention Checklists: Large Gatherings/Ticketed Events; Organized Racing Events; Town Meetings; and Transportation. The update also establish a Private Events COVID-19 Checklist. Read more...
Deadline approaching for SBA working capital loans in Maine for Secretary of Agriculture’s disaster declaration The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and most private nonprofit organizations that May 4, 2021 is the filing deadline for federal economic injury disaster loans due to drought that began on July 7, 2020. Read more...
UMaine presents Maine Impact Week starting Monday, April 12 The University of Maine will be showcasing its research to the public next week. For the second year in a row, Maine Impact Week will be held virtually for the public to learn about projects members of the UMaine community have been working on and the contributions they are making to society. Ali Abedi, UMaine’s associate vice president for research, said there are various sessions throughout the week, including competitions, awards, student research presentations and keynote speakers. He said this is an opportunity for people to connect with and learn from each other. “The public can talk to the students, talk to the faculty, see what are the results of research here, how they can impact their lives, and also communicate the problems that we might consider for future research,” Abedi said. Sessions will be held on Zoom daily from April 12 to 16. Anyone interested in attending can register on umaine.edu/impactweek.
Don’t miss The Maine Take with Dana Connors this Monday, April 12, live-streaming at 3:00 p.m. The Bottom Line podcast provides legislative update from Maine State Chamber’s Advocacy team President Biden’s Infrastructure Plan: What It Means for Maine and the Country Be sure to watch Monday for a discussion with Edward “Ed” Mortimer, Transportation and Infrastructure Vice President at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, on President Biden’s infrastructure plan and what it means for Maine and the country. Also on Monday, Mainebiz will share headline business news and viewers will hear from the Maine State Chamber’s Advocacy Team on top legislative and policy issues. Watch The Maine Take with Dana Connors live on our website or on our YouTube channel. Missed a previous episode? Click here for replays. For more information, please contact Jen Webber. Beginning April 20, The Maine Take is moving to Tuesdays at noon. Airing live at 10:00 a.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month, The Bottom Line podcast 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. On April 8, co-hosts Dana Connors of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and John Williams of Williams Broadcasting were joined by the Maine State Chamber’s advocacy team – Peter Gore, Ben Gilman, and Linda Caprara – to provide listeners with a legislative update on critical bills. To listen to the archived podcasts any time, please visit The Bottom Line page on the Maine State Chamber’s website. In addition, The Bottom Line podcast can be heard on iTunes, iHeart Radio, Soundcloud, Stitcher Radio, Spotify and radio.com.
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.