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The latest edition of our Impact newsletter is now available!
Weekly edition of IMPACT, a publication of the Maine State Chamber | February 17, 2022
 
View this edition online
 
View an archived edition online

Work session seeks to reduce Maine’s seed capital tax credit
 
The Joint Standing Committee on Taxation held its work session today on LD 1941, An Act To Clarify and Update the Maine Seed Capital Tax Credit Program. The Maine State Chamber opposed LD 1941 at last week’s public hearing because the bill as drafted would reduce the existing credit from 40% to 30%. The credit keeps changing, and businesses need stability and predictability to invest.
 
 
While we monitor its progress in committee today and throughout the legislative process in the weeks to come, please review the testimony delivered last week by Linda Caprara, our senior government relations specialist, in opposition to the proposal.
 
The Maine Seed Capital Tax Credit Program clearly places Maine in a stronger position to compete and needs to be kept intact and stable. If you have any questions, please contact Linda Caprara by calling (207) 623-4568, ext. 106, or by emailing lcaprara@mainechamber.org.
 
Watch it here or read it here
 
 
 

 
ADVOCACY ALERT!
 
Encourage your legislators to oppose LD 607’s majority report on the higher overtime payment salary threshold
 
We have prepared these talking points to help you discuss LD 607 with your legislators.
 
Please contact your legislators today and urge them to oppose the costly overtime legislation in LD 607.
Read more...
 
 

 
Upcoming Public Hearings and Work Sessions of Interest
 
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 111 business-related bills
have been tracked to date since
the session began on January 5, 2022!
 
 
 
View the list of Public Hearings for February 21 through March 4...
 
 
View the complete list of legislation
we're watching for you...
 

 
News from the Governor's Office:
 
Governor Mills introduces supplemental budget proposal providing financial relief for Maine people
 
On February 15, Governor Janet Mills introduced a supplemental budget proposal that returns half of the surplus back to Maine taxpayers, delivers crucial tax relief to working Maine families, and provides two years of free community college to pandemic-impacted students to strengthen Maine’s workforce. It also increases the Budget Stabilization Fund to more than $500 million, the first time in Maine history that state savings has ever surpassed a half billion dollars, and provides $100 million to the Maine Department of Transportation to fix roads and bridges, increasing an unprecedented level of General Fund support.
Read more...
 

 
News from the Maine Department of Professional & Financial Regulation, Bureau of Insurance:
 
Maine's historic action will merge its individual and small group health insurance markets in 2023 and create more stable pricing in both
 
On February 15, Maine took historic action that will create more stable pricing in both its Individual and Small Group health insurance markets, starting in 2023. As outlined in Governor Mills' 2020 Made for Maine Health Coverage Act, which passed in the Legislature on a bipartisan basis, Maine Insurance Superintendent Eric Cioppa issued an Order that will merge Maine's Individual and Small Group Health Insurance markets.
Read more...
 

 
News from the Governor's Office:
 
At University of Maine Farmington, Governor Mills highlights investments to expand child care in maine, increase pay for child care workers
 
 
On February 16, Governor Janet Mills visited the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF) to highlight her Administration’s investments to expand child care across Maine and to continue increasing pay for child care workers.
Read more...
 

News from the Governor's Office:
 
2021 Maine lobster harvest is the most valuable in the history of the fishery
 
According to recently updated data from the Maine Department of Marine Resources, 2021 was the most valuable year in the history of Maine's lobster fishery. At $724,949,426, the landed value for the iconic fishery jumped by 75 percent over 2020, by far the single largest increase in value, year over year.
Read more...
 

 
 
 
Exploring
Workforce
Solutions
 
Tuesday, March 8, 2022
10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. EST
 
 
Click here or on the event image
to register and learn more.
 

 
News from Maine's Federal Delegation:
 
Collins, King urge SEC to improve cybersecurity disclosure to help prevent future attacks
 
With cyberattacks on the rise within the private sector that put American networks at risk, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine), the Co-Chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, joined a bipartisan group of their colleagues in urging the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to increase transparency requirements for companies. The Senators sent a letter to SEC Chair Gary Gensler urging him to propose rules regarding cybersecurity disclosures and to require publicly traded companies to disclose whether they have cybersecurity expertise on their boards of directors. Senators Collins and King both cosponsored the Cybersecurity Disclosure Act to improve the disclosure requirements for public companies and help prevent future cyberattacks.
Read more...
 

 
News from Maine's Federal Delegation:
 
King, Rounds lead bipartisan group of 35 Senators to call for more H-2B visas to support seasonal small businesses
 
On February 11, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) led a bipartisan group of more than thirty Senators in calling for the Biden administration to raise the H-2B seasonal worker visa cap. In a letter to Department Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Marty Walsh, the Senators share the need for additional workers as small businesses across the country struggle to find employees as the economy recovers, and call for the maximum number of H-2B visas allowable be released in 2022. DHS is authorized to release a total of 64,716 additional visas this fiscal year, 20,000 of which have already been released – this leaves tens of thousands of additionally authorized visas available for the remainder of the year. The letter was signed by 35 Senators in total, including Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine).
 
Read more...
 

 
News from Maine's Federal Delegation:
 
Pingree sponsors bill to speed up work authorization for asylum seekers
 
 
On February 10, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) reintroduced her Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act, legislation that reduces the current 365-day waiting period for work authorization eligibility to 30 days, allowing an asylum seeker to apply for authorization as soon as the asylum claim is filed. The bill makes no changes to law or regulation relating to the asylum process. This could have an impact on new asylum seekers in Maine—allowing them to gain work, be self-sufficient through the process of establishing roots in their new community and contribute to our economy.
 
Read more...
 

 
 
Join us for our next episode at noon on Tuesday, March 1
 
 
Tune in for our next episode at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 24
 
 
 

The Maine Take livestreams every Tuesday during the legislative session. For more information about The Maine Take, including sponsorship opportunities, please visit our website or contact Jen Webber by emailing jwebber@mainechamber.org.
 

 
The Bottom Line podcast airs on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. To listen live or to the archived recordings, please visit The Bottom Line page on the Maine State Chamber’s website or on iTunes, iHeart Radio, Soundcloud, Stitcher Radio, Spotify and radio.com. For more information about The Bottom Line, please contact Melanie Baillargeon by emailing melanieb@mainechamber.org.
 

 
News from Maine's Federal Delegation:
 
Senator Collins urges USTR to hold China accountable on lobster purchases
 
Following reports that China failed to uphold its commitments to purchase American lobster and other products under an agreement it reached with the United States, U.S. Senator Susan Collins wrote to U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai to “take swift and appropriate action” to hold China accountable.
Read more...
 

 
News from Maine's Federal Delegation:
 
Small Business Committee passes Golden’s Small Business Development Center bill
 
On February 3, the House Small Business Committee passed legislation introduced by Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) to build on the success of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) program throughout the country. Golden’s Small Business Development Centers Improvement Act of 2022 would strengthen the SBDC network — including the 22 SBDCs located throughout Maine — by authorizing an increase of $40 million in annual funding for the program for each of the next four years and allowing SBDCs to do more to build awareness of their programs and services.
 
Read more...
 

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Copyright Maine State Chamber of Commerce. All rights reserved.
 128 State Street | Suite 101 | Augusta, ME 04330-5630
 Phone: (207) 623-4568
For media inquiries, please contact Jen Webber, (207) 939-0213
For membership inquiries, please contact Mark Ellis. (207) 623-4568
  • About Us
    • Connect with Us
    • Affiliates & Partners
    • Meet the Team
    • External Social Media Policy
    • Our Board
    • Benefits of Membership
  • Membership
    • Join the Chamber
    • Return on Investment
    • Member Search
  • Public Policy
    • Public Policy Committees
    • Grassroot Resources
    • Find Your Legislator >
      • Representatives
      • Senators
  • Events
    • Calendar of Events
    • Annual Meeting and Dinner
    • Sponsorship Opportunities
    • Business Day at the Statehouse
    • Board Meetings & Board Events
    • DC Fly-In
    • Legislative Strictly Social
    • Regional Breakfasts
    • Scramble for Scholars
    • Webinars by The Maine State Chamber of Commerce
  • Initiatives
    • Campus Career Connect
    • Dream It. Do It.
    • Education Foundation
    • Keep Maine Competitive
    • Maine Economic Research Institute (MERI)
    • Senior Leaders of Tomorrow Development Program
  • Newsroom
    • Impact Newsletter
    • MSCC Blog
    • The Bottom Line
    • The Maine Take
    • Making Maine Work
    • MERI Roll Call
    • OneVoice Maine Magazine
    • Policy Brief Series with Educate Maine
    • Press Kit
  • Member Login