EDITOR’S NOTE: The following testimony was delivered by Linda Caprara on behalf of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce in opposition to the report on the Business Equipment Tax Reimbursement Program (BETR) and the Business Equipment Tax Exemption (BETE) program by the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability (OPEGA), at a public hearing held on Thursday, February 27, 2020, before the Government Oversight Committee. We have reprinted it here for your review.
 
Good morning, Sen. Chenette, Rep. Mastraccio, and members of the Government Oversight Committee (GOC): My name is Linda Caprara. I am a resident of Winthrop and represent the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. I am here to offers comments in opposition to the report on the Business Equipment Tax Reimbursement (BETR) and the Business Equipment Tax Exemption (BETE) programs by the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability (OPEGA). I first would like to say that we think that the report does not accurately characterize the importance of the BETR/BETE programs to Maine. 

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following testimony was delivered by Linda Caprara on behalf of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce in opposition to the report on Maine’s Capital Investment Credit (MCIC) by the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability (OPEGA), at a public hearing held on Thursday, February 27, 2020, before the Government Oversight Committee. We have reprinted it here for your review.
 
Good morning, Sen. Chenette, Rep. Mastraccio and members of the Government Oversight Committee (GOC). My name is Linda Caprara. I am a resident of Winthrop, and I represent the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. I am here to testify in opposition to the report on Maine’s Capital Investment Credit (MCIC) by the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability (OPEGA). 

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following testimony was delivered by Megan Diver on behalf of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce in support of Prek expansion in LR 3206, An Act Making Supplemental Appropriations And Allocations For The Expenditures Of State Government, General Fund And  Other Funds, And Changing Certain Provisions Of The Law Necessary To The Proper Operations Of State Government For The Fiscal Years Ending June 30, 2020 And June 30, 2021, at a public hearing held on Wednesday, February 26, 2020, before the Joint Standing Committees on Education and Cultural Affairs and Appropriations and Financial Affairs. We have reprinted it here for your review.
 
Senator Breen, Senator Millett, Representative Gattine, and Representative Kornfield, distinguished members of the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee and the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee: I am Megan Diver, senior government relations specialist for the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and a member of the business organization ReadyNation. The Maine State Chamber of Commerce is also proud to be a co-leader of the MaineSpark Coalition that is dedicated to achieving the state’s education attainment goal that 60 percent of Maine adults have a credential of value by 2025.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following testimony was delivered by Ben Gilman on behalf of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce in opposition to LD 2104, An Act To Support and Increase the Recycling of Packaging, at a public hearing held on Wednesday, February 26, 2020, before the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. We have reprinted it here for your review.

Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources: my name is Ben Gilman from Gorham and I represent the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, a statewide business organization made up of both large and small businesses, here to provide you with our testimony in opposition to LD 2104, An Act To Support and Increase the Recycling of Packaging.

The University of Maine’s Foster Center for Student Innovation seeks Maine students and Maine companies to participate in the 2020 Innovate for Maine Fellows internship program.
             
Innovate for Maine Fellows connects the best and brightest Maine college students with the state’s most exciting companies as a way to grow and create jobs in Maine through innovation and entrepreneurship. The program is looking for student fellows to join the 2020 cohort and a variety of for-profit companies with innovative products, services, or processes to host them.

The Maine State Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce its new member portal on the Maine State Chamber of Commerce website, www.mainechamber.org. Through the portal, members will be able to update their profile and contact information, register for Chamber events, read the latest news, and access the “Member’s Only” functions found throughout the Chamber’s website. Also, the main contact of each organization will be able to view and pay invoices using the member portal.