Maine State Chamber of Commerce Announces Priorities for First Regular Session of the 131st Legislature

Legislative priorities to grow and strengthen Maine’s economy include R&D, tax and workforce incentives, energy planning, citizens’ initiative reform, education, and more

For Immediate Release
Media contact: Jen Webber
Cell: 207-939-0213

Tuesday, January 24, 2023 

AUGUSTA, Maine (Tuesday, January 24, 2023) - The Maine State Chamber of Commerce announced today its priorities for the first regular session of the 131st Maine Legislature. The Chamber’s priorities to grow and strengthen Maine’s economy and advance a positive business climate include legislation supporting R&D, innovation, workforce development and training, energy planning, reforming Maine’s citizens’ initiative process, and more. Many of the priorities align with Maine’s 10-year Economic Development Strategy, the State’s roadmap announced in 2019. They also take into account the current economic environment and shifting employer needs resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.

 
The Maine State Chamber will actively work to advance priorities including:
 
Taxation

• Legislation extending the sunset on Pine Tree Development Zone Program tax reductions by two years.
• Legislation making Maine’s Research and Development Tax Credit more workable for Maine businesses.
• Legislation providing a workforce training tax credit for employers to help grow the skill level of Maine’s workforce.
• Legislation providing a child care tax credit for employers that provide in-kind child care or pay for child care costs for their employees.

 
PFAS

• Legislation improving the PFAS in products law that was enacted in 2021 to limit the negative impact the law has on Maine businesses, economy, and jobs, while continuing to address the actual goal of the 2021 legislation to limit the amount of PFAS that make it into the waste stream.

 
Energy planning

• Legislation to create a strategic energy plan for Maine - similar in concept to Maine’s strategic economic plan and climate action plan - to help lower energy costs.

 
Citizens’ Initiative Reform

• Legislation requiring that all qualified questions are on the ballot in November of even-numbered election years to ensure the greatest number of Maine people have the opportunity to voice their opinion, and that an even number of signatures be collected between Maine’s First Congressional District and Second Congressional District to ensure geographic representation.

 
Education

• Legislation that supports the attraction and retention of the education workforce including early childhood education, K-12, and Career and Technical Education (CTE).
• Legislation that eases barriers to expanding CTE programs and opportunities for experiential learning.

 
“The Maine State Chamber’s priorities for the 131st Maine Legislature are key to strengthening and growing Maine’s economy, promoting a positive business climate, and attracting new businesses, jobs, and people to our state,” said Dana Connors, president of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. “We believe that advancing these priorities will help achieve many of the goals outlined in Maine’s 10-year Economic Development Strategy, help grow talent and innovation in Maine, strengthen our workforce, and create greater opportunity for Maine people and employers of all sizes and sectors across the state.”
 
Linda Caprara, vice president of Advocacy for the Maine State Chamber, said, “We look forward to representing Maine business community throughout the 131st legislative session and collaborating with legislators, the Mills Administration, and other government and policy leaders on the issues that are critical to Maine employers, and on legislation that makes Maine an even better place to live, work, and do business.”
 
“While there are challenges before our state and Maine’s business community in this legislative session, we remain optimistic about Maine’s future and what we can help accomplish in the 131st Legislature,” said Maine State Chamber Board of Directors Chair LuAnn Ballesteros, vice president of External and Government Affairs for The Jackson Laboratory. “Working together, we can and will address Maine’s biggest business and economic challenges and at the same time, leverage and grow the opportunities before us that will help secure a brighter economic future for Maine and Maine people.”
 
For more information, please click here to watch the Maine State Chamber’s January 19, 2023 webinar, “On the Horizon,” for a look at the 131st Legislature and key legislation of interest to Maine’s economy and business community.
 
Please also click here to view the July 2022 “Making Maine Work: Critical Investments for the Maine Economy” report by the Maine State Chamber, Maine Development Foundation, and Educate Maine. The report outlines economic priorities and policy recommendations – including in workforce, innovation, health, energy, and housing -- for Maine’s governor and legislature.
 
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About the Maine State Chamber of Commerce:
Founded in 1889, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce is Maine’s largest business association, serving as The Voice of Maine Business on behalf of thousands of employers of all sizes and sectors across the state. The Maine State Chamber focuses on three pillars - Advocacy, Access, and Awareness - to advance a positive business climate and secure a strong state economy in which Maine businesses can compete and succeed. For more information, please visit www.mainechamber.org.