New bill to increase teachers’ salaries

This month, Senator Pierce introduced a bill that would allow for a steady increase in teachers' salaries over the next five years.

Here in Maine, teachers’ salaries are the lowest of any New England state. Retirements and resignations are continuing at a steady pace because our teachers are unsupported and facing increased partisan attacks daily.

The bill would increase the minimum salary of teachers yearly starting in 2024 until it reaches $50,000 in 2028. After that, the salary will be multiplied with a cost-of-living adjustment each year to ensure that the minimum salary is fair.

Our teachers are the backbones of our communities. We trust them with our children – as their educators and with their well-being throughout the day. They are more than educators. They’re therapists and role models. They give so much of themselves, and it’s time they are paid what they deserve.

Join us in calling on the Legislature to pass this critical bill!

State Legislators Look To Reduce Out-Of-Pocket Prescription Drug Prices For Mainers.

Every year, Mainers across the state are forced to forgo their prescription drugs due to the cost. As we’ve reported in the past, over 200,000 Mainers have gone without care or prescribed medication due to the cost at some point.

To help address this concern, state lawmakers have worked to pass multiple pieces of legislation in previous sessions, including one to reduce prescription drug costs by using international pricing. That bill was signed into law by Governor Mills last year.

Now, Senator Joseph Baldacci has introduced LD 759: An Act to Reduce Out-of-pocket Prescription Drug Expenses for Coinsurance. The bill is cosponsored by Senators Donna Bailey, Colleen M. Madigan, Joseph Rafferty, Daniel Shagoury, and Michael Tipping.

LD 759 would reduce the maximum out-of-pocket limit for prescription drugs subject to coinsurance from $3,500 to $1,500 per year. The proposal would create a smaller financial hurdle for the hundreds of thousands of Mainers who rely on prescription medication to remain healthy.

Last month, the bill was referred to the Committee on Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services in the House. Lawmakers in that chamber will have to decide whether or not to approve the measure.

Mainers For Working Families believes that every single Mainer should have access to affordable healthcare. That means no one should have to go without prescription drugs due to cost. We look forward to seeing the passage of LD759 in the Maine Legislature this session.

PFML Commission Presents Final Report and Findings to Committee

On Tuesday, the bipartisan Commission to Develop a Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits Program presented its final report and findings to the Labor and Housing Committee.

Some of the highlights from the report include:

• Recommending a 12-week maximum limit for a particular qualifying need and a 16-week combined maximum limit. When it comes to having a baby, an individual may take leave to bond with a newborn or adopted child within the first 12 months of benefits being paid out.

• Mirroring the reasons for leave that are permissible under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act ( to care for a new child, to care for a family member with a serious health condition, or military deployment) with the addition of safe leave, which addresses medical and non-medical needs stemming from domestic violence, harassment or stalking.

• Ensuring the program includes all employees (full-time, part-time, temporary and seasonal workers, both in the private and public sectors). Self-employed workers can opt into the program. Employees eligible for benefits must have worked within the prior four quarters.

• Guaranteeing that the proposed program will be free for small business owners with less than 15 employees. The total cost for larger employers and employees will be less than one percent of an employee's paycheck.

Recent polling showed that 73% of Mainers support a paid family and medical leave program. But we’ve known this! Too many Mainers have been forced to go right back to work after having a baby, or been unable to take the time they need to care for their ailing loved ones.

It’s critical that the Committee listen to not only the Commission and its findings, but Mainers themselves, whose lives would be changed for the better with access to a comprehensive paid family leave program. Sign here to join us in telling the Maine Legislature that now is the time to pass PFML!