 The final version of the legislation would provide nearly $1 million annually to the York County Jail to offer substance abuse therapy to inmates. The goal is to provide necessary treatment services to inmates with substance use disorders, either as residential and/or outpatient community-based services. This pilot project would then report back to the legislature to determine effectiveness and whether to use the program as a statewide model. “Maine overdose deaths reached record levels just last year — 378 to be exact. That’s more than one death every single day. This bill empowers York County to address this problem,” said Sen. Chenette. “We can’t afford another day, another death, without action. I am glad that my colleagues agreed and voted in favor of this legislation.” Drug addiction is especially prevalent in jails and prisons throughout the country. According to a 2010 report by the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, 85 percent of jail and prison inmates are involved with substance abuse. Chenette’s bill earned the endorsement of the Portland Press Herald earlier this year, as well as York County Sheriff William King, the Maine Sheriffs Association and the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) in Maine. The bill now heads to the House for an initial vote.
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AUGUSTA — In an initial vote on Tuesday, Maine Senate Republicans voted party-line to kill LD 959, a bill that would increase the maximum return under the Property Tax Fairness Credit by using a portion of the state’s annual surplus.
The bill, “An Act to Expand Property Tax Relief for Maine Residents,” is sponsored by Sen. Justin Chenette, D-Saco. The Property Tax Fairness Credit gives low- and middle-income homeowners and renters a tax break to offset the cost of property taxes. Sen. Chenette’s bill would increase the maximum credit available under this program by requiring 1 percent of any potential state budget surplus to be sent to a new Property Tax Fairness Credit Fund.  Support Our Heroes Committee Members Dave Durkee, Veteran Ray Hallczuk, Justin Chenette, Colleen Spears, and Veteran Richard Litwin SACO – Area Veterans who are currently in transitional housing or without a permanent address will soon be able to take free adult education courses thanks to a new fund started by a local nonprofit.
The Saco Bay Center for Civic Engagement announced Wednesday at the 7th annual VA2Walk at the Saco VA Clinic the start of the Support Our Heroes Fund through the Old Orchard Beach/Saco Adult & Community Education program. The fund will offer homeless Veterans in Saco, Biddeford, and Old Orchard Beach at least one free course through the adult-ed program in business, skills training, trades, and computers/technology among others. The goal is to advance their skills in a particular area to gain employment opportunities in the ever-changing job market. “One Veteran homeless is one Veteran too many,” says Justin Chenette, President of the ‘center’. “We must do everything we can to get these heroes back on their feet with the support resources they deserve.”  AUGUSTA — The Legislature’s Education and Cultural Affairs Committee voted last week to recommend the passage of LD 1171, a bill that would promote the Opportunity Maine program by increasing marketing and adding a full time staffer to the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME). The bill, “An Act To Sustain and Attract Skilled Workers to Maine by Improving the Job Creation Through Educational Opportunity Program,” is sponsored by Sen. Justin Chenette, D-Saco. The Educational Opportunity Tax Credit, or EOTC, better known as Opportunity Maine, allows Maine residents with a bachelor’s degree to receive up to $4,000 in tax credits or anyone with an associate’s degree to receive up to $800 tax credits if as long as that person stays in Maine or returns to Maine to live and work after college. Despite the immense benefit provided by the credit, only a fraction of eligible graduates apply for it when they fill out their tax returns, indicating a lack of awareness for the EOTC.
Sen. Chenette’s bill adds a full-time staffer within FAME to promote the Opportunity Maine program and communicate with high school guidance counselors, college career counseling services staff, and Maine Revenue Services to reach the targeted demographic that would benefit most from the tax credit program. It also allocates $30,000 for marketing of the program. “There is a clear need for debt relief in our state. Our students need to have a chance to start their professional life on solid financial footing, and this bill is a step in that direction,” said Sen. Chenette. “ I am glad the committee is moving this proposal forward so that more students are aware of this program.” The bill has earned the support of Bill Norbert, the Governmental Affairs and Communications Manager at FAME. LD 1171 will go before the full Legislature in the coming weeks.  AUGUSTA — A bill by Sen. Justin Chenette, D-Saco, would increase the maximum return under the Property Tax Fairness Credit by using a portion of the state’s annual surplus.
The bill — LD 959 “An Act to Expand Property Tax Relief for Maine Residents” — received a public hearing before the Taxation Committee on Thursday. The Property Tax Fairness Credit gives low- and middle-income homeowners and renters a tax break to offset the cost of property taxes. Sen. Chenette’s bill would increase the maximum credit available under this program by requiring 1 percent of any potential state budget surplus to be sent to a new Property Tax Fairness Credit Fund. “The Property Tax Fairness Credit has been a successful initiative to provide direct relief for Maine residents to reduce their overall tax burden,” said Sen. Chenette. “If we want to provide much-needed relief to property taxpayers, we as a Legislature need to put our money where our mouth is.” Chenette said that Maine has been in a “surplus environment” recently, presenting an opportunity to provide meaningful relief to taxpayers. As a result of Maine’s economy inching out of the recession, greater revenues have come into the state coffers. Last month, lawmakers returned nearly $30 million to the state’s rainy day fund. “If we have $30 million going into the coffers, under this bill, we would simply ensure that $300,000 would go towards the Property Tax Fairness Credit. That is a more than fair outcome,” said Chenette. LD 959 faces further action in the Taxation Committee and votes in the House and Senate. |
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