WHEREAS, in calendar year 2024, there were 3,055 cases of substantiated child maltreatment in Maine; and

WHEREAS, child abuse and neglect is a serious problem affecting every segment of our community, and finding solutions requires input and action from everyone; and

WHEREAS, our children are our most valuable resources and will shape the future of Maine; and

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

Well, this week on March 15th, Maine will celebrate Statehood Day. This year marks 205 years since Maine formally became an independent state separated from Massachusetts.

Of course, it's important to recognize our collective history actually began long before statehood when the Wabanaki people first hunted, farmed, fished, and occupied much of the land that we call our home.

Maine has a proud and storied history and Statehood Day offers us the opportunity to honor it and to recommit ourselves to the values that shape us as a state and as a people. Our little state, jutting out of the northeast corner of the country with a population of only 1.4 million, with four fulsome seasons of the year, with its secret waterfalls, its forests, hills, and table lands, its fields, shores, and mighty rivers. This unique place we call home offers so much to so many.

I mean, hey, what other state can boast of unusual place names and natural phenomena like Thunder Hole or Nonesuch River, the Useless Road, Pollywog Gorge, or Misery Gore, the Cataracts, Angel Falls, Swift River, Big Niagara Falls, Gulf Hagas, the Beehive, Merrymeeting Bay, the Whalesback, magnificent Moosehead Lake, Old Speck, Tumbledown, and Quoddy Head?

But Maine is not just places, it's also its people.

For more than 205 years, Maine people with courage in their souls and kindness in their hearts, steely grit, iron resolve and an unshakable independent spirit, have built this state and have led the nation.

There are so many in this state who are "the unsung" folks, as poet Wes McNair has called them. Those are the firefighters and teachers, the techies and hotel workers, farmers and fishermen, the servers, the loggers, the barbers, and the millworkers of our towns. They are our friends and our neighbors. They are immigrants, laborers, veterans, people with disabilities, people from away, people we rely on every day, and many who rely on us.

Our state was born out of a compromise that allowed slavery to endure during the darkest days of our nation in another state. But when it came to crafting our own constitution, Maine refused to bow to the demands of others. We chose to enshrine, originally, voting rights for all men at the time, regardless of race, and provided for absolute freedom of religion and suffrage in the guiding principles of our state.

As we gather to celebrate our 205th Statehood Day, and to reflect on the history of Maine, let us remember the values our state was founded on. Let us always commit to a future where every Maine person can live and work in the state they love with boundless opportunity for themselves and for their family.

Wherever you go, whatever you do, whoever you are with, tell them what a great place you come from. Tell them of the strength and spirit of the people who live and make their living here on the rocky coast, the rolling hills, the wide farms, and the clean rivers. Tell them about the fresh foods and the coolest of lagers, and the jobs, the excitement, and the friendships here in this state.

Wherever you roam, if roam you will, upon your return, as upon your first arrival, and even if you never leave, we will greet you with a hearty hug and a loud “Welcome home.”

This is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening. Happy Statehood Day, Maine.

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

You know, just across from the Maine State House in Augusta is the Blaine House. The Blaine House has been home to every governor of Maine since Governor Carl Milliken and his family moved in there back in January 1920.

The Blaine House grounds have also long been home to a big old maple tree in the front yard. It's a tree that Maine governors have tapped each spring for sap to be boiled into delicious maple syrup.

Well, this year, I'm dedicating the annual tapping of the Blaine House Maple Tree to the memory of Lyle Merrifield of Gorham, a beloved leader in Maine's maple industry. Lyle Merrifield's passion for sugaring, his dedication to Maine's agricultural community, and his warm spirit left a lasting impact on everyone who knew him. As we welcome another maple season, we honor his legacy and the tradition that he championed.

The tradition of sugaring in Maine is carried on by more than 450 maple syrup farmers who produce more than 575,000 gallons of syrup every year. That makes our state the third-largest of maple syrup in the country. Somerset County alone actually produces more maple syrup than any other county in the United States.

Western Maine is also where the Passamaquoddy Tribe runs about 14,000 taps and maintains a very vigorous and robust maple syrup industry.

Producing and selling maple syrup generates more than $55 million in economic activity and provides more than 800 full-time and part-time jobs every year statewide. If you've ever been to a sap house, you know how hard and fast those people have to work.

One of my favorite Maine traditions, the annual Maine Maple Sunday Weekend, honors these folks and the maple syrup products they create.

During the 42nd Annual Maine Maple Sunday Weekend, held this year on March 22nd and 23rd, sugar shacks across the state will open their doors for boiling demonstrations, for sugar woods tours, for live music, horse-drawn hayrides, pancake breakfasts, maple donuts, maple ice cream, maple salsa, maple whoopie pies, and plenty of maple products to sample and share.

You might also share your own maple syrup recipes with your local sugar shack to be published in the Maine Maple Producers Association's cookbook.

Whether you prefer dark and rich or pale gold or other delicious flavors, there's a maple syrup for everyone's taste. I hope you'll join me in visiting one of our extraordinary sugar houses during Maine Maple Sunday Weekend.

A full list of participating sugar houses can be found online at mainemapleproducers.com. That's mainemapleproducers.com.

When you go to the grocery store, be sure to ask for Maine-produced Maine maple syrup.

Since 2015, maple syrup has been Maine's official state sweetener. Whether you use your own Maine maple syrup on pancakes or waffles or carrots or Brussels sprouts, barbecue sauce, or on traditional maple snow candy, Maine maple syrup always makes life a little bit sweeter.

I look forward to seeing you at a sugar house this Maine Maple Sunday.

This is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

WHEREAS, Maine’s agricultural community is a cornerstone of our great state and provides numerous benefits to Maine’s residents and visitors; and

WHEREAS, Maine’s agricultural sector fuels the state’s economy, contributing more than $3.6 billion and employing tens of thousands of people, with over 1 million acres in agricultural use; and

WHEREAS, Senior Games are an integral part of communities throughout Maine and the United States that offer Olympic-style multi-sport competitions for adults aged 45 and up and engage over 100,000 people nationally each year; and

WHEREAS, the Maine Senior Games were first established in 1986, and today, the organization offers 20 competitive sports to both men and women with events throughout the state; and

WHEREAS, March 29th, 2025 marks the 52nd anniversary of when the last United States Military unit left Vietnam and the final group of American prisoners of war were freed; and

WHEREAS, 48,000 men and women from the State of Maine served in Vietnam, while an additional 16,000 Mainers were serving worldwide during the Vietnam War era; and

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

On February 1, the president signed executive orders to impose a new 25% tariff on most imports from Canada. At the time of this recording, the president has indicated those tariffs will take effect on March 4.

Well, his reasons for punishing Canada are pretty unclear to me, and his reasons for punishing consumers even more unclear. You know, we share a 600-mile boundary with Canada. Canada is our largest trading partner. They come here on vacation, spend money in our resorts. Our economies and populations are deeply intertwined.

Last year alone, we traded more than $6 billion worth of goods and materials with Canada – most of that coming from Canada into Maine. That trade supports many small businesses across Maine, many of whom produce things like potatoes, blueberries, lobsters, forest products, aircraft parts, housing, machinery. Businesses like Wyman's, Twin Rivers, Eimskip, Luke's Lobster, for example, are all deeply connected to Canada.

Maine businesses and Maine people rely on Canada as well for a major source of energy – heating fuel, gasoline, natural gas, electricity. More than 80% of Maine's heating fuel and gasoline is imported from Canada, and 50% of our homes rely on oil for home heat. And of course, we don't have fossil fuel reserves of our own. Irving Oil from New Brunswick warned customers across New England that if the president's tariffs on Canada are enacted, they will have to increase prices, and that means higher prices at the pump, higher prices to heat our homes.

Although our economy is deeply entwined with Canada's, we also will be significantly impacted by tariffs on China and Mexico as well. Maine trades more than $315 million worth of goods and materials with China and more than $165 million worth of goods and materials with Mexico every year. We don't think about this too often, but it's true. The president has claimed that these other countries will somehow pay the tariffs and that's it, but the reality is the increased costs will clearly be passed on to us.

When Maine businesses have to pay higher tariffs to import materials they need, building supplies or other things, or pay to export their finished products, they will be forced to pass those costs along to Maine consumers at a time when we can least afford it. These tariffs clearly will result in higher prices on everything from fruits and vegetables, flat screen TVs, and auto parts and building supplies. This will cost more than $1,200 annually in purchase power for the typical United States household. I would estimate more for Maine households given our interrelationship with Canada.

I can't be clear enough: the president's broad tariffs on Canada as well as China and Mexico will increase costs on Maine families and Maine businesses who can ill afford them, and they will cause great harm to our state's economy.

Remember the president campaign on a commitment to lower the price of eggs, bread, heat, housing, cars, all the everyday goods that we all rely on?

Well, the president is now doing the opposite and Maine people, businesses, and communities will pay the price.

This is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

WHEREAS, on July 26, 1819, the citizens of Maine voted decisively in support of Maine separating from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and becoming an independent state; and

WHEREAS, the United States Congress received Maine’s petition for statehood and voted affirmatively to accept Maine as the 23rd State of the United States; and

WHEREAS, U.S. Secretary of State James Monroe notified Maine that it would formally and legally be an independent state beginning on March 15, 1820; and

WHEREAS, the State of Maine has long been a haven for writers, musicians, painters, sculptors, poets, dancers, folk artists, culinary artists, and creative thinkers of all kinds; and

WHEREAS, Maine enjoys a worldwide reputation for the quality, quantity, and variety of its cultural community; and

WHEREAS, Maine features a broad and significant array of historic and architecturally significant structures; and

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

For six years I have introduced balanced budget proposals, and with the support of the Legislature, those budgets have sent historic amounts of money back to Maine schools, and to communities, and to Maine people to create the conditions for strong economic growth.

We’ve always ended every fiscal year in the black, but this year some higher costs and the leveling off of revenues have come together to produce a tougher than usual budget environment. Maine is not alone — many states, red and blue, across the country are facing the same budget challenges.

And like other states, our budget for Medicaid, which we call MaineCare, has a gap and it’s caused by four things: 1) the Federal government required us to keep people on MaineCare during and after the pandemic; 2) there’s been an uptick in the use of health care services as more people went back to the doctor after the pandemic; 3) there’s been an increase in the cost of those medical services because of inflation; and 4) there’s a practice called “cost reimbursement” which doesn’t allow the State to control costs – something we are trying to change.

So, last month, I introduced a supplemental budget to close the MaineCare budget gap quickly, using one-time funds that we’ve got on hand to fulfill our obligation to hospitals, nursing homes, and other providers. This proposal also included funding to spray forests in northern Maine to protect against spruce budworm. As you know, spruce budworm can destroy vast swaths of our forests if not addressed.

And the budget included much-needed reforms to General Assistance or GA.

You know GA was meant to be a short-term program of last resort – something to help people pay for food and basic necessities for a limited period of time. Something to help people when they fell on hard times while they got themselves back on their feet.

But right now, GA has consistently been over budget year after year by tens of millions of dollars, most of that money going to Portland. And it has turned into long-term housing support – something it was not meant to be.

Well, when the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee took up my supplemental budget, they made a couple changes to it. They always do.

They kept the emergency funding for MaineCare and spruce budworm spraying, but they removed the reform to GA, saying that those reforms could be discussed during the biennial budget discussions.

That’s not what I would have preferred, but I was okay with the changes because, most importantly, we need to make sure hospitals, nursing homes and others get paid as we keep the GA discussion going on.

After the Appropriations Committee made those changes, they advanced the supplemental budget with the support of three Republicans who were there.

But then Republicans changed their minds, saying that those reforms to General Assistance should be included now.

Some say they’ve moved the goalposts.

Well I agree we’ve got to return General Assistance back to its original purpose, but at the same time, putting the budgets, and the patients, of many health care providers in jeopardy by holding up the supplemental budget is not the way to do it.

If the supplemental budget doesn’t pass with bipartisan, two-thirds support, which would allow it to take effect immediately, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services will be forced to cap payments owed to health care providers next month.

We must provide stability for Maine’s hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care providers, and their patients who cannot afford disruptions and delays. We must also protect our forests.

Next week, lawmakers will return to Augusta to vote again on the supplemental budget. Both sides need to enact it with 2/3 support, bipartisan support, as an emergency bill so that it can take effect immediately upon my signature. I urge them all to get together and come to agreement on the supplemental budget.

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.