WHEREAS, human milk feeding is a proven primary prevention strategy that builds a foundation for lifelong health and wellness; and

WHEREAS, the American Academy of Pediatrics and World Health Organization recommend exclusive breastfeeding for about the first six months of life, with continued breastfeeding while introducing complementary foods for two years or as long as mutually desired by the mother and child; and

WHEREAS, the family is the cornerstone of our society, providing us connections to the past and visions of our future; and

WHEREAS, families come in all shapes and sizes, playing a vital role in creating strong, diverse, and inclusive communities; and

WHEREAS, family reunions bring multiple generations together, linking past, present, and future, and provide an opportunity to sustain and strengthen the bond of those present; and

Our state has the opportunity to unlock the power of offshore wind to generate clean, homegrown energy, reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, to stabilize energy prices, to create good-paying jobs in a growing industry, and to protect our environment for future generations.

After a lot of discussions and negotiations with a lot of interested parties, I was pleased to sign into law a bill that will responsibly advance offshore wind energy in Maine 

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

This new law does a few things to responsibly advance the development of offshore wind in Maine.

• First, the law authorizes my Energy Office to develop energy procurements of up to 3,000 megawatts – or three gigawatts—of  electricity from offshore wind projects. That’s necessary to meet our goal of moving to 100 percent clean energy in Maine in the future.
• Secondly, the law allows all bidders – all companies who want to bid on this – equal opportunity for construction contracts in accordance with job-quality standards, maximizing the opportunity for Maine workers and Maine employers in the offshore wind industry.
• Thirdly, the law enacts new standards for all developers that they must follow to construct an offshore wind port in the future. Now, no site has been chosen yet, but the Maine Department of Transportation is expected to identify a preferred location in the coming months.
• Fourthly, the new law protects prime lobstering ground by giving preference to offshore wind projects that are outside of critical fishing locations for our lobstermen. Now, these are federal fishing waters – but we know that we must protect Lobster Management Area 1, for instance, and that’s what this bill does.

I thank the legislators and stakeholders who, through collaboration and compromise, have positioned Maine to pursue the benefits of offshore wind in a reasonable way. This new law puts all Maine workers and businesses on a level playing field, it allows for the development of critical port infrastructure—good jobs—and it allows for offshore wind projects, and importantly, it respects those who rely on the ocean for their livelihoods.

I am pleased with the final outcome of this legislation, and I am proud to have signed it into law.

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

WHEREAS, Maine is a welcoming and inclusive state that recognizes the value of people of diverse backgrounds to enhance the vibrancy of Maine’s communities, the strength of our workforce, and the growth of our economy;

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

Earlier this week, I was proud to declare August 5th through 6th the third annual Wild Blueberry Weekend in Maine, to celebrate our wild blueberries and to honor the hardworking people who grow and bring them to markets near and far.

Wild blueberries, you know, were first managed and harvested by the Wabanaki — in fact, The Passamaquoddy Wild Blueberry Company, headquartered in Columbia Falls, has been managing and harvesting wild blueberries on 2,000 acres of barrens since 1981.

Statewide, blueberries are now grown by 485 Maine farms on 42,000 acres, all within Franklin, Hancock, Lincoln, Kennebec, Knox, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Waldo and Washington counties.

Last year alone, Maine farmers harvested 77.5 million pounds of wild blueberries. And we know that these wild blueberries are healthy, they have more antioxidants than cultivated blueberries, and they are tastier than any other kind of blueberry in the world.

So, to honor our wild blueberry growers and businesses and their significant contributions to the Maine economy, I declared our first ever wild blueberry weekend ever in 2021.

At that time, wild blueberry growers opened their doors for free for the first time and made available fresh wild blueberries, jams, and pies, and other products available for guests to purchase.

The Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine reports that, during the first and second annual Wild Blueberry Weekends, there were thousands of dollars in direct farm sales and thousands of visitors who enjoyed touring the places where wild blueberries grow, maybe picking a few of their own. I know that we will build on those numbers this year.

This year, Wild Blueberry Weekend will feature farm tours and other family-friendly activities at 15 different wild blueberry farms in Franklin, Lincoln, Kennebec, Knox, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Waldo, and Washington Counties, as well as the Wild Blueberry Heritage Center and Museum in Columbia Falls, right on Route One.

And the wild blueberry-themed menu items and products will be available throughout the weekend at more than 40 restaurants, ice cream shops, breweries, wineries, and distilleries across the state. To see the full list of participants, visit www.wildblueberryweekend.com – that’s www.wildblueberryweekend.com and the state’s official agriculture website, www.realmaine.com, www.realmaine.com, for year-round ideas on ways you can support Maine’s agricultural community.

I encourage everyone to visit one of the participating wild blueberry farms or to sample Maine-grown wild blueberry products at the many places selling them during Wild Blueberry Weekend, August 5 and 6!

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

WHEREAS, Maine's agriculture sector fuels our economy, contributing more than $3.6 billion in economic impact, employing over 27,000 people, and supporting approximately 1.3 million acres of farmland; and

WHEREAS, Maine's agricultural workers, including farmers and farm workers, are the foundation for a vibrant food system that ensures the availability of high-quality farm products year-round; and

WHEREAS, all those who make their living in the agricultural sector deserve fair wages for their labor; and

WHEREAS, born on July 25, 1750, Henry Knox participated in many of the most significant battles of the Revolutionary War and rose through the ranks to become one of General George Washington’s most trusted friends and reliable soldiers; and

WHEREAS, Knox served as Chief Artillery Officer in the Continental Army, as General in the United States Army, and as the first Secretary of War in President George Washington’s cabinet; and

WHEREAS, wild blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium) emerged on the rocky, acidic soils of the Barrens of Maine following the retreat of the glaciers more than 10,000 years ago; and

WHEREAS, wild blueberries, which are not planted but grow naturally, were first managed and harvested by the Wabanaki and are now grown by 485 Maine farms on 42,000 acres, within Franklin, Hancock, Lincoln, Kennebec, Knox, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Waldo and Washington counties; and

WHEREAS, on June 27, 1950, in response to the communist threat to South Koreans and their democracy, President Harry S. Truman committed the first United States forces to combat in South Korea, beginning the Korean War; and

WHEREAS, nearly 1.8 million members of the United States Armed Forces served alongside the forces of the Republic of Korea and 20 other Allied nations under the United Nations Command to defend freedom and democracy on the Korean Peninsula; and

WHEREAS, Community Health Centers were established in 1965 as part of President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty, a national effort to address poverty and racial inequity in rural and underserved communities; and

WHEREAS, since then, Community Health Centers have played a valuable role in providing high quality, cost-effective, and accessible primary and preventive care including integrated medical, dental, and behavioral health to all individuals regardless of insurance status or ability to pay; and