Going to college can open the door to better opportunity. Opportunities like a stable living that can support a family, but education can also be expensive.

Not everyone wants to go to college, but anyone who dreams of getting a degree or a certificate on the path to a good-paying job should have the chance to earn one. We in Maine are making that possible thanks to our free community college initiative and historic federal investments in education made by the Biden-Harris Administration.

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

Although I wasn't able to join them in person this week--being quarantined with COVID for a short time--I was nonetheless thrilled to lay out the welcome mat to welcome First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to Southern Maine Community College in South Portland. The First Lady, as you know, teaches at the Community College in Northern Virginia. We welcomed her and Secretary Cardona here to highlight our free community college initiative which is creating rewarding career opportunities for Maine students.

That initiative, which I proposed, and the Legislature passed in 2022, made community college free for high school students whose education was disrupted by the pandemic. 

Students like Maya Eichorn from York who struggled to finish high school and is now continuing her education, thanks to the free community college initiative. She said that if it weren't for the free community college program she would be "aimlessly moving through life."

Students also like Graca Muzela, Washington County Community College's 2022 Student of the Year, who can now afford his second year of school to become an electrical engineer.

And students like Thomas Golden from Biddeford who told the First Lady and Secretary Cardona he's happy to begin his career in manufacturing after he graduates from Southern Maine Community College debt free.

In the first year of the free community college initiative, enrollment at Maine's community college system increased by a record 12 percent. Thousands more young people in Maine are now getting a high-quality education at little or no cost that will allow them to take good-paying jobs in rewarding careers, or even starting their own business. Careers like health care, clean energy, manufacturing, hospitality, early childhood education, computer technology, and of course, the trades.

We often talk about the "gift of a good education," but providing a good education is not simply a gift -- it is also making the greatest investment in the next generation of workers, and in the employers waiting to hire them, and in our economy which will be run by them.

In my budget, I have proposed continuing this worthwhile investment in our students and in our economy by including the high school graduating classes of 2024 and 2025. I hope the legislature will agree with this proposal. I will continue to do all I can to make education more affordable.

I am grateful to the First Lady, Jill Biden, and to Secretary Cardona for visiting with students to learn more about our free college initiative here in Maine and I look forward to working with them to provide more pathways to education and to good-paying jobs for Maine people. When we invest in our greatest asset -- Maine people -- we build a stronger, more prosperous state.

This is Governor Janet Mills and I want to thank all of you for your get well wishes this week. I have tested negative for COVID now and am feeling just fine and am back on the job, full-time. And thank you for listening this weekend and Happy Passover, Ramadan, Easter to all of those who celebrate these significant religious events, have a great weekend.
 

WHEREAS, forests cover over eighty-nine percent of Maine's land, defining our environment and contributing to our high quality of life; and

WHEREAS, these healthy, productive forests provide employment and sustain the state's two leading industries of forest products and tourism; and

WHEREAS, for more than a century, the State of Maine has been a national leader in forest fire control and prevention, and in 1891 established the Maine Forest Service to combat forest fires; and

Proclamation of Governor Janet T. Mills Convening the Members of the 131st Legislature in Special Session

WHEREAS, there exists in the State of Maine an extraordinary occasion arising out of the need to resolve many legislative matters pending at the time of the adjournment of the First Regular Session of the 131st Legislature of the State of Maine; and

WHEREAS, native plants are indigenous species that have evolved alongside native wildlife and occur naturally in a particular geographic region, ecosystem, and habitat; and

WHEREAS, native plants are essential for healthy, diverse, and sustainable ecosystems and are critical for cleaning air, filtering water, and stabilizing soils; and

Last Wednesday, we marked the 50^th Anniversary of the final U.S. combat troops leaving Vietnam.

To a gathering of Vietnam veterans at the State House, and at a breakfast earlier, hosted by retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills, I was honored to say two words – words that tragically, too many Vietnam veterans never heard upon their return to the United States: Welcome Home.

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

More than half a century ago, among tall reeds in flooded rice paddies, with ankles deep in mud and bodies drenched by heavy, humid air, 48,000 Maine men and women in the United States military served our country in the Vietnam War. 

My brother, Peter, among others, spent several tours of duty off the shores of Vietnam in the United States Navy.

Thankfully, my brother came home and went on to lead a distinguished career in law and public service.

But three hundred and forty-three Mainers never returned.

Their names are etched in stone on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington – but that is small comfort for their families.

And twelve of Maine’s young men are still missing in Southeast Asia.

The servicemembers who did come home often came home alone to the scorn—and even spit—of strangers.

There were no ticker tape parades or “welcome home” celebrations for the men and women who came home from an endless war.

As Ed Harmon, a U.S. Navy veteran from Boothbay, told the Portland Press Herald this week, “It was 40 years later before someone extended their hand to say thank you. That was the biggest hurt.”

We can never fully repay our debts to these veterans, but we can start by remembering and honoring and expressing our gratitude for their service.

Major General Doug Farnham, the Adjutant General of the Maine National Guard, graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1984 and has served in the Maine National Guard since 1991.

During the Vietnam War Veterans Remembrance Ceremony at the State House, General Farnham remarked that throughout his military career, he has never thought twice about wearing his uniform in public. When General Farnham runs an errand on his way home, Maine people often thank him for his service and even offer to buy him a cup of coffee. He said he’s been applauded at Memorial Day and Veterans Day parades throughout his entire career.

To the Vietnam veterans assembled, General Farnham said “There were many lessons learned from Vietnam—some learned better than others. A lesson we did learn is the fact that we must support our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen, whether we support the war or not. We learned that lesson at your expense,” he said. “My generation and those that are following cannot thank you enough for the sacrifice you made for the nation to learn that lesson.”

The service and sacrifice of Vietnam veterans taught our nation many powerful lessons: most importantly, that we have to care for those who serve, and for those who have served.

As Governor, I’ve worked hard to stand by those who have stood by us, including reinvigorating Maine’s Aides-de-Camp positions, to bring together the advisory council of veterans to advise me as I weigh decisions that will impact Maine veterans. 

And I’ll continue to work hard to do right by all veterans, especially those who served during the Vietnam Era, until my last day in office.

To all of those who served our nation in Vietnam, whether you have never heard it, or whether you have heard it many times – I say, on behalf of the 1.3 million people of Maine, “Welcome Home.”

We are proud of you. We thank you for your service to our country and the state of Maine.

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

WHEREAS, a robust public health infrastructure is critical to ensuring Maine people can live long, healthy, happy and prosperous lives; and

WHEREAS, the theme for this year’s National Public Health Week is “Centering and Celebrating Cultures in Health,” which celebrates the unique ways different cultures focus on health; and

WHEREAS, studies show that small strategic investments in disease prevention can result in increased economic output and significant savings in health care costs; and

WHEREAS, in calendar year 2021, there were 4,263 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

WHEREAS, March 29th, 2023 marks the 50th 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

WHEREAS, Maine’s maple sugarbush provides recreational opportunities, wildlife habitat, pulp and fire wood, a source of a natural sweetener, and forest management for the communities where they are located; and

WHEREAS, the maple sugar industry contributes an estimated $55 million to Maine’s economy; and

WHEREAS, this industry provides a sustainable source of income, over 800 full- and part-time jobs in rural Maine, and nearly $27 million in salaries; and

WHEREAS, Maine’s maple sugarbush provides recreational opportunities, wildlife habitat, pulp and fire wood, a source of a natural sweetener, and forest management for the communities where they are located; and

WHEREAS, the maple sugar industry contributes an estimated $55 million to Maine’s economy; and

WHEREAS, this industry provides a sustainable source of income, over 800 full- and part-time jobs in rural Maine, and nearly $27 million in salaries; and