It’s been a busy week in Augusta. We had the Governor’s State of the State Address on Tuesday, worked hard on the Supplemental Budget, and we’re getting ready for the storm this weekend.

State of the State Address

On Tuesday night, Governor LePage laid out his agenda for the next two years. Democrats have also have put their priorities forth. There’s some overlap and common ground, but also a clear distinction between our two paths for Maine.

In his address, Governor LePage spoke passionately about education as a means to climb out of poverty, stating that he wishes to give every child the same opportunity he had to overcome economic misfortune.

Governor LePage believes that we should be investing in charter schools as a means of ensuring that Maine students receive the best education. I believe that we should focus on supporting and strengthening our public schools to ensure that all students receive the best possible education.

The reality is that with the introduction of charters school to Maine, funds allocated for education are being split and public schools are not receiving sufficient money. At a time when we have significantly reduced financial support for our public schools, we can not justify opening new, untested schools to compete with public schools.

Click here to see the entire address.

Democratic Response

This last weekend, I delivered the Democratic Weekly Radio Address. I talked about how the tone we set in the legislature is crucial to our success. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Click here to listen to the radio address.

Speaker of the House Mark Eves delivered the official Democratic Response to the Governor’s State of the State Address. Speaker Eves laid out the Democratic agenda and what we had hoped to hear during the speech.

Click here to see the Speaker’s response.

Supplemental Budget

The Appropriations Committee is very close to producing a committee report on the $112M Supplemental Budget. After it leaves committee, it will go the full legislaturefor an up-or-down vote. Because the bill needs to go into effect immediately, it must receive two-thirds support of each body to become law.

Two of the biggest areas of concern were healthcare and General Purpose Aid. We have been working to restore funding and limit cuts to avoid long-term consequences.

Storm Preparedness

With a major storm on the horizon for this weekend, please take a moment to review these winter storm tips to help you through. I hope everyone has a safe and warm weekend.