After many bipartisan negotiations, I am pleased to report that the emergency winter energy relief package has passed and been signed into law. This means that $450 heating relief checks will soon be arriving in Mainers’ mailboxes. My office has been receiving a lot of questions about the package, so I wanted to do my best to go over the details and highlights.

Joe Rafferty Courtesy photo

We knew that this situation was an emergency, and that time was of the essence. For me personally, I hear about and see firsthand the need for this relief all too often. This fall I went door-to-door in our communities to listen to my neighbors about the problems they are facing. It became clear to me that people in our state are in need.

I coach, I teach, and the need is transparent to me every day. Kids are experiencing homelessness and are going hungry. My job is to meet the needs of my constituents. It would be a dereliction of my duty to not act during this crisis. That’s why I was proud to support this measure from day one. You may have heard that we first tried to pass this measure on Dec. 7, our very first opportunity in the legislature to act on this issue. Unfortunately, despite receiving incredibly strong bipartisan support in the House, the bill failed along partisan lines in the Senate. Still, it was clear the relief in this bill was needed, and that’s why Maine lawmakers continued to push for this package to pass.

On Wednesday, Dec. 21, we held a public hearing on this package that I was glad to be present for the duration. After a long day of input from the public and experts on the issue, members of the temporarily appointed Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee unanimously approved the package, sending a clear message that legislators from every corner of the state and every side of the political spectrum recognized this crisis and approved of taking action.

An emergency winter energy relief package was passed and signed into law. In late January, $450 heating relief checks should begin arriving in Mainers’ mailboxes. AP photo/Toby Talbot

After passing committee, the Legislature convened again on Jan. 4 with an opportunity to pass LD 3, the emergency package. As a result of the bipartisan negotiations and the public hearing, this measure passed both the House and the Senate with the necessary two-thirds vote. Shortly before being sworn in later that same day, Gov. Janet Mills signed the emergency measure into law. I was overcome with emotion, and encouraged that our neighbors who are struggling would soon get the help they need.

Because this was an emergency measure, it went into effect as soon as it was signed by the governor. That means relief funds began being dispersed immediately.

Maine’s Community Action Programs that administer the Home Energy Assistance Program received $40 million to help those in need. The program has long existed in Maine, but because of drastic increases in energy costs and the fact that the program is primarily funded through the federal government, this extra funding was necessary to keep it going. In our area, The Home Energy Assistance Program is managed by York County Community Action Program.

In addition to bolstering the energy assistance program, more than 880,000 Mainers will receive $450 direct relief checks beginning at the end of the month through March, meaning the average Maine household will receive $900 in relief. These checks have the same guidelines as the $850 checks that were administered last year.

Mainers who filed their 2021 Maine state income tax return by Oct. 31, 2022, and made less than $100,000 if filing individually, $150,000 if filing as head of household or $200,000 for couples filing jointly are eligible. If you’ve filed those tax forms, no other action is needed.

While there is always more work to be done, I am proud that Maine lawmakers came together to provide relief to our constituents. I promise to continue to address our heating and housing crises, and will work with anyone to find long-term solutions to these problems. As always, if you have any questions about the information here or would like to reach out with a comment, question or concern, you can reach out to me any time. If you want to stay even more up to date on what we’re working on in Augusta, sign up for my email newsletter at mainesenate.org.

Joseph Rafferty is a member of the Maine State Senate representing District 34, Acton, Kennebunk, Lebanon, North Berwick, Wells, and part of Berwick. He can be reached at Joe.Rafferty@legislature.maine.gov or 207-287-1515.