Rebecca Millett

Democrat

Candidate’s Links:

Office Sought: Senator – District 29
Age: 54
Occupation: Consultant
Education: MBA (Finance), University of Chicago 1989; BS Business Administration American University 1985, BA International Relations American University 1984
Family: Married 21 years, 17 year old twin daughter and son
Hometown: Cape Elizabeth

Political experience

I have had the honor of serving two terms as State Senator for the good citizens of South Portland, Cape Elizabeth and part of Scarborough from 2012 to the present. I chaired the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee my first term in the 126th Legislature and served on the committee again in the 127th. Prior to my work in the Maine Senate, I served 6 ½ years on the Cape Elizabeth School Board as Board Chair and Finance Committee Chair among others.

Why are you running for office?

When I left my job to join the Peace Corps in Ukraine, I discovered that I find meaning and purpose in improving people’s lives through public service. Since then, I have worked passionately to make my community and state a healthier, happier, more prosperous place to live. I am a determined advocate for children, hard-working Mainers, and our elderly. Every day I strive to improve the lives of Maine citizens; I would appreciate the opportunity to continue this important work for all of us.

• Income Tax: Gov. LePage would like to lower Maine’s income tax rate and eventually eliminate it, by increasing the state’s sales tax and expanding it across a broader range of goods and services. Do you support this proposal?
  • No

    Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers during last session rejected the Governor’s attempt to eliminate the income tax. Those earning more than $392,000 would see an average tax cut of roughly $61,000. Middle income families would see a cut of $900 on average. But these cuts for middle income families will evaporate as the sales tax increase kicks in, more goods and services like snowplowing are taxed and property taxes increase to make up for the state’s funding of schools, infrastructure and public safety. The Governor is determined to emulate tax structures of other states that have been ranked as the least fair in the country. That is not a direction for Maine that I will support.

• Background Checks: Do you support background checks for privately sold firearms in Maine?
  • Yes

    The analogy that I have heard and think accurately captures the current situation is it’s like having two lines at the airport – one with security, the other without and letting the criminals decide on which line to use. The whole idea of background checks is to keep dangerous people from having guns. Right now people can buy guns anonymously online or at gun shows. This major loophole allows people who shouldn’t have guns to purchase them with absolutely no background check. We have to close this loophole in the law. This is common sense and good public safety policy.

• Minimum Wage: In light of the ballot question facing voters this fall, do you support raising the state’s minimum wage from $7.50 to $12 an hour by 2020?
  • Yes

    For years the cost of groceries, housing and healthcare have been increasing while wages have not kept pace. Working full time at the minimum wage equates to $12,000 a year which is very little money for someone to live on, let alone support a family or save for retirement. Homecare providers for our elderly, paramedics and nursing assistants are just a few of some of our important workers who would begin to earn a better living. Maine’s small businesses support this gradual increase because they know it’s good for their businesses to have more people with a little more money in their pockets to spend, and it’s good for Maine’s economy.

• Marijuana: Do you support legalization of marijuana for recreational use?
  • No

    I would like for Maine to learn from other states’ experiences before moving in this direction. Given Maine’s current addiction epidemic, I am uncomfortable legalizing a substance for which I have not seen conclusive evidence on how marijuana may or may not impact people’s health.

• Addiction/Overdoses: Do you believe the state is doing enough in response to the rise in heroin/opiate addiction and overdoses? If not, what else should be done?
  • The toll this epidemic is taking on Maine’s families, children and communities is unacceptable. 250 Mainers died from drug overdoses last year, and our number of affected babies has spiked to a record high from 178 in 2006 to 995 in 2015. Clearly we must do more. Last session saw some successes and some failures at increasing access to treatment, saving the lives of people who have overdosed, and funding law enforcement to go after the drug dealers who are profiting from our neighbors’ addiction. We passed bipartisan legislation to fund a detox center as well as ten new drug enforcement agents, and we passed legislation to permit trained pharmacists to furnish naloxone — the overdose antidote — when we overrode the governor’s veto with a bipartisan vote. However, we failed to increase access to methadone. Mainecare reimbursement rates are some of the lowest in the country, which is causing clinics to close and people to lose access to life saving treatment. My hope is next session we will increase the rates and all agree that allowing Mainers struggling with addiction access to Mainecare will go a long way to help facilitating their recovery and rebuilding families.