This month, my colleagues in the Legislature and I passed a Continuing Services Budget to ensure funding for existing state operations over the next two years. The first part of the biennial budget addressed our most pressing issues and allows us to move forward on crafting a fiscally responsible two-year budget that meets our district’s needs. I am saddened we were unable to find a more bipartisan path forward, but there comes a time when you have to stop cutting bait and fish. There comes a time to make a decision that delivers on the needs of Maine people and gives our communities the stability they deserve. It’s the right thing to do.

Some have raised questions as to how this continuing services budget is different from the one proposed by Gov. Mills. This budget is only meant to “keep the lights on,” avoid a government shutdown and fund emergency items — it does not contain any new taxes or cut any existing programs. I’m confident this Continuing Services Budget will provide stability for our community and our state.

By passing this budget early, we ensured Mainers kept their access to health care and that essential programs continued to operate. You may have heard about the “MaineCare gap” — this budget closed that gap. It also includes urgent funding to prevent the spruce budworm outbreak that would devastate our forests in left untreated, as well as cost of living adjustments for direct care workers.

The benefits of this budget don’t stop there. As municipal governments begin their budget planning process for the next fiscal year, it is vital that they can count on the state to meet its commitment to revenue sharing. The State provides 5% of its revenue to the revenue sharing program. These funds, in addition to the Property Tax Fairness Credit, are crucial to keeping property taxes at affordable levels and provide direct relief to low- and middle-income Mainers. The Continuing Services Budget also reaffirms the government’s obligation to provide 55% of funding for K-12 education — a promise that also keeps property taxes down.

While the Continuing Services Budget provides the foundation for Maine’s budget, our work is not done. In the coming months, the Legislature will need to produce a “Part 2” budget to fund remaining items and address additional priorities to strengthen our workforce and our communities. We will continue to look at ways to improve health care affordability and support Maine’s small businesses. I will work to ensure that each budget decision we make will be for the good of all Mainers.

As always, if you have any questions or if you would like to reach out with a comment, question or concern, you can reach out to me any time by emailing me at Denise.Tepler@legislature.maine.gov or my Senate office at (207) 287-1515. I will do my best to help.

Sen. Denise Tepler, D-Topsham, represents Senate District 24 in the Maine Senate, which includes all of Sagadahoc County and the town of Dresden in Lincoln County.