Proposed Budget Highlights
The governor’s supplemental budget funds initiatives to strengthen public safety and the state’s mental health system in the wake of the tragic mass shooting in Lewiston in October 2023; support disaster response efforts; and invest in housing, child welfare, health care, and other key areas. The budget also proposes saving $107 million in a new, temporary reserve for the next biennium to fund ongoing commitments and additional anticipated needs, based on expectation that state revenue growth will flatten in the coming years. Additionally, the governor calls for actions to streamline, simplify and modernize various sales tax provisions. Below are details on some supplemental initiatives included in the governor’s February 14th proposal; this list does not include items from the March 29th change package.
Public Safety and Mental Health
- $2.8 million ($0.6 million ongoing general fund) supplemented by enhanced federal matching funds to strengthen mobile crisis teams through a comprehensive Medicaid payment model.
- $200,000 one-time, supplemented with federal funds, to promote safe storage of firearms.
- $5.5 million to hire more state troopers ($3.6 million general fund).
- $422,400 to support surge in mental health assessments after the Lewiston tragedy.
- $1 million to establish an Injury and Violence Prevention Program as a central hub to bring together data to help identify patterns and inform measures to reduce suicides and homicides.
- $950,000 one-time funding to establish a crisis receiving center to improve access to behavioral health services.
- $5 million in one-time funding to create the Main Mass Violence Care Fund to cover health out-of-pocket expenses connected to a mass violence event.
- $6 million in one-time funding to address Victims of Crime Act federal funding shortfall.
Disaster Response
- $15 million for the state’s share of estimated disaster recovery costs.
- $5 million to help additional local governments create plans to address extreme weather vulnerabilities.
- $6 million to repair state park damage from recent storms.
Homelessness and Housing
- $16 million for the Emergency Housing Relief Fund.
- $10 million to strengthen the Affordable Homeownership Program.
Child Welfare
- $1.4 million for targeted positions to support child caseworkers.
- $1.3 million ($0.7 million general fund) to support services for children in state care.
- $4 million ($3.1 million general fund) to initiate reclassification of child welfare positions.
Health Care
- $4 million to expand Medication Assisted Treatment for those in county jails recovering from opioid addiction.
- $34 million ($11.4 million general fund) for Medicaid cost-of-living adjustment for behavioral health providers and to overhaul nursing facility rates.
- $96.4 million in federal, state and hospital revenue to reform hospital reimbursement rates.
- Amends the recently enacted expansion of the Medicare Savings Program to generate $14.1 million in general fund savings this biennium.
Other
- $22.6 million for public K-12 schools through the state funding formula.
- $25 million to implement plan to improve Child Development Services
- $3 million one-time payment to milk producers in the state to help mitigate increased production costs.
- $15 million to fund final payments to municipalities under the Property Tax Stabilization Program for Seniors.
- $4 million to upgrade the Judiciary’s computer systems.
- Authorizes the Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services to transition unused funding to expand the network of public defenders.
- Establishes an Office of Community Affairs.