Doing your taxes can be complicated enough in ordinary times without the added anxiety and economic consequences of a public health crisis to boot.

So to give Maine people more time to handle their taxes during these difficult times, this week I announced that Maine will extend the filing and payment deadlines for state income taxes to May 17, 2021.

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

This change aligns with the one already made by the federal government in some respects.

Maine individual taxpayers, including individuals who pay self-employment tax, do not need to file any forms or call to qualify for this extension.

Now, the Federal government did not extend the dates for corporate returns and payments so Maine’s deadlines for those filing and payment dates are also still April 15, 2021.

Earlier this week I also signed the bipartisan supplemental budget enacted by the Legislature into law. In addition to providing full tax relief to the more than 28,000 small businesses who received the PPP funds, this budget also exempts up to $10,200 from income taxes for those 160,000 people who got unemployment benefits in 2020.

That tax relief is available to Maine people with an annual income of less than $150,000, regardless of filing status.

Maine Revenue Services, a bureau within my Administration, stands ready to assist Maine people who may need to file an extension beyond May 17 or to discuss payment plans if necessary. You can contact them, and find other information about tax relief and tax forms, at maine.gov/revenue.

Maine people can also call 2-1-1 or visit 211maine.org for assistance in identifying free tax preparation resources that are available throughout the state.

This last year has been hard and my Administration will continue to do all we can to make things a little easier for Maine families. We are working around the clock to vaccinate Maine people against the coronavirus and to get our state and our economy back on track.

In the meantime, I urge everyone to keep doing the basic things that keep us healthy, like wearing a mask, watching our distance, washing our hands, and sign up to get the vaccine as soon as you are eligible, please.

You can see a list of vaccination sites around the state at maine.gov/covid19/vaccines.

Please keep the faith and stay safe.

We will get through this together.

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

On March 12, 2020 — a year ago — the State of Maine recorded our first case of COVID-19.

You know, we have suffered great hardship and loss in the last twelve months as a state and as a nation, but the greatest grief is borne by the families whose loved ones are no longer with us because of the deadly coronavirus.

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.

Today, we pause to remember the more than 527,000 Americans, including more than 720 Mainers, we have lost over the last year.

Each was a life lived with meaning and purpose, a life that we honor today.  And as always, we pray for good health of Maine people and for the swift recovery of all those who are still battling this virus.

During World War II, Eleanor Roosevelt told the American people, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you look fear in the face. You say to yourself, 'I have lived through this. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do,” she said.

During this pandemic, with strength and courage, the people of Maine have learned to do what they thought they could not do. And we are getting through this.

Nurses, bus drivers, CNAs, teachers and ed techs, volunteers, business owners, working parents, delivery drivers, grocery clerks, fishermen, haulers and farmers, and many, many more unsung heroes saved lives and kept our state moving forward.

This pandemic is hard, many people are tired and frustrated. I understand that. But we are turning the corner with courage, patience and compassion and good medical science on our side.

And it is because of you, the Maine people, because of your continued hope and perseverance, that we are winning this war against COVID-19.

Already, we have vaccinated tens of thousands of people in our state and we’re working day and night to get shots into the arms of all Maine people who want the vaccine.

Today, let us pay tribute to those we have lost and let us rededicate ourselves to protecting our health, to protecting the health of our loved ones and our neighbors, and the health of fellow citizens.

We will prevail and we will emerge a stronger people and a stronger state.

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

Just keep the faith and stay safe. We’ll get through this together. Thank you.

Saving lives and preventing serious illness and suffering has been my fundamental goal throughout this pandemic.

Last week I announced how we intend to use the vaccines to do just that.

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

Well after consulting with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services and the Maine CDC, I concluded that it would be best for Maine people that I adopt an age-based approach to expanding vaccine eligibility. 

What does this mean?

Well simply put, your eligibility for a COVID-19 vaccine will be determined by your age.

Why did we make this change?

Well, my fundamental goal throughout this pandemic has been to save lives and protect our most vulnerable people. So the question is, who is it who’s most likely to suffer and even die if they do not get the vaccine?

Medical evidence, scientific evidence backed by the data here in Maine, indicates that age is really among the strongest indicators of whether an individual is likely to become seriously ill and die from COVID-19, more so than other risk factors such as underlying medical conditions.

So after vaccinating our health care and emergency first responders, we moved to vaccinate those 70 and older last month.

So far, more than 70 percent of those people 70 and older have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

This achievement is the result of hard work by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, the Maine CDC, Northern Light Health, Maine Health, and many other health care providers. 

We owe them a great debt of gratitude for their work to stand up and run clinics across the state, for getting shots into arms, and, most importantly, for saving lives.

That work must continue.

This week, under the new plan, all Maine people who are 60 years of age or older become eligible for the vaccine. That’s about another 200,000 people in our state.

There is one exception now to the age-based plan because this week, President Biden directed all states to vaccinate school staff and childcare workers.

So under our plan, we had already prioritized vaccinations for school staff within their age categories. But as a result of the new directive, we have updated our plan to make pre-K-12 school staff and childcare providers, regardless of age, eligible immediately for the vaccine.

We will continue to expand vaccine eligibility by age going forward, opening vaccinations to those who are 50 years or older in April, and then 40 years or older in May, 30 years and older in June. Anyone younger than that will be eligible in July.

Well if the supply increases in the coming weeks and months — and the President has promised that it will — and if we are able to make efficient progress, it is possible we can accelerate these timeframes.

We are undertaking the largest mass vaccination effort in our history, and there is no quick and easy way to do this, believe me.

I know that every decision I make will impact people in our state in different ways and I carry with me the weight of making, fundamentally, life or death decisions. 

That is why, throughout the pandemic, I have based my decisions in science and fact and have always tried to do what I believe in the best interests of all Maine people. Given that Maine has the oldest population, the oldest median age in the country, this approach, I believe, will benefit the most people in the fastest way possible, certainly compared to the approaches of some other states.

I know this time frame is still fraught with some anxiety and the pandemic is still among us and variants are emerging. 

I want you to know that I hear you, that I care about you, and I am grateful to you for your understanding and your patience throughout this historic effort. 

We will get through this together.

I pledge to you that we will work day and night to get everyone vaccinated as quickly as possible.

Please keep the faith and stay safe.

This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.

Like all of you, I want to get our state back on track. I want to get people back to work. I want to diversify our economy too, in the long run providing good-paying jobs in every corner of this state and providing opportunity for all Maine families.

I want a future in this state for every Maine child. I want people to see Maine not simply as “Vacationland” but as a great place to live year-round, work and raise a family.

And we want all our young people to know that they don’t have to leave the state to get a first class education or to find work that is gratifying, useful and financially rewarding.

We will build that Maine and we will build a better, brighter future for all of us.

So, where do we start?

Hey, this is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

My Administration’s 10 year economic development plan and the recommendations of the Economic Recovery Committee I convened last year, point the way to a brighter future.

To accelerate Maine’s economic recovery, get people back to work and expand our economy, in the coming weeks, my Administration will present to the Legislature our “Back to Work” bond proposal.

In addition to investing in roads and bridges, working lands and waterfronts, research and development, and energy efficiency, the Back to Work Bond will include $30 million to expand broadband across Maine, building on our successful efforts last year to secure $15 million in new funding for broadband. Everybody has problems connecting to the internet and we need to address that now all across the state.

We’ll also propose $25 million for equipment for Maine’s Career and Technical Education programs and for Maine’s Community College System to train skilled workers to fill jobs in high-growth industries.

Along with that, there’ll be $50 million proposed for Maine farmers, foresters, and fishermen to increase local processing infrastructure and improve access to markets and add value to products grown, caught, and cultured here in Maine.

We’ll also propose $6 million for grants and low interest loans to renovate and expand and construct childcare facilities and increase the number of childcare slots, with half of that money going to the underserved communities in rural Maine.

Now, I have heard some say that we should enact sweeping budget cuts instead of making these smart investments in our state.

Look I know that State government cannot be all things to all people all the time. And that it cannot solve all our problems or address the needs of all people.

But history shows that we cannot cut our way to prosperity. During emergencies such as this, people depend on their government to protect children, to secure health care, to provide public safety, to safeguard educational and career opportunities and to protect the most vulnerable of our citizens.

Well I am not going to walk away from, or abandon, Maine families in their time of greatest need — especially when it is not necessary to do that.

State Treasurer Henry Beck reports that interest rates remain at historically low levels. As a result of our good fiscal stewardship, Maine’s credit rating has been reaffirmed during the pandemic while other states have seen theirs downgraded. So it’s a good time to make this proposal.

My budget proposals provide basic continuity, consistency and stability, something our state needs at this time. My “Back to Work” bond proposal will also speed up our economic recovery.

The time to invest in our economic recovery is now. The time to move forward on Maine’s economy is now. The time to get Maine back on track and back on its feet is now.

This is Governor Janet Mills.

Please stay safe and thank you for listening.