In last week’s State of the State address, Governor Janet Mills proposed $27 million in funding to continue to provide free breakfasts and lunches for every student in Maine public schools. Mills’ plan to fund the program comes after legislation—originally put forward by Senate President Troy Jackson—passed last year to make Maine the first state in the nation to guarantee universal school meals for public school students.
Mills’ extensive record of fighting child poverty has been a welcome change from her predecessor, Paul LePage, who spent eight years in the Blaine House fighting against programs that helped the state’s most vulnerable kids. During LePage’s time in office, child poverty in Maine increased by 13.6%--even as it decreased nationwide–and the state was ranked as the most food insecure state in New England, with one in every five Maine kids facing food insecurity.
Despite this, LePage tried repeatedly to cut benefits for poor and food insecure children, vetoing or refusing to sign multiple bills to expand access to free or reduced price meals at schools, and targeting Head Start and child care assistance programs. He also forfeited more than $350 million in federal funds to keep Maine’s children and families out of poverty. In fact, the Maine Center for Economic Policy reported during the LePage era that “due to state policy decisions, 42,600 children have lost food assistance” via a mix of tightening eligibility requirements and turning back federal funds.
“Paul LePage’s policies demonstrated an utter disregard for children experiencing poverty that hurt them and Maine’s future,” said Drew Gattine, Chair of the Maine Democratic Party. “By taking steps to fight child poverty and hunger, Governor Mills has brought compassion and common sense back to the Blaine House. We can’t let Paul LePage drag us back to a time when the Governor’s office did nothing to stop Maine’s kids from going hungry.”
Their plan to expand access to free school meals is just the latest in a series of actions Mills and Democrats in the legislature have taken to fight child hunger and poverty since taking over in 2019. From bills to expand access to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to major investments in education and child welfare, the current administration has made helping Maine’s most vulnerable children a top priority. While there is still much work to be done, the most recently available data from 2020 show Maine’s child poverty rate at its lowest level since 2005.
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