MAINE GOVERNMENT
Here are our Calls to Action, Guides, and Explainers on Maine legislation, policy, and issues. For contact information for your legislators, information on the legislative process, and to track bills in the current legislative session, visit our Legislature Roundup. Interested in helping us track state legislation and policy? Take action with us.
CHILD POVERTY IN MAINE: Support Bill to Improve Parents’ Access to Education and Training
Maine’s child poverty rate is increasing eight times faster than the national average. A bill in the Maine legislature could help bring those numbers down by increasing parents’ access to educational and training opportunities. UPDATE: LD 1774 is now law in Maine! After receiving overwhelming support in the House and Senate, the bill became law without the governor’s signature. A huge thank you to everyone who worked on this important legislation!
#ENOUGH: Join Maine Protests Against Gun Violence
Thanks to student activists leading the way, momentum to fight for common sense gun reform shows no signs of slowing down. Next up: Town Hall For Our Lives on Saturday, April 7 in Brunswick and Bangor.
QUICK ACTION: Check out our complete list of Maine events and make plans to join one…or organize your own!
SUPPORT MAINE STUDENTS: Ban Lunch Shaming & Restore Funding for School Health Centers
The Legislature is considering bills to ban food shaming in public schools (LD 1684) and restore funding to school-based health centers (LD 1710). UPDATE: The House passed LD 1710 and LD 1684 and the Senate votes next. QUICK ACTION: Call your senator and ask her/him to pass LD 1710 and LD 1684!
NO GUNS ON SCHOOLS GROUNDS: Oppose LD 1761
A vote on LD 1761, which would allow people to carry guns in their vehicles on school grounds, could come as early as TUESDAY.
UPDATE: The bill was voted down in the House, and is now DEAD. Great work, everyone!
CHILD ABUSE IN MAINE : Save the Community Partnership for Protecting Children
Paul LePage has instructed DHHS to end funding for the Community Partnership for Protecting Children at a time when child abuse rates in Maine are on the rise.
QUICK ACTION: Contact your local reps and urge them to continue funding the program and to address the lack of funding and resources within DHHS.
RANKED CHOICE VOTING: Sign the People’s Veto to Save RCV
With critical electoral races looking like they will again have more than two primary candidates, enacting Ranked Choice Voting is more important than ever.
QUICK ACTION: Sign the People’s Veto petition TODAY to give voters a chance to overturn the legislature’s plans to delay and repeal, and to use ranked choice voting in the June primaries.
WOMEN’S MARCH 2.0: Join Events in Maine on Jan. 20-21
The Women’s March galvanized millions around the world to rise up and speak out.
QUICK ACTION: Gather your friends to celebrate the one-year anniversary on Jan 20 in Augusta, Bangor, Bar Harbor, Gouldsboro, and Brunswick and Jan 21 in Kingfield and Portland. Can’t make one of these events? Host your own Women’s March House Party or participate in the online Disability March.
2017 ELECTION ROUNDUP
Elections in November and December put the nation on notice and showed what we can accomplish when we put our heads together and our boots on the ground.
QUICK ACTION: Read and be inspired by these 2017 election victories, and learn about programs that can train you to run for office.
DEFEND MAINE’S TEACHERS: Support “Dime A Dozen” Fundraiser
Gov. Paul LePage recently downplayed the importance of teachers, calling them a “dime a dozen.” Voice your opposition to these comments and support efforts to assist new and existing teachers.
RENEWABLE ENERGY: Go Green in Your Home or Business
Many of Maine’s utility companies offer residential and business electricity customers the option to switch some or all of their electricity to a green power source. Choose the option that best suits your home, business or nonprofit, to maximize demand of clean, renewable energy, while reducing your carbon footprint.
Suit Up Maine is an independent, all-volunteer grassroots progressive group that seeks to build a more informed and engaged electorate in Maine. Founded in 2016, Suit Up Maine is run by and for Mainers, and is not engaged in fundraising of any kind. Representing thousands of constituents across Maine’s 16 counties, Suit Up Maine raises awareness of and advocates for policies and legislation that promote equity and equality in civil rights, social justice, health care, the environment, education, the economy, and other areas that affect the lives of all people. Suit Up Maine is beholden to issues and action, not parties or politicians.
