SUM’s Latest Newsletter: Health care, support for people in recovery, and an innovative housing bill
April 12, 2021
Health care in Maine can be summed up in one word: expensive. In 2014 Maine ranked 11th in the nation in per capita health care spending, at an average spend of $9,531 per person. That’s a 49% increase since 2000 and more than $1,500 above the national average. A survey done in 2019 suggests the majority of Mainers consider healthcare unaffordable. Suit Up Maine is proud to support the “Making Health Care Work for Maine” package of health care bills that seek to address this issue by reigning in health care spending, holding drug manufacturers accountable for unnecessary price hikes, increasing transparency in prescription drug pricing, and making an emergency supply of insulin available from pharmacies around the state. You can find out more about these bills below, as well as a measure to expand the number of Recovery Community Centers in Maine, legislation to remove barriers to health care for all Mainers, and an innovating housing bill.
April 2021
April 12, 2021: Health care, support for people in recovery, and an innovative housing bill. Health care in Maine can be summed up in one word: expensive. This week, we highlight a bill package to address that issue.
April 5, 2021: A closer look at voter suppression and voting access. This week’s newsletter focuses on voter suppression efforts nationwide and legislation in Maine to protect and expand voting access.
March 2021
March 31: International Transgender Day of Visibility. Transgender people are under attack around the world, including in the U.S. and Maine, where state legislators are introducing bills that target transgender youth and adults. What can you do to support transgender people here in Maine and elsewhere? Start here, in this special newsletter extra.
March 29: Voter suppression, legislative update, and top events. Georgia’s new vote suppression law is brazen, anti-democratic, and the first of more to come from Republican-controlled state legislatures. Learn more about the bill and federal legislation that would protect people’s right to vote and advance free and fair elections; the latest news from the Maine Legislature; and find this week’s top events.
March 17: Attacks on Asian Americans, transgender allies training, and legislative updates. A forum on the experience of Asian American youth in Maine amid increasing racist attacks; an update on our allies training with MaineTransNet; passage of the first of the bills in our tracker; an update on HR 1 and HR 4; and an environmental rights amendment, expanding ranked choice voting, funding for emergency shelters and other legislative updates.
March 2: Housing assistance, COVID relief, the Equality Act, and more: Bills to address the 20,000-person waiting list for housing vouchers in Maine; the passing of COVID relief–without support from Rep. Jared Golden; one week until the special election for Maine Senate District 14; the passage of the Equality Act by the House, and the announcement by Sen. Susan Collins that she won’t sponsor it; and updates on the Maine Legislature.
February 2021
Feb. 22: Postpartum care, a special election, Equality Act and COVID relief: Bills to extend postpartum coverage and provide health insurance to 10,000 uninsured children in Maine; support for the federal Equality Act and Biden’s COVID relief package; an update on the Melville Fuller statue in Augusta; and the countdown to the March 9 special election for Maine Senate District 14.
Feb. 15: Keeping a Maine Senate seat, this week in Augusta & more: Maine senators vote to convict Trump of inciting insurrection; special election March 9 for Maine Senate District 14; and bills to create a COVID-19 patient bill of rights, promote racial justice, and transportation access for Maine seniors.
Feb. 8: Impeachment, Melville Fuller, Legislature Roundup: The latest on Trump’s impeachment, a push to move the statue of Melville Fuller away from the Kennebec County Courthouse, and bills on LGBTQ+ equality, voting access, ranked-choice voting, transportation assistance for Maine seniors, and more.
Feb. 1: A step toward racial justice and a COVID-19 relief update: The first of the bills we’re tracking in the Legislature Roundup have public hearings and an update on the COVID relief package.
January 2021
Jan. 17: Maine Capitol Police, Senate Trial, and legislative advocacy: The Maine Capitol Police chief is under investigation, Trump has been impeached, and the Maine Legislature is holding the first public hearings of the session.
Jan. 7: Support Trump’s Immediate Removal from Office: Wednesday afternoon, as a joint session of Congress got underway to count electoral college votes and certify the election of President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris, a mob of Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol, overpowered Capitol Police, and forced their way inside, ransacking and looting Congressional offices and the Senate chamber. See our statement and call to action.
Jan. 1: Goodbye 2020. Hello 2021. 🎇: 2020 could best be described as a dumpster fire. And it was. But it was also a year of resilience, persistence, and steely determination.
2020
Nov. 17: 📢 Choosing the next SoS, Georgia runoffs & good news list
Nov. 4: Statement: Response to Maine’s election results
Nov. 3: 🌊 ELECTION DAY: What you need to know
Nov. 2: 🌊 1 day: Get your absentee ballot in, final GOTV, Election Day prep, and prepare to mobilize
Oct. 26: 🌊 7 days: Updated GOTV guide, Protect the Results, and candidate profiles
Oct. 20: 🌊 14 Days: Get out the vote, Protect the Results, and more
Oct. 9: 🌊 GOTV came early, but we’ve got you covered!
Oct. 5: 🌊 Don’t waste your ballot, beware daily distortions, state races & more
Sept. 29: 🌊 Send letters to voters, read our new voting FAQ, track your ballot & more
Sept. 22: 🌊 Voter registration & support LGBTQ+ rights
Sept. 14: 🌊 Voting access, state races and more
Sept. 7: 🌊 Voting plans, candidates and more
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.
