Sen. Millett receives perfect score on education record

Sen. Rebecca Millett, D-Cape Elizabeth earned a 100 percent rating from the Maine Education Association for her voting record on education issues during the second regular session of the 128th Legislature.

“My number one priority in the Legislature is ensuring that every kid in Maine has the chance to get a good education, no matter where they’re from or what their family background is, and we made progress on that goal this year,” said Sen. Millett. “We have more work to do, however, to make our schools healthier and safer and to make sure our teachers have the resources they need every day.”

The Maine Education Association is an organization representing 24,000 Maine teachers and is dedicated to supporting policies and laws to improve public education.

This year, Sen. Millett supported two successful bills to protect the health and safety of school children. The first bill, LD 1710, restored state funding for school-based health centers, which the Department of Health and Human Services unexpectedly cut last summer. The second bill, LD 1858, which Sen. Millett sponsored, makes technical changes to the School Revolving Renovation Fund to prioritize essential upgrades for school security systems. Both these bills provide Maine schools with the resources necessary to best meet the needs of their students from funding school safety upgrades to proper physical and mental health care.

Sen. Millett also fought to protect Maine students and their families from predatory student loan companies, who make it impossible to pay off student debt and get ahead. While LD 1507 initially passed both the House and the Senate, the governor unfortunately vetoed the bill. Another bill that failed to become law because of the governor’s veto was LD 40, also sponsored by Sen. Millett, which would have ensured drinking water in all Maine schools is safe from lead and other harmful elements.

In addition to the bills scored by the Maine Education Association, one of Sen. Millett’s priorities in 2018 was LD 1286 “An Act To Facilitate Compliance by School Employees with Criminal History Record Check and Fingerprinting Requirements,” to ensure all school employees are up-to-date on their background checks and fingerprinting requirements in accordance to state law. LD 1286 was signed into law by Governor LePage at the end of June.

Sen. Millett remains committed to fighting for Maine students and teachers in the Legislature. She is in her sixth year serving on the Legislature’s Education and Cultural Affairs Committee and also co-chairs the bipartisan, bicameral Maine Children’s Caucus.