Sen. Vitelli earns high marks for pro-worker voting record

AUGUSTA — Sen. Eloise Vitelli, D-Arrowsic, earned a perfect score from the Maine State Employees Association (MSEA) for her votes to support state workers.

“Maine workers power our state, and it’s the Legislature’s responsibility to give those workers the tools they need to succeed and to live happy and healthy lives,” said Sen. Vitelli. “I’m particularly proud of the work the Legislature was able to do to support these hardworking men and women, especially in light of the pandemic and all the disruptions and challenges that came with it. I’m honored to have received this distinction, and I’m looking forward to carrying this critical work forward.”

MSEA also highlighted Sen. Vitelli as a Legislative Champion, a smaller group of legislators who provided particularly strong leadership on key issues during the past legislative session.

This session, Sen. Vitelli sponsored a law to create the Maine Retirement Savings Program, a way for working Mainers to contribute to a Roth IRA directly from their paycheck. Employers who don’t offer their own retirement savings plans will facilitate a deduction for their employees, straight from the employee’s paycheck. These employers do not contribute any matching funds to the plan. The deducted funds go into a Roth IRA, following participants from job to job until that person is ready to retire.

Sen. Vitelli also sponsored a law this past session to improve the state’s unemployment insurance system to better support workers who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. The law makes changes to increase efficiency, modernize systems, support working families, and keep people connected to the workforce so it’s easier for them to find work.

MSEA scored votes on six bills, including the Back to Basics Budget and the bipartisan biennial state budget. MSEA represents 13,000 public workers. For more information about the votes scored by MSEA, visit www.mseaseiu.org.