Senate approves Sen. Vitelli bill to support Maine's Permanent Commission on the Status of Women

AUGUSTA — On Tuesday, the Maine Senate voted in support of a bill from Sen. Eloise Vitelli, D-Arrowsic, to support the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women. Maine’s Commission is charged with improving opportunities and equity for Maine women and girls. The vote in support of LD 794, “An Act to Expand the Membership of the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women” was 21-13.

“Over a decade ago, the 125th Legislature created the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women. Shortly after its creation, then-Gov. Baldacci appointed me to chair the Commission. We had the responsibility to ‘promote, carry out, and coordinate programs designed to improve opportunities for women in the state.’ We also had to submit a report to the Legislature. However, there was not a funding mechanism to support the Commission’s work,” said Sen. Vitelli. “I want to thank my Senate colleagues for supporting this bill – and this critical work going forward.”

The bill would increase the membership of the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women from 17 members to 19 members and requires that the Governor appoint one member representing the interests of the LGBTQIA community, and one member under age 25. The bill updates terminology describing other appointees. The bill would also fund the Commission to hire an Executive Director and prepare biennial reports. 

“We’re excited to support this bill to strengthen the Commission’s ability to research and collect data regarding the status of Maine women and girls,” said Secretary of State Shenna Bellows during the public hearing for the bill. “Everyone should care about gender equity, and the leadership of the Commission is vital to ensuring that legislators have the information they need to make sound policy that will have a positive impact on the future of women and girls in our state.”

“Among Permanent Commissions across New England and the country, Maine lagging behind in ensuring its Women’s Commission has the funding and the membership necessary to be as strong, impactful, and helpful to policymakers as possible,” said Kate Elmes, the Commission’s current Chair. “Massachusetts’ Commission currently has an annual budget of over $1M and a staff of five, while Vermont has an annual budget of nearly half a million and multiple staff members. With this full-time capacity, Massachusetts and Vermont are able to publish professional biannual reports that offer policymakers insights into the status of women and girls, and recommendations for policy solutions, with specific focus on topics such as women’s economic security, women in the trades, women in STEM, older women, rural women, etc. They also host conventions that bring women from across their states together to discuss ways to increase opportunities and equity for women.”

Accurate and timely data are critical for informing public policy, making expenditure decisions, setting state agency priorities, influencing state and local program planning, and conducting evaluations and marketing. In its most recent report, the Commission called for the Legislature to collect more data, particularly centering on marginalized women and girls. Such data includes:

• The percentage of women who work in the care economy, how many depend on these services in order to work, and how many are providing uncompensated care for their families.
• These data should include BIPOC women, as well as those with disabilities or who are caring for family members with disabilities.
• Better data to improve our understanding of women’s needs (and the extent to which they are being met) across systems and throughout the state.
• Better data and an improved ability to cross-correlate and compare multiple data sets to plan, budget, execute, and evaluate programs and policies that support women and their families.

Representatives from Girl Scouts of Maine, the Maine School of Science and Mathematics, and Legal Services for the Elderly also testified in favor of the bill.

LD 794 faces additional votes in the House and Senate.

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