It has been an honor to serve as your state senator. I went to Augusta because I felt a sense of duty to make government work better for our area and to fight for issues we all care about. As I finish my final term after nine years of service, I am reflecting on the bills I fought to pass. Some of the issues have changed, but the need to put the concerns of working families front and center has absolutely remained the same.

Education

I started my career in Maine as a Head Start teacher. I know how hard early educators work and how dear our children are. Small businesses can’t start without quality child care in all of Maine’s 16 counties. This year, I worked to lay the groundwork for free universal pre-K and after care for all Maine families based on a model that works in Bath and Brunswick. Our study asks the Maine Department of Education to make this program feasible as soon as 2026.

Nutrition matters to our student’s ability to learn. I worked to pass bills to help school districts and Maine universities source food from local farms and producers. These programs keep our dollars in the local economy and support small businesses in our area.

Back in 2019, concerned about mounting student debt burden that was standing in the way of homeownership or even retirement for students of all ages, I worked to pass a Student Loan Bill of Rights to protect student loan borrowers from predatory lending.

I was proud to vote for the state to finally fully fund local education at 55%.

Workforce

I spent my career helping others start small businesses and make ends meet for their families. I recognized that many of Maine’s small companies aren’t able to provide retirement savings for their employees, so I worked to get a statewide workplace retirement savings program up and running for employees who do not have access to a plan through their employer. Starting this year, funded by automatic contributions from paychecks making it easy for employers and employees, Mainers have now saved $3 million combined towards their retirement.

I pushed for legislation to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit so low- and middle-income Mainers who have worked hard and paid taxes get more of their money back.

Women’s rights

In every term I’ve served, I sponsored an Equal Rights Amendment to enshrine equality in Maine’s constitution. Only once in my eight years in the Legislature did it achieve the two-thirds of Senate votes necessary to move forward, but the measure then failed in the House. I have not given up hope that our elected leaders will recognize the need for this protection and continue to fight for equal protection under the law.

Housing

I closed my career in the Maine Senate as the majority leader. When I was asked to serve on a special Joint Select Committee on Housing this term, I said yes because Mainers need to be able to afford safe and stable homes, and our economy desperately needs housing to bolster our workforce. I had been organizing roundtables with our region’s employers, including BIW and L.L. Bean to talk about what was holding them back from growth. Not surprisingly, housing for employees was a major concern. I brought these concerns to the committee. As of today, Maine has 3,033 new units under construction, and we increased a range of tax credits for property owners. We have also added protections and resources to combat homelessness and prevent evictions.

Over my years serving Sagadahoc County and Dresden in Lincoln County as your state senator, my intention was to ensure our government worked for all of us and to make life better for hard-working Mainers. My commitment to my neighbors and my community remains even after the November election. Please do keep in touch.

Sen. Eloise Vitelli, D-Arrowsic, represents Senate District 24 in the Maine Senate, which includes all of Sagadahoc County and the town of Dresden in Lincoln County.