Gov. Janet Mills outlined a modest policy agenda to lawmakers on Thursday during a final “State of the State” address that was also filled with sharp criticisms of the Trump administration and partisan overtones.
Mills proposed $300 “affordability” rebates to Maine residents, a statewide ban on student cellphone use in schools and reviving tuition-free community college.
She also used her roughly hourlong speech to outline her accomplishments as governor, offering a potential glimpse of what candidate Mills is likely to focus on as she campaigns to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins this fall.
Mills also sparred several times with Republican lawmakers — some of whom walked out of the House chamber mid-speech in protest — and blasted the Trump administration for its aggressive immigration crackdown in Maine and Minnesota.
“Today I see a nation where our federal government uses its immense power to intimidate, to punish, and to silence those who dare to criticize or question it,” Mills said. “A federal government that has deployed masked law enforcement onto the streets of America, including here in Maine, stoking fear in our communities, killing American citizens in Minnesota, and arresting people, not on public safety grounds but based on quotas, on skin color, on accents, on religion on ethnic origin.”
Republican leaders responded by accusing Mills of using the speech to win over voters for her primary battle against Graham Platner, a political newcomer whose campaign caught fire among many disaffected and frustrated Democrats.
“If there could be an award for the most partisan campaign speech given from the (House) speaker’s rostrum, I think the governor certainly won it tonight,” said House Minority Leader Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor.
Mills outlined a number of new policy proposals for lawmakers in the Democratic-controlled Legislature, including:
- $300 “affordability relief” checks to individuals earning $75,000 or less or couples earning $150,000 or less.
- $70 million for affordable housing initiatives, including $17.5 million to build more than 500 new homes and apartments for middle-class families.
- Reviving the free community college program that started in 2022 but that is slated to sunset with last year’s high school graduates.
Mills also proposed a statewide ban on student cellphone use during the school day “from bell to bell” rather than allowing schools and districts to enact their own policies.
“When cellphones are removed from classrooms, research shows that student performance improves, test scores improve, behavior improves, attendance improves, and social dynamics improve,” Mills said.
Mills also devoted significant chunks of her speech to recapping what she portrays as her administration’s key accomplishments, such as achieving 55% state funding for K-12 costs, expanding broadband service throughout the state and amassing a roughly $1 billion “Rainy Day Fund” in state government.
In a departure from previous years, Mills is proposing tapping into that Rainy Day Fund to pay for some of her initiatives, including spending $218 million to send out the $300 rebate checks.
But she also devoted significant sections of her speech to larger federal and social issues.
She endorsed “universal health care” and attacked the Trump administration’s immigration policies without ever mentioning the president by name. And she received the longest and some of the loudest applause of the night — exclusively from the Democratic side of the House chamber — when she talked about “new Mainers” coming to build new lives in the state.
But Republicans bristled after she repeatedly turned to their side of the aisle and said “you’re welcome” after talking about policy achievements that she said benefited the whole state. And some Republicans walked out of the chamber when Mills touted new laws that protected and expanded access to abortion in Maine at a time when many states are restricting or banning it.
She also sparred openly with Republicans, at one point jokingly comparing the environment to the British House of Commons, where members routinely shout at and jeer speakers, including the prime minister.
When she expressed support for universal health care — a federal issue popular position among Democratic voters — Republican Rep. James Thorne of Carmel shouted at her from his seat, asking if she was really delivering a State of the State address.
"Oh you bet it is, Jim,” she retorted. “It's the State of the State because everybody in this room has to deal with health care. You can't be blind to that and the cost on the states all across America. And what's happening in Washington is putting huge burdens on all of us, to try and do the humane thing and keep people healthy. It's basic human rights."
Democrats responded to the fiery exchange with loud cheers and enthusiastic applause. Republicans, meanwhile, blasted the governor for her speech and its tone, saying it felt more like a campaign rally than an effort at bipartisanship.
Faulkingham, the Republican leader in the House, said during a press conference afterward that Mills’ focus on affordability falls flat. He said many Mainers could face property tax increases at their local governments this year and he pointed out that the state budget has increased significantly under Mills and the Democrat-controlled Legislature.
"It was from start to finish, intentionally, a partisan speech that was made to win a Democrat primary,” Faulkingham said. “It was ignoring all the real problems we have — just totally ignoring them and doing a bunch of handouts and campaign promises."
Republicans also accused Mills of trying to “buy votes” for her Senate bid with the $300 rebate checks. And they slammed Mills over her continued support for renewable energy, which they say is driving up electricity costs in Maine.
Senate Minority Leader Sen. Trey Stewart, R-Presque Isle, accused the governor of proposing to “spend every nickel” that comes into the state in addition to tapping into the state’s Rainy Day Fund. Stewart then pivoted to the fall elections, when voters will decide not only who will succeed Mills in the governor’s office but who fills all 186 seats in the Legislature.
“Make up your own minds in November, folks,” Stewart said.
Democratic legislative leaders praised the governor's speech, however.
“In her final State of the State Address, Governor Mills demonstrated her steadfast commitment to the state of Maine and its people," House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford, said in a statement. "She made clear that Maine will not be intimidated by the unlawful actions of the federal government, and laid out a plan to address the challenges that keep Mainers up at night: rising costs of housing, energy, and everyday necessities."
“Tonight’s State of the State comes at a moment when many Maine people are feeling stretched — by rising costs, uncertainty about the future, and the desire to see our state succeed," Senate President Mattie Daughtry, D-Brunswick, said in a statement. "Governor Mills reflected on the immense progress Maine has made and the challenges still ahead. As legislators, our responsibility this year is to stay grounded in what Mainers are experiencing in their daily lives and focus on solutions that make our state a more affordable, secure place to live."
Maine Public reporters Steve Mistler and Michael Livingston contributed to this report.
