Maine’s Record: Eight Years of Policy Decisions and Outcomes

Written By Nick Adolphsen

A Reference Summary of Laws, Decisions, and Results under Executive and Legislative Leadership (2019–2026)

This document examines selected policy decisions and measurable outcomes during the period of unified Democratic control of Maine’s governorship and both chambers of the Legislature. Individual candidates do not always agree with every position their party takes, but the party’s governing record is relevant when evaluating its promises. Not every economic or social outcome can be attributed solely to one administration or statute; some reflect national trends, demographic changes, and decisions made over many years. The items below focus on enacted laws, rejected proposals, and publicly reported data.

1. Life and Family

  • Expanded access to abortion up to the point of birth (LD 1619, 2023). Lawmakers removed Maine’s previous requirement that abortions after fetal viability be necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother. Under the new law, abortions after viability may be performed whenever a licensed physician approves. The law establishes no specific gestational cutoff. Maine is among the states with the least restrictive late-term abortion laws.

  • Required Maine taxpayers to fund abortions (LD 820, 2019). While federal Medicaid funding for abortion is generally restricted under the Hyde Amendment, Maine lawmakers expressly required MaineCare to cover abortion services, including those ineligible for federal reimbursement. State law directs that these services be funded with state tax dollars. 

  • Continued public funding for organizations that provide abortions. Maine has supported Planned Parenthood and Maine Family Planning with taxpayer dollars. This funding is in addition to and distinct from direct MaineCare abortion reimbursements. It is unclear exactly how much these orgs will receive, but through multiple pieces of legislation and appropriations language, it appears the number could be in excess of $10 million annually. 

  • Legalized physician-assisted suicide and later expanded access (LD 1313, 2019; LD 613, 2025). Maine enacted the Death with Dignity Act in 2019, permitting terminally ill adults to obtain prescription medication intended to end their lives. The Legislature expanded access in 2025, including changes to waiting-period requirements.

  • Allowed minors age 16+ to consent to gender-related hormone treatment without parental support (LD 535, 2023). The law establishes a process allowing minors 16 or older to consent to nonsurgical gender-affirming hormone therapy. Other Maine laws permit minors to consent independently to certain services, including abortion, mental-health and substance-use treatments.

  • Rejected legislation requiring parental notification for social transition at school (LD 1002, 2025). Lawmakers rejected a bill that would have required parental authorization before schools used a student’s name or gender designation different from the student’s birth certificate. Existing confidentiality rules allow schools and health professionals in the school to keep interactions with a student confidential from the parent. 

  • Rejected legislation restricting gender-transition medications and procedures for minors (LD 380, 2025). Following passage of the 2023 minor-consent law, lawmakers rejected legislation that would have changed the state’s gender-related treatment laws, including the minor-consent provision. Maine has not adopted a broad prohibition on puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or gender-transition surgeries for minors.

  • Rejected legislation protecting girls’ sports and private spaces based on biological sex (LD 1134, 2025). The Maine Senate rejected legislation restricting female athletic programs and certain facilities based on biological sex by a vote of 21–14. All 20 Senate Democrats opposed the bill, joined by one then-Republican senator. Other proposals addressing sports, bathrooms, and locker rooms were also defeated.

  • Maine faces one of the nation’s lowest fertility rates and gaps in maternity care. Maine’s fertility rate in 2024 was 46.3 births per 1,000 women ages 15–44 (CDC), among the lowest in the nation. Approximately 22% of Maine women lacked access to a birthing hospital within a 30-minute drive, compared with 9.7% nationally. These are demographic and health-care access outcomes, not conditions attributable to just one particular law.

2. Education and the Next Generation

  • Maine fell from a national education leader to near the bottom in elementary reading and math. In 1992, Maine ranked among the top states nationally in fourth-grade math (average score 231 vs. national 217) and near the top in fourth-grade reading. By 2024, Maine ranked approximately 42nd in both subjects on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The decline spans multiple decades but has accelerated since the years immediately preceding COVID.

  • Maine trails neighboring New Hampshire dramatically in educational outcomes. On the 2024 NAEP assessments, New Hampshire ranked approximately fourth in both fourth-grade math and reading, compared with Maine’s approximately 42nd-place standing. Despite sharing many regional and geographic challenges, the two states show a substantial difference in elementary academic achievement.

  • Maine ranked last for educational freedom in a national policy assessment. The Heritage Foundation’s Education Freedom Report Card ranked Maine 51st overall (including Washington, D.C.) and 51st for academic transparency. This ranking evaluates education policies, transparency, and parental choice rather than student academic performance.

  • Maine lacks broad educational choice for families. Maine has no general statewide education savings account, voucher, or tax-credit scholarship program. Families seeking an alternative to their assigned public school generally must pay private tuition, homeschool, or qualify for limited town tuitioning. Neighboring New Hampshire’s Education Freedom Account program served more than 10,500 students during the 2025–26 school year.

  • Blocked legislation intended to help Maine families access a new federal scholarship opportunity (2025). The Maine Legislative Council rejected a bill request concerning scholarship-granting organizations by a 6–4 vote, preventing the proposal from advancing during the second regular session. As of September 2026, Maine had not elected to participate in the new federal scholarship tax-credit program scheduled to begin in 2027, while 30 states, including New Hampshire, had done so.


3. Affordability: Can Maine Families Afford to Stay?

Nearly everyone agrees that Maine should be a state where families can afford to work, buy a home, raise children, and build a future. Political leaders have repeatedly promised to make life more affordable, strengthen the economy, and create more opportunities for working families. The test of good policy is not simply whether the intentions sound good; results must be examined. While not every economic challenge can be attributed to a particular policy or administration, the outcomes over the last decade raise serious questions about whether Maine is moving in the right direction.

  • Residential electricity rates more than doubled. In 2014, Maine’s average residential electricity rate was approximately 15.27 cents per kilowatt-hour. By July 2026, it had risen to 32.41 cents—an increase of approximately 112% (U.S. Energy Information Administration). At the same level of monthly consumption, an $84 electricity bill in 2014 would cost approximately $178 at the July 2026 rate.

  • Maine families pay among the highest residential electricity rates in America. In July 2026, Maine’s average residential electricity price was approximately 77% higher than the national average of 18.31 cents per kilowatt-hour, ranking near the top (third-highest or close) among states.

  • Maine households pay approximately 22% more for electricity than neighbors in New Hampshire. In July 2026, Maine households paid an average of 32.41 cents per kilowatt-hour, compared with 26.60 cents in New Hampshire. At approximately 550 kilowatt-hours per month, that represents nearly $400 more per year for the same amount of electricity.

  • Homeownership moved dramatically out of reach as housing costs outpaced family incomes. According to MaineHousing, median household income increased 44% between 2015 and 2024, while the income required to afford the median-priced home increased 187%. In 2015, Maine’s median household income was more than sufficient to afford the median-priced home. By 2024, it covered only 61% of the income needed.

  • Maine home prices rose nearly twice as fast as the national average. From 2021 through 2025, Maine’s median home price increased 36.9%, compared with 19.2% nationally. For many young families, purchasing a first home has become significantly more difficult.

  • Growing rental burden for working Maine families. Among Mainers earning $35,000 to $50,000 annually, the share spending more than 30% of their income on housing increased from 37% in 2018 to 62% in 2024. Among renters earning $50,000 to $74,999, the percentage increased from 9% to 39%.

  • One of the least competitive property-tax systems in the nation. The Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index ranked Maine 45th in its property-tax category. Property taxes add costs for homeowners and can also be reflected in rents.

  • Corporate-tax system ranked among the least competitive. The Tax Foundation ranked Maine 40th nationally in its corporate-tax category in 2026, while placing the state 26th overall for tax competitiveness.

  • Ranked 44th nationally for economic outlook. The 2026 Rich States, Poor States report ranked Maine 44th in its economic-policy outlook, which assesses factors including taxation, regulatory policy, and labor policy. The ranking measures policy conditions rather than actual economic performance.

  • One of the more heavily regulated state economies. The Mercatus Center’s 2024 comparison ranked Maine the 20th most regulated state based on the number of restrictions contained in its administrative code.

4. Work, Welfare, and Economic Opportunity

  • Workforce participation declined substantially over the last decade. In 2015, approximately 62% of Maine’s population age 16 and older participated in the labor force. By August 2026, that rate had fallen to 58.6% (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Approximately 40,000 more Mainers would be participating in the labor force if the state had maintained its 2015 participation rate. 

  • Maine trails New Hampshire by more than six percentage points in workforce participation. In August 2026, Maine’s labor-force participation rate was approximately 58.6%, compared with 64.8% in New Hampshire. Matching New Hampshire’s participation rate would mean approximately 74,000 additional participants in Maine’s workforce, although differences in demographics affect the comparison.

  • MaineCare enrollment expanded by more than 100,000 people over roughly a decade. MaineCare enrollment grew from approximately 290,000 people in 2015 to 392,039 in December 2024—about 28.1% of Maine’s population. Medicaid expansion, eligibility policies, and other factors contributed to this change. The enrollment figures do not, on their own, demonstrate that increased public coverage caused lower workforce participation.

  • Rejected work requirements for able-bodied adults under a proposed MaineCare program (2019). One of Gov. Mills’s earliest actions was to withdraw the previous administration’s pending Medicaid work-requirement waiver. Maine consequently did not implement that proposal to condition coverage for certain eligible adults on employment or qualifying activities.

5. Religious Liberty and Parental Conscience

  • Eliminated religious and philosophical exemptions to school vaccination requirements (LD 798, 2019). Maine lawmakers eliminated religious and philosophical exemptions from school vaccination requirements, generally retaining medical exemptions. Families whose sincerely held religious convictions conflict with required vaccinations consequently lost that exemption for enrollment in covered public and private schools. 

  • Restricted church gatherings during COVID while large public demonstrations proceeded (2020). Maine’s pandemic response imposed gathering limits that initially restricted religious gatherings to 10 people and later 50 people. Churches challenged these restrictions on religious-liberty grounds. During the same period, large racial-justice demonstrations took place, with public support expressed by state leaders, raising questions about the treatment of religious gatherings relative to other First Amendment activities.

6. Public Safety, Gambling, and the Culture We Are Building

  • Expanded casino-style gambling to smartphones in homes across Maine (LD 1164, 2025). Maine lawmakers authorized the Wabanaki Nations to offer internet-based casino gambling. Gov. Mills allowed the bill to become law without her signature in January 2026, citing economic opportunities for tribal communities despite previously expressing concerns about gambling’s public-health effects.

  • Maine has confronted a significant network of illegal marijuana-growing operations. Federal authorities reported in 2024 that approximately 100 suspected illicit marijuana-growing operations had been identified in Maine, with more than 40 shut down through coordinated enforcement efforts. Although state and federal agencies have taken steps to address the problem, the scale of illegal cultivation raises questions about the adequacy of Maine’s enforcement and oversight framework.



These are not all problems created by a single law, and not every economic or social outcome can be attributed to one administration. Some reflect national trends, demographic changes, and decisions made over many years. But they are real conditions affecting Maine families, and the laws enacted during this period are part of the governing record.

Selected Sources and References

Primary legislative sources are available through the Maine Legislature website (legislature.maine.gov). Key data sources include the following:

  1. Maine Legislature, LD 1619 (2023), An Act to Improve Maine’s Reproductive Privacy Laws, Public Law Chapter 416 (signed July 19, 2023). Official text and status available at legislature.maine.gov.

  2. Maine Legislature, LD 820 (2019), An Act To Prevent Discrimination in Public and Private Insurance Coverage for Pregnant Women in Maine, Public Law Chapter 274 (signed June 13, 2019). Fiscal note projects ongoing General Fund costs.

  3. Maine Legislature, LD 535 (2023), An Act Regarding Consent for Gender-affirming Hormone Therapy for Certain Minors, Public Law Chapter 413 (signed July 11, 2023). Codified in part at 22 M.R.S. § 1508.

  4. Maine Legislature, LD 798 (2019), An Act To Protect Maine Children and Students from Preventable Diseases by Repealing Certain Exemptions from the Laws Governing Immunization Requirements. Signed May 24, 2019; upheld by voters in March 2020 referendum.

  5. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Vital Statistics System, Stats of the States: Maine. Fertility rate 46.3 births per 1,000 women ages 15–44 (2024 data).

  6. U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly / state residential retail electricity prices. Maine residential rate 32.41 cents/kWh in July 2026; national average 18.31 cents/kWh.

  7. National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2024 Reading and Mathematics State Snapshot Reports for Maine (National Center for Education Statistics). Historical 1992 results documented in NAEP state reports.

  8. MaineHousing, Housing Outlook reports and affordability dashboards. Median household income increased 44% (2015–2024) while income required to afford the median-priced home increased 187%.

  9. Tax Foundation, 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index. Maine ranked 45th in property-tax category and 40th in corporate-tax category.

  10. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics / FRED, Labor Force Participation Rate for Maine (LBSSA23). August 2026 rate 58.6%.

  11. Heritage Foundation, Education Freedom Report Card (Maine ranking).

  12. Mercatus Center, 2024 State Regulatory Rankings (Maine ranked 20th most regulated by number of restrictions in administrative code).

  13. Additional bill references (LD 1313, LD 613, LD 1002, LD 380, LD 1134, LD 1164) available via Maine Legislature bill status pages.

Nick Adolphsen