I have been serving as a state senator for almost six months now, and already the experience has been one of the most powerful of my life. But all too often, some legislators view the issues before them in a way that is too abstract and too centered around what happens here in the Statehouse. This is a problem, as the issues we are debating have a real impact on the lives of working people in our communities.
I know this because I am one. As a firefighter and an emergency medical technician, I see people who are struggling to make ends meet, and who are living in poverty. I personally came close to that situation a few years ago, when my wife was injured at work and the loss of an entire income caused us to nearly lose our home.
What I’ve witnessed and what I’ve experienced help drive me in the work I do in Augusta. It is fresh in my mind whenever I drive up and see the capitol dome in the distance, and it manifests in my support for policies that can help working families.
One of those policies is raising Maine’s minimum wage.
Did you know that nearly 1 out of 5 jobs in Maine don’t pay enough to lift a family out of poverty? Even those who live above the poverty line are facing an increased cost of living ”“ everything from groceries to gas takes more out of our paychecks than it used to. Yet workers’ wages have not kept pace with these costs. This is why I was proud to support a bill to raise Maine’s minimum wage and index it to inflation, so that it accounts for changes to the cost of living.
Raising the minimum wage will make it a little easier for working people to make ends meet, and it will it boost the economy. A recent study from the Economic Policy Institute estimated that raising Maine’s minimum wage to $8.50 an hour would add approximately $33 million to Maine’s economy. This is more money that can be spent at businesses in our communities, including local shops in downtown Biddeford, Dock Square and the Lower Village.
Another thing we can do to improve conditions for working Mainers is to strengthen manufacturing. Four words I would like to see more often are “Made in the U.S.A.” This is why I cosponsored a bill that would direct the State of Maine to give preference to goods made in America, so long as bids are roughly equal. Many states have provisions like this, and they have successfully jump-started businesses in their states.
There are many manufacturing firms in York County that we can do more to support, and I intend to keep working with my colleagues to do so.
Finally, coming from a big family, I understand our obligation to take care of our elders. One of the issues that inspired me to run for the Senate was cuts to the successful Drugs for the Elderly Program. The Drugs for the Elderly program and the Medicare Savings Plan help nearly 35,000 seniors pay for their life-saving medications and afford the copays to their doctors. This is why I supported a bill in the Senate that restores the funds that were cut from these programs last year.
These are just three examples of what I am working on to try and improve the conditions for working people in our communities. While some may forget, I have been heartened to see so many of my colleagues join me in these efforts. They understand our core mission as legislators, and help me remember who I work for: You.
— Sen. David E. Dutremble is a Democrat who represents the communities of Arundel, Biddeford, Kennebunk and Kennebunkport. He lives in Biddeford with his wife and children. His column appears on the first Monday of each month.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
