Maine Senate Approves Bill to Fund Civil Legal Services

STATEWIDE - leagues for supporting this bill.” and confidence needed to stretch money, pay bills, reduce debt, find money for savings, plan for retirement, and set financial goals with a plan to achieve greater financial stability. Also offered Tuesdays, May 30 – June 27, 10-11 a.m.

Career and business classes include:

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10-11 a.m., online. Ready for a career change but don’t know where to start? This workshop will point students in the right direction. Course will cover what to consider when making a career choice and resources to help succeed. Offered Wednesday, May 24, by day, and Thursday, May 25, by evening.

Job Search Classes

Wednesdays through May 17, 10-11 a.m., online. Ready for a new job or a career change? Join for one or both workshops – May 10: Resume Strategies; May 17: Interview Strategies.

Building Confidence

Wednesdays, May 10-24, 10-11:30 a.m. Whether navigating recent changes, looking for a job, starting a business, or simply want to be more confident, join this class to assess confidence and learn concrete tools to help build confidence and keep it strong. Also offered Wednesdays, May 17-31, 6-7:30 p.m.

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For the full schedule of upcoming free classes and to sign up, visit www.newventuresmaine.org/class-schedules or call 207-621-3440.

A statewide program of the University of Maine at Augusta, University of Maine System, NVME helps Maine people succeed in the changing economy and achieve economic security for themselves and their families.

The Maine Senate recently gave initial bipartisan approval to a bill from Senator Anne Carney, D-Cape Elizabeth, seeking to bolster civil legal services.

LD 564, “An Act to Improve Access to Civil Legal Services.” The bill would provide $11.7 million for the Civil Legal Services Fund Commission over the next two years. The vote was 27-7.

“The need for civil legal representation is urgent. We must do better than Maine’s current level of civil legal aid funding to meet the challenges Mainers with low or no income are met with,” said Senator Carney. “I want to thank my Senate col-

The Maine Civil Legal Services Fund was established to support civil legal services to persons who otherwise are not able to pay for these services. Funds are disbursed to legal service providers to support the provision of free legal services to Maine people who are elderly or have low income. Legal service providers include Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic, Disability Rights Maine, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, Legal Services for the Elderly, Maine Equal Justice, Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project and Pine Tree Legal Assistance.

“The harm that results when older Mainers who face legal problems that implicate their basic needs don’t get access to free legal help extends well beyond the loss of safety, independence and dignity experienced by individuals,” said Jaye Martin with Legal Services for the Elderly during the public hearing for the bill. “As the oldest state in the nation, failing to provide older people with legal help when it is needed adversely impacts all of our local communities and our entire state.”

The bill now awaits additional votes in the Senate and House. For more information visit www.mainesenate.org.

Maine Businesses Face Workforce Challenges This Summer

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The Maine Tourism Association (MTA) recently polled its members about how staffing issues for the spring and summer are looking for Maine’s tourism businesses. And it does not look good.

According the poll, only 29% of members responding to the survey stated that they have a sufficient number of staff for spring and summer 2023. Some 62% said they would have between 50 and 90% of the staff needed, and 9% will have less than half of the staff they need.

Brian Langley, owner of Union River Lobster Pot in Ellsworth said, “I hear from businesses in my area that they have had to adapt to the staff shortages. They shorten hours or days of operation, not because of a lack of demand but because of a lack of workers.”

MTA members who indicat- ed they were facing staffing shortages were also asked what they believed was most likely the cause of the shortages. General workforce shortages and not enough people job seeking was the top answer, at 45%. A lack of affordable housing for both seasonal and local workers was the second most common reason, at 26%. A lack of foreign workers such as H-2B and J-1 visa holders, competition from jobs with better wages, and competition from jobs with some or better health insurance benefits each received 3.2% of the vote. “Other” unspecified reasons earned 16.1% of the votes.

Many businesses in the York, Wells, Ogunquit region are also voicing concerns about their staffing shortages for the season.

According to Curt Dale Clark, Artistic Director of the Maine State Music Theatre in Brunswick, “We must tackle the staffing challenges and we must do so quickly. We want to ensure the record number of tourists coming to the Great State of Maine this coming summer will get the great service people expect when coming to Vacationland.”

The Maine Tourism Association is the state’s largest advocate for all tourism-related businesses. Incorporated in 1922, MTA members include lodging, restaurants, camps, campgrounds, retail, outdoor recreation, guides, tour operators, amusements, transportation, and cultural and historical attractions. MTA also operates on behalf of the state seven State Visitor Information Centers from Kittery to Calais, and annually produces the state’s official travel planner, Maine Invites You. For more information visit www. mainetourism.com/workforce.