Some good news from the American Rescue Plan

To the Editor;

Here is some good news for our state, from Washington. The American Rescue Plan has lots of job producing items in the works, but for immediate financial aid to help struggling Maine residents and towns, it has already sent stimulus checks of up to $1,400 to almost 90 percent of all adults and children in Maine. Plus, Maine K-12 schools will be getting $424 million of much needed financial support, a Child Tax Credit will lift 10,000 Maine children out of poverty and jobless benefits have been extended through September.

From our state government, a bipartisan supplemental budget now ensures 160,000 working class Maine residents won’t pay state taxes on their jobless benefits and over 28,000 businesses that got Paycheck Protection Program funds won’t pay state taxes on those funds, and a COVID-19 Patient Bill of Rights requires health insurance companies to provide COVID-19 testing and immunization for free.

Bob Lodato

Charleston