Maine lawmakers have again taken up a bill aimed at bolstering the state’s child care industry, the most recent version of which has now been approved in both the House and Senate.
While the bill was advanced by the Senate without a roll call vote, the House was split along mostly partisan lines over its passage, with all present Democrats supporting it and nearly all Republicans opposing it.
Under the updated language, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is directed to develop a long-term plan for the sustainability of the Maine Child Care Affordability Program, which pays a portion of child care costs for families earning up to 125 percent of Maine’s median income.
A report detailing its plan would need to be submitted to the appropriate legislative committee by December 15, 2026.
The DHHS Commissioner would also be authorized to accept donations and grants from any source to help provide funding for the program.
Included in the amended version of LD 1955 was a $15 million appropriation for the program in fiscal year 2026-27.
During the previous legislative session, lawmakers sent a different draft of this bill to Gov. Janet Mills’ (D) desk only to recall it for further consideration before she had the opportunity to act.
The original version of the bill had sought to make a number of state-level investments in the child care industry but was stripped of nearly all funding before receiving final approval.
In January of this year, after the Legislature reconvened, the bill was reworked by members of the Legislature’s Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee.
Unlike during the previous legislative session, the committee was divided over whether or not to recommend passage of the amended proposal.
Eight lawmakers voted to support the updated measure, while four Republican members voted to reject it.
This division reemerged in the House where nearly all GOP members voted against the measure. Because the Senate did not take a roll call vote, individual lawmakers’ positions remain off the official record.
This bill will now return to the governor’s desk for a potential signature.
