Happy New Year, Maine!

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

In this period of transition between the old and the new year, I'm reflecting on everything Maine people have experienced these past 12 months, and all the progress we've made together, and the challenges ahead.

In 2025, we passed bipartisan legislation to enhance emergency planning at all levels and to reduce storm-related damage, like flooding for Maine homeowners and businesses. We also established Maine's first cabinet-level Department of Energy Resources to guide long-term energy planning and to secure more affordable and reliable energy for Maine people and businesses. I signed two balanced budgets which made important investments in Maine families, children, and seniors, and our higher eds, and in housing, and much more. We financed the building or rehabilitation of more than a thousand homes and apartments through MaineHousing. We connected more locations to high speed internet, and we opened more childcare centers like Space to Thrive in Windham.

We also announced about $63 million in student loan relief delivered to Maine people -- people living in Maine and paying income taxes here in Maine.

We created a Life Sciences Center and funded a Life Sciences Incubator to encourage innovation and investment in new, good-paying jobs here in Maine. We began offering tax credits to businesses through our new Dirigo Business Incentive Program to businesses who are planning more than $1.3 billion in investments over the next five years. We also passed significant legislation to support jobs in the agriculture industry in Aroostook County.

When the president's rhetoric and his sweeping tariffs threatened to undermine our economy and our cultural ties with Canada, we led a cross-border summit in Boston with premiers of the Eastern Canadian provinces and my fellow Northeastern governors. I then went to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to promote Maine as a top destination for Canadian tourists. And that led to the first international friendly match between the Hearts of Pine in Portland and the Halifax Wanderers. And we won that game.

We connected more than 100 veterans and their families to jobs through our annual Hire-A-Vet campaign. We increased grants to veterans for dental care through the Maine Veterans Dental Network. We also continued to make important progress on the opioid epidemic. As of October, fatal overdoses had decreased by more than 21 percent compared to the same timeframe last year, a welcome improvement.

This year, the Legislature also unanimously confirmed three new commissioners in my administration, and they confirmed the Honorable Julia Lipez to serve on the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.

As we say goodbye to the old year and welcome in the New Year, I'll be reflecting on the year that is ending with gratitude for the privilege of serving as your governor. And I'll be thinking about the people from Bangor to Biddeford to Van Buren to Brunswick who shared their stories and their hopes with me this year.

There are still problems to solve, but I look forward to working on all these issues with you, the people of Maine, just as we've done the past seven years, and we will tackle whatever comes our way with the creativity, resolve and spirit of cooperation and compassion that truly defines Maine people.

I wish you all a happy and safe New Year's celebration with your friends and family, and a great New Year to come. This is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.