Dan on the Issues

  • Where I Stand

    I’m committed to building an economy that works better for everyone, because right now it’s not working well for most people. That means helping businesses, large and small, grow and thrive in Maine, helping Mainers acquire the skills they need to earn family-supporting wages, and protecting workers’ ability to earn fair wages and benefits.

    What I’ve Done

    I have helped pass bills to strengthen workforce development, create wage transparency for workers, promote the growth of Maine’s Life Sciences and Blue Economy sectors, reduce barriers for childcare businesses, and clear the childcare affordability program waitlist.

    Specifically, in my first term, I supported the Dirigo Business program that rewards businesses that make investments in their physical facilities and employees – investments that stay right here in Maine. In my second term, I led passage of tax and investment policies supporting public and private R&D, helping innovative, higher-wage companies start and grow in Maine, while enabling legacy industries to adapt and remain globally competitive. 

    I have been named to several legislative leadership positions on economic policy:

    • House Co-Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Taxation

    • Co-Chair of the Maine-Canadian Legislative Advisory Commission

    • House Co-Chair of the Growth and Innovation Caucus

    What I Will Do

    I will continue to support:

    - Tax and investment policies that support the growth of companies that generate more high-wage jobs here in Maine.

    - Education investments that prepare workers for high-growth, high-wage industries, including the skilled trades, technology, and advanced manufacturing.

    - Policies that reduce the excessive costs of housing and energy, both of which limit our ability to attract businesses and families to Maine.

    - Strong protections for workers’ wages and working conditions.

  • Where I Stand

    People who work full-time should be able to afford the basics and a chance to get ahead. That’s been the American Dream for generations, but it’s no longer attainable for far too many people. I am working to bring wages up, and costs down, to benefit everyday Mainers. 

    What I’ve Done

    I’ve supported bills to double Maine’s Child Tax credit to $600, invest more in Maine’s childcare workforce, expand access to pre-apprenticeship training programs, and fund a cost-of-living adjustment for essential direct care workers.

    Specifically, in my first term, I supported the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act that provides income protection to working families when they welcome a child, navigate a health crisis, or experience other major life changes. In my second term, I co-developed a comprehensive package of sales, property, and income tax reform designed to reduce costs for working-class and middle-class Mainers - which was ultimately rejected by Governor Mills in favor of the millionaire’s tax, which passed into law.

    What I Will Do

    I will continue to support:

    • Property tax reform that reduces the strain on seniors and those living on fixed incomes.

    • Legislation addressing grocery pricing fairness and expanding access to affordable food in underserved communities. 

    • Reform of regressive forms of taxation, such as the automobile excise tax.

    • Targeted policies to reduce baseline housing and healthcare costs, detailed below.

  • Where I Stand

    Every young Mainer deserves access to a public education system – from pre-K through post-secondary trade or academic programs -- that provides them with essential knowledge and skills, the ability to pursue a career that can support themselves and a family, and the capacity to contribute to their community and the wider world. I am committed to a public education system that embraces communities, supports teachers, empowers students, and creates the conditions for every student to succeed.

    What I’ve Done

    In my first term, I supported an emergency measure establishing a grant program to expand postsecondary access for students with intellectual or developmental disabilities and supported increased oversight for charter schools. I also backed budgets maintaining the State’s commitment to fund 55% of essential programs and services in public schools and kept community college tuition-free for recent high school graduates.

    In my second term, I worked to increase baseline teacher salaries, upgrade school bus safety equipment, and implement a bell-to-bell cell phone ban in classrooms. I have supported reforming the Essential Programs and Services (EPS) funding formula for the first time in twenty years to make it fairer and reduce property tax pressures on homeowners. 

    I serve as one of four legislators advising Education Priorities 2050, a citizen-led process building a long-term strategy for public education investment and reform. 

    What I Will Do

    I will continue to support:

    - Maintaining the State’s commitment to fund 55% of public education costs for local communities. 

    - Free breakfast and lunch for all Maine public school students.

    - Increasing operational funding for Maine’s post-secondary education systems.

    - Tuition-free community college for Maine’s high school graduates.

    - Addressing critical funding shortfalls for new school construction, building upgrades, and ongoing campus maintenance across the state university and community college systems.

  • Where I Stand

    Maine people often struggle to find a provider, get appointments, and access critical services – especially in rural Maine. This will become worse with upcoming massive federal spending cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits that will take effect in 2027. Everyone in Maine deserves access to quality healthcare they can afford. I will work to reverse the trend of rural service closures and stem cost increases in insurance coverage, healthcare services, and prescription medications. 

    What I’ve Done

    I have worked to ensure that the state fully meets its obligations to hospitals, nursing homes, and pharmacies while maintaining funding and access to behavioral healthcare, abortion, and reproductive healthcare, including contraception and cancer screenings. 

    In my first term, I worked to expand the healthcare workforce throughout Maine, especially in rural areas. In my second term, I supported expanded access to and financial support for oral healthcare. I also worked to boost access to financial assistance programs for medical care, and to prohibit consumer reporting agencies from listing medical debt on their reports.

    What I Will Do

    I will continue to support:

    - Implementing a public health insurance option to provide a new, affordable, and reliable alternative for consumers and small businesses.

    - Rejecting efforts to undermine access to abortion and reproductive healthcare.

    - Increasing the affordability and accessibility of prescription medications.

    - Protecting Mainers from bankruptcy caused by medical debt.

    - Reducing paperwork and prior authorization requirements that put distance between patients and their doctors. 

    - Demanding accountability and transparency in rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse from health insurers, health systems, and corporations receiving Maine taxpayer dollars or tax breaks. 

    - Strengthening Maine’s network of substance use recovery community centers, recovery coaches, peer-support training, and community liaisons to help save lives from substance use.

  • Where I Stand

    Maine has a housing crisis. Decades of under-investment in affordable housing development and rising demand for Maine property from investors, speculators, and non-residents have pushed housing prices beyond what most families can afford. Making housing accessible to working Mainers requires coordinated action on several fronts - supporting more construction of affordable housing, reducing regulatory restrictions that limit development and increase costs, and restricting the ability of non-residents to reduce supply and inflate prices.

    What I’ve Done

    I have actively fought to expand housing production, lower development costs, and safeguard residents against corporate speculation. 

    Specifically, in my first term, I supported additional investment in the low-income housing tax credit and the rural affordable rental housing program to assist those most acutely at risk of losing housing. I also supported bipartisan legislation to keep existing HUD and USDA properties affordable for the residents who live there.

    In my second term, I helped pass tax reform that exempts first-time homebuyers from the real estate transfer tax and increases funding for housing production and rural affordable rental housing by increasing the tax on home sales greater than $1 million.

    What I Will Do

    I will continue to support:

    - State investment in the development of affordable housing, as well as improved State collaboration with community organizations and the private sector.

    - Accelerating permit approvals and reducing regulatory burdens to speed up housing construction in designated growth areas.

    - Targeted investment in training the housing construction workforce.

    - Stopping out-of-state corporations from reducing housing supply, displacing families, and driving up rents, including rents for mobile home lots

  • Where I Stand

    I am committed to protecting civil liberties, modernizing democratic access, and correcting historical socioeconomic inequities. Every Mainer deserves equal access to the ballot box, protection of fundamental human and civil rights, and equal treatment under the law. Protecting our democracy means ensuring our government is accountable to voters, safeguarding bodily autonomy, and advancing justice for historically marginalized communities.

    What I’ve Done

    I have consistently worked with voting rights, civil rights, and social justice coalitions to expand ballot access, defend bodily autonomy, and protect worker rights.

    Specifically, in my first term, I supported legislation to defend local voting access, championed automated mail-in tracking and permanent absentee voting status, and earned a 100% legislative voting record rating from Planned Parenthood for defending reproductive healthcare and privacy protections. 

    In my second term, I advocated for the bill that brought Maine into the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, supported tribal justice measures to secure federal benefits and self-governance for the Wabanaki Nations, and voted to include farmworkers in Maine’s minimum wage framework.

    What I Will Do

    I will continue to support:

    - Modernizing Maine’s voting access through secure automatic mail-in tracking, permanent absentee voting options, and defended polling site access.

    - Safeguarding fundamental civil liberties, LGBTQ+ rights, and equal protection under the Maine Constitution for all residents.

    - Defending reproductive rights, abortion access, and healthcare privacy protections. 

    - Advancing tribal sovereignty and self-governance for the Wabanaki nations. 

    - Expanding labor and wage protections for agricultural and historically excluded workers.

  • Where I Stand

    Maine’s unspoiled lands and waters define the character of our state. We also pay some of the highest energy prices in the nation. Developing a more affordable energy system is possible, but it must be done in a way that preserves the quality of the land, air, and water that makes Maine a great place to live. I am committed to an approach to environmental protection and energy development that holds major polluters accountable, expands access to clean and affordable energy, protects our public lands, and safeguards communities from the negative impacts of industrial development. 

    What I’ve Done

    I have supported substantive environmental, clean energy, and consumer protection legislation to safeguard Maine's ecosystems and hold utility companies accountable. 

    Specifically, in my first term, I introduced legislation to study Maine’s water laws to assure communities’ sustained access to adequate supplies of clean drinking water.  I also supported elevating the Office of Energy to a new cabinet-level department that will lead state-level energy policy and programs, coordinate across State agencies and regional partners, and address energy opportunities and challenges across Maine. In my second term, I supported energy fairness legislation requiring the Public Utilities Commission to prioritize electricity affordability, and sponsored a bipartisan resolution strengthening regional collaboration on energy development and environmental protection.

    What I Will Do

    I will continue to support:

    - Developing a regulatory framework for AI data center development that protects communities from environmental and economic harms.

    - Securing long-term funding for the Land for Maine’s Future program to protect public lands, coastlines, working forests, and farms from commercial privatization.

    - Establishing the Maine Climate Superfund to hold major polluters responsible for funding statewide climate resilience investments.

    - Expanding generation of renewable energy and modernizing the grid to ensure more efficient and reliable transmission and distribution

  • Where I Stand

    Maine has the oldest population in the nation, and the fifth-highest percentage of residents who are veterans. We owe more than platitudes to those who built our communities and defended our freedoms. I believe everyone deserves the opportunity to age with dignity, financial security, and independence. Supporting our seniors and veterans means standing up for family caregivers, protecting against volatile energy and living costs, and ensuring robust local support networks.

    What I’ve Done

    I have consistently championed policies that support fixed-income Mainers, reduce the cost of essential services, and strengthen community care systems.

    Specifically, in my first term, I supported legislation to expand funding for direct care workers and long-term care facilities, helping strengthen Maine's senior care workforce. In my second term, I co-developed a tax reform package to provide targeted relief to ease the financial strain on veterans and older Mainers living on fixed incomes, voted to restrict predatory lending and unfair rent increases in mobile home communities, and sponsored a bill to protect seniors victimized by fraudulent investment schemes.

    What I Will Do

    I will continue to support:

    - State programs and Area Agencies on Aging that provide resources, respite, and essential support for Maine’s 324,000 family caregivers, helping reduce the financial and physical strain on those taking care of loved ones.

    - Legislation that expands home- and community-based services, empowering older Mainers to safely age in place in their own homes rather than face costly institutional care.

    - Policies that lower and stabilize utility costs, strengthen consumer protections, and direct the Public Utilities Commission to curb consumer cost volatility.

    - Bills that expand property tax relief, ensure fair grocery pricing, cap out-of-pocket prescription costs, and fight financial predators who target the oldest and most vulnerable.

    - Programs aimed at constructing and preserving affordable housing specifically for low-income seniors, veterans, and individuals with disabilities.