Mills says shell sign budget deal that includes money for paid family leave, child care [Video]

Gov. Janet Mills has pledged to sign a bipartisan agreement on a two-year state budget that would pay for Democratic priorities such as paid family and medical leave, and a Republican proposal to cut income taxes for retirees.

Lawmakers reached the agreement early Wednesday and Mills’ decision to support the plan, announced in a column published Thursday in the Portland Press Herald, ensures that Maine will become the 13th state to implement mandatory paid leave to workers who need time off to care for family members or themselves.

“It is my hope that implementing a paid family and medical leave policy in Maine that accommodates potential hardships for employers will make it easier for people to balance work with life’s unexpected challenges, like caring for a sick child or an aging parent, a change that will support our workforce and strengthen our economy in the long term,” Mills wrote.

The Legislature’s budget writing committee …