Our Legislative Priorities
The 132nd Legislature, 2nd Regular Session (2026)
We advance policy efforts developing equitable & accessible government systems, building care infrastructure and economic equity, ensuring reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare, and ending gender-based and carceral violence.
Our priority bills are developed based on our biennial Road Map for Gender Justice. For more details on how we set our policy agenda each session, check out the overview of our legislative framework.
Please note that this is a “live list” that we update information on regularly as the final slate of bills for this session is published. We do not put “LRs” on this list.
For the most up-to-date info on the progress of our priority bills, gender justice-related bills led by partner organizations that we're proud to support, and bills that we're opposed to, check out our bill tracker.
Developing Equitable & Accessible Government Systems
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Reforming Maine’s Clean Election Act to include dependent care as an approved campaign expense, achieving parity with traditional campaign financing.
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Increasing the representation of everyday families at all levels of government helps ensure family-friendly policy: with representation comes representative policy, led by lawmakers who draw from their direct lived experiences. Caregivers, including parents with young children are less likely to run for office and only 5.3% of state legislators are mothers with children under eighteen. This bill would allow candidates running for office to use “clean election” public funding to cover costs associated with caring for dependents throughout their campaign. Removing barriers for all caregivers, including mothers who are disproportionately impacted by caregiving responsibilities, so they are able to participate in public services is crucial to ensuring broad representation in government.
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This bill has been “carried over” for remaining work during the 2nd session.
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Check out our testimony HERE.
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These bills work to bring fairness into the tax code in order to restore the State resources that help us build the infrastructure our families need to thrive.
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These bills are key initiatives intending to create a more fair state tax code and raise revenue for the state. Tax fairness is a gendered issue on both sides of the equation: Women earn less than men, but currently see a larger proportion of their income taxed, and programs that support women – child care, family planning health care, domestic and sexual violence services– are continually underfunded by the state. Creating a fairer tax code is gender equity.
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Click here for the LD 1089 bill page.
Click here for the LD 1879 bill page.
Click here for the LD 229 bill page.
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This bill has been “carried over” for remaining work during the 2nd session.
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SUPPORT: LD 395 “An Act to Restore Access to Federal Laws Beneficial to the Wabanaki Nations”
Restoring the Wabanaki Nation's inherent right to self-determination and self-governance.
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A legislative Task Force was created in 2019 to identify legislative recommendations to rectify the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act which denied the Wabanaki Nation’s inherent right to tribal sovereignty. The Task Force’s report contains 22 consensus recommendations which the Legislature has considered in various bills over the past few sessions. This bill again brings forward the recommendations from the Task Force in an ongoing effort to restore the Wabanaki Nation's inherent right to self-determination and self-governance and extend access to Federal laws that the Wabanaki Nation has previously been excluded from.
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This bill was voted out of committee on 3/17/26 and now heads for floor votes.
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For more information on the work of our partners at the Wabanaki Alliance, head over to their website: www.wabanakialliance.com/
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SUPPORT: LD 785 “An Act to Enact the Remaining Recommendations of the Task Force on Changes to the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Implementing Act”
Restoring the Wabanaki Nation's inherent right to self-determination and self-governance.
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For more than 40 years, the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Implementing Act has treated the Wabanaki Nations like municipalities rather than sovereign governments, blocking them from accessing more than 150 federal Indian laws available to 570 other tribes and contributing to stark economic disparities, including childhood poverty rates as high as 77% in some Wabanaki communities. LD 785 addresses this inequity by enacting the remaining bipartisan task force recommendations to restore full tribal self-government, expand access to federal programs for economic development, health care, disaster response, and environmental protection, and create a formal dispute-resolution process with the state. Additionally, enhancing access to federal health, education, and economic programs would significantly benefit Native women who face higher rates of poverty, chronic illness, and gender-based violence than others.
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This bill was voted out of committee on 3/17/26 and now heads for floor votes.
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Check out our testimony HERE.
For more information on the work of our partners at the Wabanaki Alliance, head over to their website: www.wabanakialliance.com/
Building Care Infrastructure & Economic Equity
Investing in and strengthening child care infrastructure.
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There has been a systemic, generational lack of investment in care infrastructure in Maine, and nation-wide. The ‘workforce behind the workforce’ is almost entirely underpaid women, and when childcare systems fall through, it is almost entirely women who pick up the pieces by stepping out of the workforce. Our economy is predicated on all families being able to access affordable, high quality child care, including child care workers.
These bills strengthen and stabilize Maine’s child care infrastructure by investing in workforce compensation, expanding access through the proven Child Care Affordability Program (CCAP), and establishing the Child Care Employment Award to recruit and retain workers. Together, these bills help ensure child care providers are paid more sustainably and that care workers themselves can access affordable child care.
A stable, well-compensated child care system improves the health, economic security, and overall well-being of women and the families who rely on them.
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Click here for the LD 1955 (“An Act to Increase Child Care Affordability”) bill page.
Click here for the LD 2066 (“An Act to Establish the Child Care Employment Award”) bill page.
Click here for the LD 1414 (“Resolve, to Improve the Availability of Child Care by Increasing Certain Reimbursements Under the Maine Child Care Affordability Program and Establishing a Grant Program to Facilitate Off-hours Care”) bill page.
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LD 1995 passed the legislature and is now on the appropriations table to receive funding.
LD 2066 passed the legislature and is now on the appropriations table to receive funding.
LD 1414 passed the legislature and is now on the appropriations table to receive funding.
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SUPPORT: LD 1932 “An Act to Support Essential Support Workers and Enhance Workforce Development”
Increases wage standards for essential support workers
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Caregivers are essential to our economy and our communities, yet remain underpaid and undervalued - and over 80% of all direct care workers in Maine are women. A key factor in the persistent gender wage gap is the overrepresentation of women in critically underpaid fields, and without direct, intentional investments to raise wages in caregiving, this economic inequality will only grow. This bill addresses these inequities by increasing minimum reimbursement and wage standards for essential support workers and by establishing new reporting, planning, and advisory requirements to assess care gaps, forecast long-term care costs, modernize workforce technology, and expand standardized training and career advancement.
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This bill was voted out of committee on 3/3/26 and now heads for floor votes.
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Check out our testimony HERE.
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SUPPORT: LD 60 “An Act to Allow Employees to Request Flexible Work Schedules”
Allowing employees to request a flexible work schedule and includes protections against retaliation for requests.
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Care responsibilities requiring time away from work disproportionately fall on women. A lack of flexibility in work schedules too often cause women to work part time or leave the workforce altogether. This bill would allow employees to request a flexible work schedule and includes protections against retaliation for requesting flexible work arrangements. Creating more accommodations in the workplace allows women to stay in or re-enter full time employment which increases their earning potential, ability to access health insurance, save for retirement, and access full Social Security benefits in later life.
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After passing through the legislature, this bill has been “carried over” on the appropriations table to stay eligible to receive needed funding next session.
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Check out our testimony HERE.
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SUPPORT: LD 54 “An Act to Require Employers to Disclose Pay Ranges and Maintain Records of Employees' Pay Histories”
Requiring employers to include pay range on posted positions and maintenance of a record of positions and their pay scales.
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The pay gap between men and women remains an ongoing barrier for women’s economic equity and security. In 2021 the median earnings gap for men and women in Maine who worked full-time was $9,991, with even lower earnings for BIPOC and indigenous women. This bill requires employers with 10 or more employees to ensure that any posting of an employment opening includes the position pay range, and employers must maintain a record of positions and their pay scales. This bill will increase pay equity and transparency, which will give historically-underpaid women and BIPOC people the ability to hold employers accountable to equal pay for all.
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After passing through the legislature, this bill has been “carried over” on the appropriations table to stay eligible to receive needed funding next session.
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Check out our testimony HERE.
Ensuring Reproductive & Gender-Affirming Health
SUPPORT: LD 335 “An Act to Protect Funding for Family Planning Services”
Investing in Maine’s 60+ family planning sites to ensure access to essential healthcare services are available, accessible, and affordable.
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Maine’s statewide network of providers, including Maine Family Planning and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, serves tens of thousands of patients each year, forming the backbone of reproductive and primary health care access, especially in rural communities. However, the 2025 federal budget bill H.R. 1 imposed a one-year ban on Medicaid reimbursement for non-abortion services at clinics that also provide abortion care, leading to service cuts in Houlton, Ellsworth, and Presque Isle , deepening disparities for rural, low-income, BIPOC, young, and LGBTQ+ Mainers. LD 335 would establish guaranteed, ongoing state funding beginning in 2027 to stabilize reproductive health care providers and ensure access to comprehensive care statewide, regardless of zip code. By strengthening Maine’s reproductive health infrastructure, the bill advances equity, bodily autonomy, and access to care for communities historically underserved and disproportionately impacted by systemic barriers.
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This bill was voted out of committee on 3/10/26 and now heads for floor votes.
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Check out our testimony for LD 335 HERE.
Ending Gender-Based & Carceral Violence
SUPPORT: LD 2121 “An Act to Enhance the Safety of Judicial and Elected Officials, Constitutional Officers and the State Auditor by Allowing Certain Personal Information to Be Removed from Designated Public Records”
Allowing public officials to request residential addresses be removed from public records
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Recent years have seen a growing trend of acts of politically motivated violence against public and elected officials, political candidates, judges, political staff, and other government employees - over 3x higher in the past 5 years than the last 25 years combined. We must not forget that political violence has, for decades, disproportionately been enacted against women, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants and people of color. This bill would allow public officials and their family members to request that certain personal information, such as home addresses, be removed from public records and publicly available online resources. This reduces their vulnerability to political violence by making it harder for perpetrators to locate, harass, or target them.
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This bill was voted out of committee on 3/4/26 and now heads for floor votes.
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Check out our testimony for LD 2121 HERE.
Funding core victim services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
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While anyone can experience sexual violence, rates are higher against women and trans people, and BIPOC individuals. The majority of core services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, including legal services and victim advocates, are funded through the Federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA). However, reductions in VOCA funding left Maine (and all other states) with a significant funding gap which could lead to devastating cuts to services without action from the state. Ensuring ongoing funding for these critical services is crucial for this network of systems. Women will not achieve equity until we achieve safety, and right now, these services are core to preventing and responding to gender-based violence.
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TBD.
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What gender justice laws passed during the 1st session of the 132nd Legislature?
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This law (LD 270 // Ch. 30) extends the Respite for Maine program and provides funding for Maine's caregivers, many of whom are women, to support their own mental and physical health as they care for others.
Informal caregivers, who are disproportionately women, are essential to Maine's long-term care system, providing millions of hours of unpaid assistance to loved ones due to age, illness, or disability. Many caregivers experience stress and or financial hardship because of leaving the workforce or reducing working hours to better care for their loved ones. The Respite for Maine program, piloted in 2022, provided caregivers with a stipend that funds temporary care, assistive technology, and training and counseling. The program succeeded in decreasing rates of caregiver stress and lowering their reported overall burden. Of the pilot participants, seventy-five percent of participants were women.
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This resolve (LD 1523 // Ch. 89) paves the way to ensure doula services are eligible for MaineCare insurance reimbursement at a sustainable rate will enable more Mainers to have access to doula care, while also ensuring a stable doula workforce. Perinatal health outcomes and maternal mortality remains an ongoing crisis, with significantly worse outcomes for BIPOC pregnant people. Access to high-quality perinatal care in Maine is a growing challenge, especially for BIPOC pregnant people and those living in rural areas. This bill helps to improve access to Doula birth care workers who can support a pregnant person throughout pregnancy and postpartum.
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This law (LD 865 // Ch. 468) expands MaireCare coverage for independent Lactation Consultants. While a range of lactation support services are covered under many private insurance plans, many are not covered under MaineCare. This leaves too many parents without access to these services– paying out of pocket is rarely feasible especially during an already expensive time period. This bill would expand MaireCare coverage for independent Lactation Consultants. Ensuring that all new parents, including those in the MaineCare program, are able to access lactation consulting services is a key way to promote infant and parental health and safety. Expanding reimbursement eligibility is also a key way to sustain and stabilize the Lactation Consultant workforce– a workforce that is women-led and dominated.
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This law (LD 163 // Ch. 445) requires all insurance policies to provide coverage for nonprescription, over-the-counter oral hormonal contraceptives approved by the FDA. Expanding options for family planning promotes economic security and reproductive autonomy. The cost and logistical challenges of obtaining a prescription, compounded by challenges relating to work and childcare arrangements, create substantial barriers to contraception access - which disproportionately affect women who are rurally located, low-income, and without reliable access to transportation. By mandating insurance coverage of all FDA-approved over-the-counter contraceptive methods, this bill addresses financial barriers that hinder access to essential reproductive care.
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This law (LD 1079 // Ch. 472) directs DHHS to create and distribute informational materials on menopause and perimenopause to help grow awareness about menopausal and perimenopausal symptoms and treatments, and support those navigating this phase of their life. There is a consistent lack of reproductive and sexual health education however, with education on menopause and perimenopause being especially lacking. This leaves many women without critical knowledge related to changes in their body, menstrual cycles and hormones.
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This law (LD 246 // Ch. 402) requires a court to consider the impacts on the dependents of a defendant when determining an imprisonment term for a primary caregiver. Women are the primary caregivers for minors, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities at much higher rates than men. Additionally, 59% of caregivers for the elderly are women. This bill acknowledges the emotional and financial burden that arises when a primary caregiver is removed from a community or family, and underscores the importance of caregivers' roles and responsibilities.