Supporting those who have fought for our country must be a clear priority for policymakers. That is why, after months of hard work, the Commission to Strengthen and Align the Services Provided to Maine’s Veterans released a report in January outlining necessary improvements to help Maine’s veterans.
The report led to the introduction of four bills that are moving through the Legislature with broad, bipartisan support. All four have received unanimous approval from the policy committees that reviewed them. Collectively, these bills address homelessness among veterans, provide increased resources to the state’s Bureau of Veterans Services, and lay the foundation for developing policies and programs to assist veterans facing transportation barriers or pursuing educational opportunities at our state universities and community colleges.
In addition, the Legislature is considering legislation that would provide important tax relief to veteran organizations, clarify eligibility for existing veteran benefits, and restore education assistance to Maine’s Army National Guard and Air Guard service members. These bills offer solutions that are long past due and need to be funded today. The Legislature must make these issues a top priority by supporting clean legislation that is focused on the needs of our veterans, our veteran organizations and our Guard members.
Unfortunately, some people are confusing these needs with proposals for new casinos and the expansion of gambling in Maine. If a new casino is approved, it will take years before the casino is built and before any amount of casino revenue is available for veteran services. We are opposed to putting these important needs on hold for future funding sources. The Legislature needs to do what’s right for veterans now.
To be clear, we are not opposed to a new casino if a majority of Maine voters approve it based upon the best interests of the state. But state assistance to veterans should be supported through clean legislation that is focused solely upon the best interests of veterans.
As veterans, we don’t appreciate our services and our needs being immersed into the politics of gambling. Elected officials should acknowledge our service with a focused and intentional debate that is free of potentially controversial proposals that have nothing to do with veterans. We will not support the premise that a vote against a casino is a vote against veterans.
There is a casino serving the southern Maine market while also providing a significant number of jobs for people who want to live and work in western Maine. There are serious concerns that developing an additional casino in southern Maine will destroy these jobs in an area of the state where they are arguably needed most, further contributing to a troubling employment trend in a region struggling to gain and maintain employment. No veteran wants to see his or her needs met by the state at the expense of his or her neighbor losing a job.
We’re confident there is no opposition to these measures to help veterans and that the business community and the Legislature can agree that the time to address these issues is now. We strongly urge the public and the Legislature to support all of these bills in question: LDs 1343, 1590, 1602, 1610, 1611, 1612 and 1625.
Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat, represents District 60 (part of Lewiston). He served four years as a Marine Corps Infantryman with deployments to both Afghanistan and Iraq. Matt Leonard is the president and CEO of the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. He is a multi-tour combat veteran and served in the United States Navy for 21 years.