When I’m not in Augusta, I’m back home in my community—talking with neighbors, showing up at local events and listening.
Because wherever you go in Maine, people are willing to share what’s going right in their lives and what isn’t. They’ll tell you what they’re celebrating and what’s keeping them up at night.
On any given day, I might talk to a young couple trying to figure out how they’ll ever afford a home. I’ll hear from older Mainers who feel like every single day, everything costs just a little bit more. Sometimes it’s a conversation about something joyful like a graduation, a new job, or a growing family. Other times, it’s about navigating something hard.
No matter where those conversations happen, they offer a real, honest snapshot of where people are. And those are the conversations I carry with me to Augusta. They’re what shaped the work we did this legislative session. And they’re why, when the gavel comes down and the session ends, I don’t think of the work as being finished. In many ways, it’s just beginning — because the policies we pass don’t matter unless they show up in people’s lives.
Many of the laws we passed this year will take effect on July 29, and in the weeks and months that follow, Mainers will start to feel the impact of that work. We made targeted investments to help lower costs — from child care to heating support to housing — because the people I talk to aren’t asking for anything extra. They’re asking for a fair shot, for a little breathing room and for the chance to get ahead.
Some of this work will take time to fully roll out. That’s the reality of building something that lasts. But every step we took this session was grounded in those real conversations that are happening across our state every single day.
And just as important as what we have accomplished is what comes next. When the session ends, I go right back to where I started — back home, back in my community, listening to what’s on people’s minds and in their hearts. Making sure I understand what’s working, what isn’t and what we need to do better.
Because no matter where I am, I carry the stories of our community with me. They shape this work, they guide decisions and they remind me why it matters.
We have more work ahead. But I believe deeply in what Maine can be — a place where people can truly thrive, where our communities are strong and where everyone has the chance to build a future they feel good about. That’s what this session was about. And that’s what comes next.
Mattie Daughtry represents state Senate District 23, Brunswick, Chebeague Island, Freeport, Harpswell, Pownal and part of Yarmouth in the Maine Senate. She also serves as Maine’s Senate president. She can be reached at [email protected] or 207-287-1515.