Predatory Lending: We have held meetings with our housing counselor and other stakeholders to gather information on predatory lending trends in Maine, look at what other states have done to prevent predatory lending practices, and assess next steps in Maine. We are working with the Center for Responsible Lending, a leader on predatory lending policy in Washington, DC, as a resource to determine the extent of the problem in Maine and inform future policy options. To view the joint report, Predatory Mortgages in Maine,click here.

Payday Lending: Predatory payday lending fees cost American families $3.4 billion each year. Payday loans are high rate, short-term loans marketed as a solution for a cash emergency that have APRs often in excess of 600%. Borrowers get caught in the debt trap of taking out multiple payday loans.

CEI worked in conjunction with a broad coalition of Maine stakeholders, including the AFLCIO, AARP, the Maine Citizen Leadership Fund, the Maine Credit Union League, the CAP Agencies, Maine Women’s Lobby and the Center for Responsible Lending out of North Carolina.

The committee stripped the language of the bill and the title, and replaced it with a resolve for the Office of Consumer Credit Regulation to study a broad spectrum of sub-prime lending practices and current consumer products in the market. The report is slated to be out next February.

Community Reinvestment Act (CRA): CEI is working with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition and our trade organizations to prevent weakening of the CRA. The CRA is perhaps the single most important piece of legislation for the community development field, which has induced bank investment and involvement in community development.

Traditional Industries Bond Bill: CEI's Maine Farms and Fisheries Projects have both played a leading role in working with the State Planning Office and the Governor's office to develop the fisheries and agriculture components of the Governor's forthcoming bond bill. The bill proposes to fund targeted technical assistance programs for these sectors based on a model program that CEI designed, Farms for the Future. It will also provide financing to support creative investments and easements that can preserve working waterfronts. This funding would support our traditional rural industries that provide local jobs and also preserve the working landscapes critical for Maine's tourist industry.

Farmland Access Bond Bill: CEI's Maine Farms Project, in partnership with Maine Farmland Trust, is introducing a companion bond bill that will provide financing for farmland acquisition.

Maine Direct Care Workers Coalition: We continue to participate in a statewide coalition that CEI co-founded in 2002 to improve the wages, benefits, career paths, and workplace culture for direct care health workers.

Child Care Legislation: We have been working to pass national legislation related to Child Care Facilities and continue to keep abreast of child care policy trends. In the past few years, the child care community has focused on how to present child care as part of an economic development agenda and how to revamp the child care financing system to provide the level of subsidy needed for affordable, quality child care. A first step is achieving greater economies of scale in administering child care programs in order to reduce costs, improve quality, and have sufficient capacity to administer new financing programs. Thus, CEI is undertaking a feasibility study to look at ways to consolidate various administrative functions for providers in the Kennebec Valley and help these providers achieve greater brand recognition for quality service. As we learn more from assisting child care providers, we will be in a better position to suggest state policies that can encourage greater efficiencies.