I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I can’t believe it is almost Christmas! (And, I actually have all my shopping done and wrapped!) Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love the excitement in the air. My kids are very excited and they can’t wait for Christmas Eve! This year, since my kids are a little older, we will be opening the traditional Christmas pj’s plus some other gifts on Christmas Eve. I hope everyone has a great holiday with their friends and family!

Since it is almost January, I am getting geared up to head back to Augusta for a few months for our short session. We will be in session from January 6th until sometime in April this year. As you all have been hearing, we have some very hard and important work to do. The Governor’s budget was just released yesterday. You can find it here… www.maine.gov/budget/.

Here are some of the things the Governor is proposing:

• No tax increases
• Further streamlining of Gov’t Services/Departments
• More cuts in Education
• More cuts in Health and Human Services
• More cuts to revenue to our towns

None of this is good news, but in these economic times it is necessary. I have been reading the budget so that I am prepared to answer any questions that you may have. If you do have questions, please do contact me and I will try to answer them the best I can.

When I get back in session in a couple of weeks, I will be writing on a regular basis again to keep you informed on what is happening in State government. Feel free to contact me if you need me.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!