The Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous, & Tribal Populations (PCRITP), which was established in 2019 by the Legislature to address “systemic racism,” received $1 million in federal funds meant to help Maine businesses and families recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to PCRITP’s 2024 Annual Report, the commission received a one-time grant of $1 million in federal funds under Gov. Janet Mills’ Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan.
Gov. Mills’ “Jobs Plan,” approved the Legislature in July 2021, allocated nearly $1 billion in pandemic-era relief funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, with the purported aim of helping small businesses, industries, and Maine families recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The only program targeted towards veterans as part of Gov. Mills’ Jobs Plan, the “Military Veteran Career Transition Pilot Program” geared towards helping veterans transition into civilian careers, received $200,000 — just a fifth of the funding that PCRITP received, per the Jobs Plan online dashboard.
In their annual report, the state racial equity commission stated that the federal funds are “being used for the development and implementation of a fellowship program, along with projects and programs that seek to understand and create solutions for racial disparities exacerbated by the COVID-19 public health crisis.”
[RELATED: Mills Admin Releases Report on Two Years and Nearly $1 Billion of COVID Relief Spending…]
The $1 million in taxpayer-funded pandemic relief funds, which makes up about half of PCRITP’s nearly $2.3 million fiscal year 2023-2024 budget, must be obligated — or committed to certain projects — by Dec. 31, 2024, the commission stated.
The most recent contracting memo from the commission’s Finance and Operation’s Committee shows that PCRITP has already allocated $177,210 out of the $1 million grant across four contracts:
- Public Health Partners: $53,000 for “Racial Impact Statements” and “Health Equity Impact Assessment” research;
- Catherine Cutler Institute at the University of Southern Maine: $74,946 for a fellowship program to work with PCRITP “to create more positive outcomes for historically marginalized BIPOC communities who have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID 19 public health emergency”;
- Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness: $35,000 to “bring Indigenous ceremony into detention facilities throughout the state,” including drum groups, singing, and “smokeless Smudge”;
- Tri State Staffing: $14,264 to create a “Social Drivers of Health Dashboard” (anticipated to be launched by December 2024) to “explore racial disparities that exist within Maine.”
On Wednesday, the commission voted to adopt a new conflict of interest policy after the Maine Wire revealed that PCRITP had given a $12,000 grant to a nonprofit organization founded by the sister of commission’s co-chair, House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland).
[RELATED: Corruption: Equity Panel Chief Dodges Questions Over $12k Grant to Maine House Speaker’s Sister…]
No disclosure of the familial relationship was made on PCRIPT’s $12,000 contract with the nonprofit, nor was a disclosure made that the Black History Month event sponsored by the grant featured another one of Talbot Ross’ sisters as a panelist.
PCRITP determined that no conflict of interest occurred when making the $12,000 grant because, they claimed, Talbot Ross was not involved in any discussions or decision making regarding the grant, and because the term “Immediate family” was not defined by their bylaws to include siblings.
🖕🏿you Mills!
Say I’m old-fashioned, say I’m over the hill… but I’d rather get hired or promoted for performance, dedication, and perceived value than I would for checking boxes.
This is funny cause janet mills hates the Penobscot Indians. Look up janet mills and Penobscot Indians and “anti-Trump rally”. It’s hilarious. You can watch it on you tube. Maine press herald even headlined it “anti-Trump rally”. It in fact was a Penobscot Indian water rights rally and janet mills showed up with her index cards and went off on an anti-Trump / Russian collusion rant. The natives got restless. 🤣
P.S
janet mills has yet to apologize to Trump for spreading lies. The Maine press herald has yet to apologize to the Penobscot Indians for lying. The Penobscot Indians are not at the top of the minority priority list. That’s for Somali’s and Haitian’s folks.
Didn’t
Earn
It
DEI – Didn’t Earn It
This is a Marxist practice to keep straight white men from positions of power within Government positions and business roles. DEI Directives force them to pick skin-tone differentials, sexual orientation, and gender before qualification.
Not only that, but all of the State of Maine business grants and student grants follow this exact practice. Did you know that almost every grant is designed to only go to women, “people of color”, lgbtq, asylum seekers? If you are straight white male, you pay for it, but you cannot receive it.
There is too much easy money flowing to these crazy politicians. If govt funding was scarce, it would be purposed for only things that are needed. We need to choke off the money. Enough is enough. Too much easy money and we get crazy politicians thinking up ridiculous ways to spend the money which also keeps them in power.
We need the state racial equity commission like we all need bleeding hemorrhoids, this useless waste of taxpayer dollars is nothing but virtue signaling waste of time and effort that is typical of the Mills administration.
Let’s call this what it is. Anti-whiteism
This is RACIST! Another step in turning Maine brown and into a third world shit hole.
The word “Permanent” is redundant in any government created entity.
Dave a vote or two against her would be much better
bill in Bangor the bright side is that if you do not make as muck you pay less in taxes.
Taxes are the mothers milk of the left.
TinkerBellTom why are you paying for it, don’t work and you to can live the good life
Chris are larger cities all ready are. Stay out of them.
Still have not cough the Maine Street shooters in Saco.
Money well spent. Not!