Rep. Sam Zager represents part of Portland. Rep. Julie McCabe represents part of Lewiston.

Gov. Janet Mills delivered her final State of the State address to the Maine Legislature in January, and a group of progressive lawmakers immediately met to discuss its relevance to this year’s budget.

The entire Legislature has since been considering the administration’s budget proposal: listening to public testimony, consulting experts on technical details and engaging folks in our respective districts.

There was much to like in the governor’s remarks: planned investment in housing, health care, continued support for family planning, free community college and a firm stand against unconstitutional immigration enforcement. Importantly, Gov. Mills endorsed universal health care, affirming that health care is a human right.

Too many Mainers are struggling to keep up with the cost of living and the governor offered proposals that take aim at the affordability crisis.

But this moment demands systemic change toward a fairer economy — and this change cannot happen without tax reform that puts working Mainers first.

Our current tax structure requires teachers, nurses, construction workers and small business owners to pay the same tax rate as millionaires. In what world does that make sense for the average Maine family?

We must stop balancing budgets on those who can least afford it.

Here’s the good news: The Democratic caucus in the Legislature has put forward progressive tax bills that will allow more Mainers to keep more money in their wallets.

• Rep. Ann Matlack’s LD 229 will adjust the tax brackets so that the majority of Mainers who earn less than $300,000 will see their income tax go down.

• Rep. Bill Pluecker’s LD 1879 will increase the tax on corporations making more than $3.5 million and raise millions for agriculture, forestry and the general fund.

• Rep. Cheryl Golek’s LD 1089 will place a 2% surcharge on incomes in excess of $1 million to fully fund the state’s portion of K-12 education.

These bills will generate revenue and relieve the strain on municipal governments and property tax-payers while helping everyday Mainers with the cost of living.

A fairer tax structure also responds to the mess that congressional Republicans created when they passed HR 1 last year. To provide handouts for billionaires and big corporations, Republicans stripped away health care access and insurance subsidies, as well as food assistance, from tens of thousands of Mainers.

While we call on Congress to right these wrongs immediately, we know many Mainers can’t wait on the federal government to act and need help now. By right-sizing Maine’s tax code and thoughtfully utilizing the state’s Rainy Day fund, we can blunt the impact of federal cuts to help Mainers retain access to health care and ensure they do not go hungry.

In addition to protecting Mainers from the federal government’s recent cuts, we must also consider other important issues facing our state: child care costs, civil legal aid, emergency shelters, property taxes, shortage of direct care workers, climate resiliency, aging school infrastructure, access to behavioral health care, low teacher salaries and services for seniors.

By enacting the tax bills outlined above, we can both cut taxes on the majority of Mainers and generate hundreds of millions of dollars for these urgent issues.

We can and must meet this moment with a state budget that enacts fairer taxes and prioritizes the urgent needs of working-class Mainers.