• Health & Human Services Committee: By a 9-2 vote the Committee declined to make changes in the laws governing minors' consent to treatment. The proposed change would have set the age of 14 as the minimum age at which minors could consent and would have prohibited minors from disagreeing with treatment decisions made by their parents. The MMA was instrumental in explaining to the Committee the flexibility and importance of current law in protecting the well-being of minor patients. The bill is LD 1189.
• Judiciary Committee:  The Judiciary Committee continues to work a drug price transparency bill carried over from the First Regular Session (LD 1406). There is considerable interest in proceeding with the bill among Committee Democrats, but some Republican members, including Senate Chair Lisa Keim (R-Oxford), also have shown interest in the topic. Sen. Keim has taken an active role in work sessions on the bill. A work session this week resulted in a quick tabling motion as stakeholders continued to negotiate. The work session is rescheduled for this coming Wednesday, March 1st.
  
• Labor, Commerce, Research & Economic Development Committee: The LCRED Committee has scheduled LD 912, the "conversion therapy" bill, for work session this Tuesday, February 28th.
• Criminal Justice & Public Safety Committee: CJPS held a hearing today (Monday, February 26th) on two competing bills related to female genital cutting or mutilation (different witnesses used different terms). There was disagreement on whether the practice has occurred in Maine, with an OB nurse and an OB/GYN resident both stating they were not personally familiar with any such cases and had heard of none from their colleagues. There was testimony, at times touching and at times horrific, from women who had undergone such procedures in other countries before coming to the U.S. The MMA spoke briefly on the limited issue of whether a valid medical reason should be an exception (our position) or a defense to a charge under the law.

Upcoming public hearings and work sessions this week:

• LD 1761 Firearms on school grounds
• Opioid Task Force recommendations review
  

HHS Work Sessions:

• Continued discussion in the medical marijuana subcommittee
• LD 1682 Recovery Residences
• LD 1712 Healthcare Ombudsman

IFS Public Hearing and Work Session :

• LD 1792 Insurance Market
  

JUD Work Session:

• LD 1267 Privacy of licensees' personal information
  
• LD 1406 Drug Pricing Transparency
  

LCRED Work Session: 

• LD 912 Conversion therapy
• LD 1587 Paid Family Medical Leave