Public Hearings & Work Sessions

Week of March 15 – March 19

Monday, March 15, 2021 10:00 AM

Energy, Utilities and Technology

PH—LD 226—An Act To Limit the Use of Hydrofluorocarbons To Fight Climate Change—ENR

Tuesday, March 16, 2021 9:00 AM

Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry

WS—LD 316, An Act To Prohibit the Use of Chlorpyrifos

Tuesday, March 16, 2021 9:30 AM

IDEA and Business

PH—LD 612—An Act To Recognize Occupational Licenses and Certifications from Other States To Attract New Residents and Businesses to Maine

Tuesday, March 16, 2021 10:00 AM/11:00AM

Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services

PH—LD 615—An Act To Remove the Advanced Cardiac Life Support Certification Requirement for Dental Therapists

PH—LD 653—An Act To Provide Maine Residents Losing Employer-based Health Coverage with Information about Other Coverage

PH—LD 631—An Act To Provide Funding for Maine's Health Insurance Consumer Assistance Program

WS—LD 523, An Act Regarding Prior Authorizations for Prescription Drugs—MMA Support

WS—LD 617, An Act Concerning Prior Authorizations for Prescription Drugs—MMA Support

WS—LD 541 - An Act To Improve Health Care Data Analysis

Tuesday, March 16, 2021 1:00 PM

Health and Human Services

PH—LD 559—An Act To Improve the Rights and Basic Protections of Persons with Acquired Brain Injuries

PH—LD 590—An Act To Require MaineCare Coverage for Ostomy Equipment

PH—LD 624, An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Tobacco Specialty Stores

Wednesday, March 17, 2021 10:00 AM

Health and Human Services

PH—LD 529—An Act To Restore the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Cystic Fibrosis Assistance Program

Wednesday, March 17, 2021 10:00 AM

Judiciary

PH—LD 627, An Act Relating to the Statute of Limitations for Injuries or Harm Resulting from Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances

Wednesday, March 17, 2021 1:00 PM

Health and Human Services

PH—LD 578 - Resolve, Regarding Legislative Review of Portions of Chapter 113: Regulations Governing the Licensing and Functioning of Assisted Housing Programs: Infection Prevention and Control, a Major Substantive Rule of the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Licensing and Certification

Thursday, March 18, 2021 9:30 AM

IDEA and Business

WS—LD 374—An Act To Allow Veterans, Active Duty Service Members and Their Spouses To Apply for Temporary Occupational Licenses and Certifications

Thursday, March 18, 2021 10:00 AM

Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services

PH—LD 665—An Act To Promote Better Dental Care for Cancer Survivors

PH—LD 441—An Act To Expand Adult Dental Health Insurance Coverage

PH—LD 599—An Act To Require Coverage for Certain Ultrasound Exams

PH—LD 600, An Act To Require Insurance Coverage for Certified Midwife Services

WS—LD 295 An Act To Repeal Restrictions That Prohibit Certain Advanced Practice Registered Nurses from Providing Essential Health Care Services—MMA Opposed

Thursday, March 18, 2021 10:00 AM

Health and Human Services

WS—LD 206, Resolve, Regarding Legislative Review of Portions of Chapter 234: Lead Testing in School Drinking Water Rule, a Major Substantive Rule of the Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention

WS—LD 269 An Act to Prohibit Smoking in Bus Shelters

WS—LD 450 An Act To Promote the Education of Patients by Primary Care and Urgent Care Physicians Regarding the Bone Marrow Transplant List

Thursday, March 18, 2021 11:00 AM

Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services

WS—LD 352, An Act To Maintain the Integrity of the Individual and Small Group Health Insurance Markets

Thursday, March 18, 2021 1:00 PM

Health and Human Services

PH—LD 577 - Resolve, Regarding Legislative Review of Chapter 6: Crisis Prevention and Intervention Services, a Major Substantive Rule of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Aging and Disability Services

Week of March 22 – March 26

Monday, March 22, 2021 9:00 AM

Veterans and Legal Affairs

PH—LD 693 - An Act to Make the Pilot Program Providing Mental Health Case Management Services to Veterans a Permanent Program

Monday, March 22, 2021 1:00 PM

Education and Cultural Affairs

PH—LD 639 An Act To Improve Professional Training for School Counselors

Tuesday, March 23, 2021 9:00 AM

Health and Human Services

PH—LD 629, Resolve, To Establish the Task Force To Study Improving Safety and Provide Protection from Violence for Health Care Workers in Hospitals and Mental Health Care Providers

PH—LD 716 An Act To Enhance and Improve the Maine Developmental Services Oversight and Advisory Board and To Establish the Aging and Disability Mortality Review Panel

Tuesday, March 23, 2021 9:30 AM

IDEA & Business

PH—LD 149 An Act To Facilitate Licensure for Credentialed Individuals from Other Jurisdictions

Tuesday, March 23, 2021 10:00 AM

Energy & Utilities

PH—LD83An Act To Clarify the Meaning of "Unserved Area" within the State's Broadband Service Laws—MMA Support

Tuesday, March 23, 2021 10:00 AM

Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services

PH—LD 713 An Act to Allow the Purchase of Health Insurance across State Lines.

Wednesday, March 24, 2021 10:00 AM

CJPS

PH—LD 476 An Act To Provide Licensed Assisted Living and Nursing Facilities Levels of Care for Incarcerated Persons

PH—LD 491 An Act To Create the Crime of Hate Crime False Public Alarm or Report             

Wednesday, March 24, 2021 1:00 PM

Judiciary

PH—LD 642 An Act To Ensure That Children Receive Behavioral Health Services

Thursday, March 25, 2021 9:00 AM

Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry

PH—LD 519 An Act To Protect Children from Exposure to Toxic Chemicals    

Thursday, March 25, 2021 9:30 AM

IDEA and Business

WS—LD 612, An Act To Recognize Occupational Licenses and Certifications from Other States To Attract New Residents and Businesses to Maine

Thursday, March 25, 2021 10:00 AM

Health and Human Services

PH—LD 512 An Act To Provide Intensive Case Managers to Counties That Do Not Have County Jails or Regional Jails          

PH—LD 595, Resolve, To Ensure That Access to Oral and Facial Ambulatory Surgical Centers in Maine Remains Viable

PH—LD 674 - An Act to Support Early Intervention and Treatment of Psychotic Disorders (HHS)

Recently 'Printed' Bills of Interest

LD 901 An Act To Assist Maine Residents Negatively Affected by Climate Change

CONCEPT DRAFT: This bill proposes to enact measures designed to protect those Maine residents who are disproportionately negatively affected by climate change and to ensure that their safety is prioritized in the development of environmental policies.

LD 915 An Act To Conform State Funding to the Federal Hyde Amendment Limiting Funding for Some Abortion Services

This bill repeals 22 MRS §3196, removing the requirement that DHHS provide abortion services to MaineCare members and removing the requirement that the State pay when the abortion services are not covered by Medicaid.

LD 918 An Act To Transition from a Fossil Fuel-based to an Electrical Energy Economy

CONCEPT DRAFT. Rep. Warren

LD 922 An Act To Help Cancer Patients with Fertility Preservation

Requires insurance carriers offering health plans in this State to provide coverage for fertility preservation services when necessary cancer treatment may directly or indirectly cause infertility.

LD 927 An Act To Increase the Availability of Health Care Services by Eliminating the Certificate of Need for All Health Care Services

Repeals the requirements for a certificate of need issued by the Department of Health and Human Services for the offering of new health care services by a health care facility.

LD 931 An Act To Increase Hospital Bed Capacity by Eliminating the Certificate of Need for Outside Hospital Beds

Repeals the requirements for a certificate of need issued by the DHHS for adding new licenses beds or increasing beds in a health care facility other than a hospital

LD 932 An Act To Increase Hospital Capacity by Eliminating the Certificate of Need for Hospital Beds

CONCEPT DRAFT: Rep. Libby

LD 933 An Act To Facilitate the Expansion of Broadband to Unserved Areas of the State

Authorizes the Public Utilities Commission to adopt rules establishing a mechanism or process by which utility pole joint use rates in unserved areas of the State are required to be reduced or capped, and requires the Commission to study methods of promoting broadband expansion in unserved areas of the State through a limited-period reduction in utility pole attachment rates for broadband providers that agree to deliver new high-speed Internet services in those underserved areas.

LD 935 An Act To Increase the Ability of Health Care Facilities To Respond to Health Needs by Eliminating the Certificate of Need for Health Care Facilities

CONCEPT DRAFT. Rep. Libby

LD 942 An Act To Waive Professional and Occupational Licensing Fees for Calendar Year 2020

Waives all licensing and certification fees for calender year 2020 that are imposed pursuant of the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 32, which governs professions and occupations (a person who has paid must be reimbursed)

LD 951 An Act To Improve Transparency of Medical Billing

1. A health care practitioner or laboratory providing health care or laboratory services in a medical office or laboratory must inform patients of the cost of such care or services prior to provision of that care or those services; 2. a health care entity may not bill a responsible party for the first time for a medical service that occurred more than one year earlier.

LD 957 An Act To Reform Alternative Sentencing Programs

Allows the court to sentence to an alternative sentencing program a person who is eligible for a deferred disposition and authorizes a sheriff in charge of a county jail or in a county that shares a regional jail with other counties to permit an inmate who has been sentences to an alternative sentencing program to participate in that program.

LD 964 An Act To Expand Access to Certified Substance Use Disorder Recovery Residence Services

Requires recovery residences to be certified according to the standards set by a nationally recognized organization that supports persons recovering from substance use disorder in order to receive contracts from the department or receive housing vouchers or municipal general assistance housing assistance from a person living in a recovery residence.

LD 967 An Act To Make Possession of Scheduled Drugs for Personal Use a Civil Penalty

Changes the unlawful possession of scheduled drugs fom a crime to a civil violation for which a fine of not more than $100 may be adjudged, or if the defendant is unable to pay the fine the court can refer the person to a provider for evidence-based assesment for proposed treatment fo substance use disorder.

LD 968 Resolve, To Expand Mental Health Crisis Intervention Mobile Response Services

Requires the DHHS to expand mental health crisis intervention mobile response services to provide services 24 hours/day, 7 days a week to the entire state.

LD 972 An Act To Establish the Rare Disease Advisory Council

Creares the Rare Disease Advisory Council to advise the DHHS and the public on issues regarding rare disease, this bill also defines a rare deisease as a disease that affects fewer than 200,000 persons in the US

LD 976 An Act To Amend the Definition of "Machine Gun" To Include Bump Stock Devices

Amends the definition of "machine gun" to include a weapon to which a bump stock devise is affixed; possession of a machine gun is a Class D crime.

LD 979 An Act To Expand Maine's School-based Health Centers

Provides ongoing funding for the DHHS to distribute through a request for proposals process to expand the number of school-based health center sites.

LD 992 An Act To Prevent the Denial or Revocation of a Professional or Business License for a Violation Not Related to That Profession or Business

Bill prohibits any licensing board from denying or revoking a professional or occupational license if the denial or revocation is for a violation unrelated to the practice of the licensed profession or occupation.

Requires the department to submit a report identifying existing statutes that allow for such denial or revocation and gives committees of jurisdiction authority to propose legislation to repeal.

LD 993 An Act To Prevent the Spread of Infectious Disease in Schools

Requires the school administrative unite to provide a total of 80 hours of paid sick leave per academic year for public school employees affected by COVID-19 and establishes criteria for rate of pay during the leave period and provides that part-time employees are eligible for leave based on the average number of hours worked.

LD 994 An Act To Promote Public Health by Eliminating Criminal Penalties for Possession of Hypodermic Apparatuses

Amends the provisions regarding hypodermic apparatuses in the following ways. 1. it allows a person to possess a residual amount of scheduled drug that is contained in one or more hypodermic apparatuses without committing the crime of unlawful possession of a scheduled drug; 2. repeals law governing the crimes of trafficking in or furnishing hypodermic apparatuses; 4. removes from the definition of drug paraphernalia under the Maine Revised Statutes items used for testing, analyzing, injecting, ingesting, inhaling or otherwise introducing into the human body scheduled drugs; 5. removes similar provisions in the food and drug safety provision of the Maine Revised Statutes and in the Maine Pharmacy Act.

LD 996 An Act To Improve Dental Health Access for Maine Children and Adults with Low Incomes

Bill adds comprehensive preventive, diagnostic and restorative dental services to the limited dental services currently available to MaineCare members 21 years of age and over. 

Requires DHHS to convene a stakeholder group no later than October 1, 2021 to assist in creating a plan and requires the department to work with providers of oral health care and dental services to encourage participation in the MaineCare program.  It requires the department to develop public education materials and strategies.

LD 998 An Act To Amend the Continuing Education Requirement for Pharmacists

Amends the law governing continuing pharmacy education by providing that only pharmacists authorized to administer drugs and immunizations are required to complete at least 2 hours in board-approved course on drug administration.

LD 999 An Act Regarding Background Checks for the Sale of Firearms

Requires background checks of purchasers of firearms for private sales at gun shows or private sales resulting from advertising or marketing subject to certain exceptions.  The bill provides that the first offense for knowingly transferring or selling a firearm in violation of the background check required by this bill is a civil violation for which the penalty is a fine of up to $1,000.  The bill designates subsequent offenses as Class D crimes.

LD 1004 An Act To Ensure Access to Health Care Equipment by Eliminating the Certificate of Need for Major Medical Equipment

Repeals the requirements for a certificate of need issued by the DHHS for the acquisition of major medical equipment.

LD 1007 An Act To Increase Availability of Health Care through Telehealth

Makes permanent the Governor's Executive Order #35 (4/6/2020) which allows certain licensed or registered professionals under Title 32 to provide necessary health care or other services to the extend practicable through the use of all modes of telehealth, including visual and audio-only or other electronic media.

LD 1009 Resolve, To Create a Health Care Ombudsman Position To Serve in Maine's County Jails

Directs the DHHS to designate an intensive case manager working in the county jails to serve as a health care ombudsman to oversee county jail inmates with medical and mental health care needs and connect them to the health care services for which they qualify.

LD 1034 An Act To Provide Funding To Support the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous and Maine Tribal Populations

Provides funding for staff to support the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous and Maine Tribal Populations.

LD 1040 An Act To Require Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Training or Implicit Bias Training for School Resource Officers

This bill requires a school resource officer to complete diversity, equity and inclusion training or implicit bias training at least once during that officer's first year of employment as a school resource officer.

LD 1045 An Act To Support Universal Health Care

Establishes the Maine Health Care Plan to provide universal health care coverage to all residents of this State and is modeled on proposed legislation considered in Minnesota