Maine Medicine Weekly Update - 06/03/2019 (Plain Text Version)
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MMA Legislative Call Tuesday, June 4th
The Maine Legislature is in full swing, with over 1760 bills printed. As we approach statutory adjournment date (June 19th), public hearings and work sessions are beginning to tail off while voting on bills increases. There's still work to do on the MMA Legislative Calls. The next call will be Tuesday, June 4th, at 8 p.m.
MMA Legislative Committee Chairs Jay Mullen, M.D. and Lindsey Tweed, M.D. welcome you to participate in the weekly conference calls of the MMA Legislative Committee. The last MMA Legislative Committee weekly conference call for the First Regular Session of the 129th Maine Legislature will take place Tuesday, June 4th, at 8:00 p.m. Legislative Committee members and specialty society legislative liaisons are
strongly encouraged to participate. Any physician, practice manager, or other
staff member who is interested in the MMA's legislative advocacy also is
welcome to participate. It is not necessary to RSVP for the calls. To date the Legislature has printed approximately 1700 bills, and as the deadline for committee consideration is approaching the number of bills printed each week is beginning to dwindle. While that makes the work of the legislative call shorter, it also allows for more in-depth discussion of significant matters. Please use the following conference call number and passcode. These will remain the same for every weekly call during the session. Conference call number: 1-603-766-5646 Participant ID - 699139# The purpose of the weekly conference calls is to discuss the MMA's position on bills printed the previous week, to hear the views of specialty societies on the new bills or their concerns about any current health policy issues, and to discuss the highlights of legislative action of the week. The calls rarely last longer than an hour. The following are bills of interest to the physician community printed
last week. (For those not familiar with the term, a "concept draft" is a bill that contains only a title and a brief description of what it is intended to do. It does not contain the actual bill text.) We will discuss the priority bills marked with an asterisk
(*) first.
June 4, 2019 LD 1809, Resolve, To Increase Funding for Evidence-based Therapies for Treating Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Children. Increased rates for MST, MST for problem sexualized behavior, and FFT; requires rate study with report to HHS Committee. LD 1811, An Act To Enhance Personal and Public Safety by Requiring Evaluations of and Judicial Hearings for Persons in Protective Custody Regarding Risk of Harm and Restricting Access to Dangerous Weapons. A variation on the “red flag” bill, requires law enforcement to take subject into protective custody and deliver to medical practitioner for evaluation and potential restricted access to firearms. LD 1813, Resolve, To Ensure Safe and Inclusive Learning Environments. Working group to study LGBTQ inclusiveness in the school environment. LD 1816, An Act To Ensure the Safety and Well-being of Infants Affected by Substance Exposure. Modernizes language and modifies reporting requirement and service referrals for substance affected infants; reflects changes in federal law. LD 1822, An Act To Protect Access to Services for Adults with Serious and Persistent Mental Illness. Informal DHHS review process for persons claiming denial of access to services by providers contracting with the Department. Provides for right of civil action in Superior Court after that. LD 1825, An Act To Authorize Limited Disclosure of Cigarette Sales Information To Ensure Continued Receipt of Tobacco Settlement Funds. Technical amendment to allow better computation and dispute resolution re: tobacco Master Settlement Agreement. LD 1831, An Act To Correct Inconsistencies, Conflicts and Errors in the Laws of Maine. Mostly technical language and spelling corrections.
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