Action 104 MAINE Legislation May 5-9
“May the 4th be with you”!
It’s “420 WEEK” in the Veterans and Legal Affairs committee! No less than 16 Bills pertaining to cannabis: LD #s 1320, 1365, 1455, 1488, 1567, 1608, 1609, 1620, 1672, 1669, 1717, 1820, 1831, 1840, 1847, 1897. They are NOT on the attached table, but you can find each of them at https://legislature.maine.gov if you are interested.
Republicans are doing their usual performative group huddle on a tranche of anti-trans “culture war” bills. Those ARE on the attached table, and they are mostly concentrated on May 8. However, there is at least one bill that specifically protects LGBTQIA+ individuals (LD 1328, May 6).
Republicans are at it again with the gun fetish: now they want to shoot on or near school property (LDs 525 and 885). The summary of LD885 says: “This bill allows a person to possess and discharge a firearm on school property if that person is not a student at that school, is 21 years of age or older and possesses a permit to carry a concealed handgun.” Really??? Republicans also want to significantly increase the amounts that towns can charge tax exempt entities. How about including churches and charging them too? No? Then leave the rest alone.
There are some good environmental bills, clustered on Monday. But maybe the most significant bill up for a hearing this week is LD 985, “An Act to Impose a Moratorium on the Ownership or Operation of Hospitals in the State by Private Equity Companies or Real Estate Investment Trusts”. Here’s the issue: Hospitals in financial trouble sometimes get bought by private equity investors (PEI’s, not to be confused with Prince Edward Islanders,“pea-eyes”~ Reference: John Gould, Maine Lingo, p 204)
PEI’s are profit making enterprises, “with the aim of restructuring, streamlining, or expanding operations to generate high returns for investors” over a short period of time. They frequently sell off the “best” parts of the hospital (i.e. the parts most likely to make a profit, such as labs) and let the unprofitable parts (e.g. birthing centers) slide into bankruptcy. During the slide, talent seeks greener pastures, facility maintenance deteriorates, and patient care is compromised with dire consequences (e.g. preventable deaths, lawsuits). Eventually, the original hospital shuts its doors and the area has lost its acute care facility.
Most civilized countries have regulations that protect their hospitals from such predation. In Maine, there are currently no private, for-profit, acute care hospitals, but several of our hospitals are in financial difficulty. LD 985 would stave off the vulture capitalists circling overhead by instituting a moratorium on PEI takeovers, while control options are considered. These include outright prohibition, increased financial transparency, rate regulation, and different insurance reimbursement requirements. It will take time for the Maine Legislature to determine the best course of action for Maine.
The hearing on LD 985 will be held Tuesday at 1 PM before the “HCIFS” (Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services) Committee. The Legislators are: Senate: Donna Bailey, Chair (D-York); Joseph M. Baldacci (D-Penobscot); David G. Haggan (R-Penobscot). House: Kristi Michele Mathieson, Chair (D-Kittery); Poppy Arford (D-Brunswick); Anne-Marie Mastraccio (D-Sanford); Michelle Nicole Boyer (D-Cape Elizabeth); Sally Jeane Cluchey (D-Bowdoinham); Joshua Morris (R-Turner); Rolf A. Olsen, Jr. (R-Raymond); Robert A. Foley (R-Wells); Paul R. Flynn (R-Albion); Marygrace Caroline Cimino (R-Bridgton). Senator Haggan is from Hancock Co: give him a call and ask for his support on this bill.
Don’t forget you can also weigh in on work sessions by sending comments to the individual committee members in a timely fashion, e.g. a day or two after the public hearing, after you have had a chance to hear the testimony and preferably before the work session starts. Work sessions as well as public hearings are all listed here: https://legislature.maine.gov/Calendar/#PHWS.
