• 1. It requires that the Department of Labor's outreach efforts regarding the program be tailored to focus on unemployed and underemployed workers, veterans, immigrants, recipients of benefits under the statewide food supplement program, low-skilled manufacturing workers and students enrolled in postsecondary education.
• 2. It directs the Department of Labor to collaborate with other entities to improve program outreach to target demographics, including, at a minimum, collaboration with the Maine Community College System.
• 3. It makes changes to the criteria used to determine approved education and training under the program, including consideration of employer input, changing demographics and traditional industries in the State in which innovations and new technologies are creating a demand for skilled workers.
• 4. It requires that a program participant be given information about the allowable uses of a family development account under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 10, chapter 110, subchapter 4-A.
• 5. It adds a requirement that a participant be offered comprehensive career planning services prior to the program's development of an individual career plan with the participant and permits the Department of Labor to partner with other entities to provide this service. It directs the department to include in this partnership, at a minimum, the Maine Community College System with respect to participants enrolled or seeking enrollment in a training or education course provided by the Maine Community College System. It also directs the Maine Community College System to assist the Department of Labor in program management and oversight for such participants.
• 6. It repeals the January 1, 2020 repeal provision on the eligibility for the program of a full-time student at a public secondary school enrolled in a career and technical education program at a career and technical education center or a career and technical education region.

This bill also amends the laws governing the employment of minors 16 and 17 years of age, providing that such a minor may be employed in an otherwise hazardous occupation for which the minor has been trained or certified from a vocational, career and technical or cooperative education program approved by the Department of Education only if the minor has graduated from the program and has graduated from high school.

Amendment H-82
This amendment strikes a number of sections of the bill affecting the Competitive Skills Scholarship Program and does the following.

• 1. It retains the changes in the bill that amend the laws governing the employment of minors 16 and 17 years of age in an otherwise hazardous occupation for which the minor has been trained or certified from a vocational, career and technical or cooperative education program approved by the Department of Education to require that the minor must have graduated from high school. The amendment provides that a high school equivalency diploma or its equivalent is sufficient to meet this requirement.
• 2. It retains the provision in the bill that repeals the January 1, 2020 repeal provision on the eligibility for the Competitive Skills Scholarship Program of a full-time student at a public secondary school enrolled in a career and technical education program at a career and technical education center or a career and technical education region.
• 3. It amends the eligibility criteria of the Competitive Skills Scholarship Program to modify the requirement that an individual be at least 18 years old by also including an individual who has graduated from high school.

• 1. It directs the Department of Health and Human Services to seek a waiver beginning with federal fiscal year 2020, which begins October 1, 2019, and for each federal fiscal year thereafter to allow individuals otherwise subject to a 3-month limit on federal food supplement program benefits to continue to receive benefits if those individuals reside in counties, labor market areas or other areas that qualify for a waiver because of high unemployment or a lack of a sufficient number of jobs to provide employment for those individuals.
• 2. It requires the Department of Health and Human Services to calculate the amount of the food stamp standard utility allowance using reliable data reflecting actual utility costs in Maine.
• 3. It directs the Department of Health and Human Services to request the United States Department of Agriculture to waive the asset test for determining the eligibility for the federal supplemental nutrition assistance program of any household in which there is an individual who is 60 years of age or older or an individual with a disability or that does not include children.

• 1. It defines "conversion therapy" as any practice or course of treatment that seeks or purports to change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity, except for any practice or treatment that assists an individual undergoing a gender transition; any practice or treatment that provides acceptance, support and understanding to an individual; and any practice or treatment that facilitates an individual's coping, social support or identity exploration and development, including any therapeutic intervention that is neutral with regard to sexual orientation or gender identity, and that seeks to prevent or address unlawful conduct or unsafe sexual practices, as long as the counseling does not seek to change the individual's sexual orientation or gender identity.
• 2. It prohibits certified school psychologists and guidance counselors, nurses, doctors, physician assistants, psychologists, psychological examiners, alcohol and drug counselors and aides, social workers, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, pastoral counselors, speech-language pathologists and assistants and audiologists from advertising, offering or administering conversion therapy to individuals under 18 years of age. Advertising, offering or administering conversion therapy to an individual under 18 years of age in violation of this prohibition is grounds for discipline of the professional by the department or board that issued the professional's license, certification or registration, including but not limited to suspension or revocation of the license, certification or registration.
• 3. It prohibits MaineCare reimbursement for conversion therapy administered to an individual who is under 18 years of age.
• 4. It includes a statement of legislative findings and intent.

This bill includes General Fund appropriations totaling $465,252 in fiscal year 2019-20 and $465,252 in fiscal year 2020-21 to provide funding for the local workforce development boards for the 2020-2021 biennium.

Amendment H-218
This amendment incorporates a fiscal note.

LD 1359 Amendment H-218 fiscal note

• 1. Expansion of educational programs at career and technical education centers and financial support of those programs;
• 2. Comprehensive scholarships for persons taking classes toward the attainment of an early childhood education credential or an associate or bachelor's degree that allow the persons to graduate without student debt as long as the persons agree to work for a year with an approved employer;
• 3. An increased number of apprenticeships; and
• 4. Salary supplements awarded to individuals who provide child care or who are early childhood educators. The amount of the supplement is based on the level of education and experience of the individual and other factors.

It also makes an ongoing allocation of $250,000 per fiscal year from the Tourism Marketing Promotion Fund, which is funded by a portion of the meals and lodging sales tax, to the new Office of Outdoor Recreation.

• 1. Requires a General Fund bond obligation in the amount of $250,000,000 for a program administered by the Finance Authority of Maine to provide funds for payment of student loan debt for individuals who agree to live and work in Maine for 5 years and to reimburse employers that make student loan debt payments on behalf of their employees who agree to live and work in Maine for 5 years; and
• 2. Establishes the Maine Student Loan Debt Relief Program and the Maine Student Loan Debt Relief Fund and requires the Finance Authority of Maine to adopt major substantive rules to implement the program and submit the rules to the Second Regular Session of the 129th Legislature.

• 1. Removing the examination requirement;
• 2. Reducing the number of minimum hours of training in clinical supervision;
• 3. Clarifying that licensed pastoral counselors and licensed marriage and family therapists may be licensed as certified clinical supervisors; and
• 4. Adding an eligibility requirement that recognizes licensed mental health professionals with experience in treating co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders and at least 3 years of experience supervising clinicians in treatment programs for individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.

This amendment also requires the Department of Education to issue an administrative letter to school boards and superintendents addressing the benefits of proactive communication between the school administrative unit and parents of a student and the student regarding the credit options available to the student prior to the student's participation in the study abroad program.

This amendment also incorporates a fiscal note. The fiscal note identifies the requirement that local school boards adopt a policy on awarding credit to students who have studied abroad as a potential unfunded state mandate. The committee reviewed the fiscal note and determined that requiring a school board to adopt a policy on awarding credit to students who have studied abroad is not a mandate. Because school boards have a duty to adopt policies that govern school administrative units pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 1001, subsection 1-A, and because Title 20-A requires school administrative units to provide students with opportunities for learning in multiple pathways, the requirement that local school boards adopt a policy on awarding credit to students who have studied abroad does not require an expansion or modification of activities so as to necessitate additional expenditures.

• 1. Engage in statewide hunger relief services, including, but not limited to, the purchase of food from Maine food producers and processors;
• 2. Provide grants to local hunger relief programs; and
• 3. Pay its operational and distribution expenses.

• 1. It requires the Governor to issue a general obligation bond that has been ratified by the legal voters of the State unless one of 5 specific conditions exists, and it requires the Governor to provide certain information upon delaying or forgoing issuance of a bond;
• 2. It eliminates the requirement that registered bonds bear the facsimile signature of the Governor; and
• 3. It provides that the bill applies to all general obligation bonds ratified by the voters but as yet unissued as well as all future general obligation bonds ratified by the voters.

• 1. Removing the word "acquire" from the enumeration of the elements of an individual's right to food and removing the language limiting the exercise of acquisition;
• 2. Removing language establishing a fundamental right to be free from hunger, starvation and the endangerment of life due to scarcity of or lack of access to food; and
• 3. Specifying that the right to food does not allow an individual to abuse private property rights or abuse public lands or natural resources in the harvesting of food.

his bill would provide funding and enact measures based on recommendations of the President of the University of Maine at Machias in a strategic plan chartered by the Chancellor of the University of Maine System and due to the Board of Trustees of the University of Maine System in March 2019. The bill would strengthen research and economic development efforts across the University of Maine System to support Maine industries and workforce development and to foster business formation and expansion, specifically in the 7 research and development sectors designated in statute: advanced technology for agriculture and forestry; aquaculture and marine technology; biotechnology; composite materials technology; environmental technology; information technology; and precision manufacturing technology.

The bill also requires that health insurance carriers that provide coverage for maternity services also provide coverage for abortion services. The bill applies this requirement to all health insurance policies and contracts issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2020, except for those religious employers granted an exclusion of coverage. The bill authorizes the Superintendent of Insurance to grant an exemption from the requirements if enforcement of the requirements would adversely affect the allocation of federal funds to the State.

Amendment H-210
This amendment is the majority report of the committee. The amendment adds language exempting the provisions of the bill from the provisions of the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 24-A, section 2752. The amendment reallocates the section of the bill requiring the Department of Health and Human Services to pay for abortion services for MaineCare members and adds language to authorize the department to adopt rules using the emergency rule-making provisions of the Maine Administrative Procedure Act.

Amendment S-275
The amendment adds an appropriations and allocations section. This amendment also makes technical corrections.

LD 820 Chaptered Law
LD 820 Chaptered Law fiscal note

This bill proposes to amend the laws governing the Maine Public Employees Retirement System to provide the same retirement benefits as are provided to law enforcement officers to state employees working in law enforcement, including these job classifications:

• 1. Emergency dispatchers;
• 2. Staff in the Maine State Police computer crimes unit;
• 3. Staff in the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory;
• 4. Law enforcement staff at the Attorney General's office; and
• 5. Forest rangers.

This bill proposes to provide funding for additional case managers in the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, Bureau of Maine Veterans' Services to provide information and assistance to veterans regarding the availability of benefits and services for veterans such as health care, home financing, property tax exemptions and income tax credits.

• 1. It makes clear that the fee for a temporary license must be established in accordance with existing law.
• 2. It clarifies that an applicant for a temporary license must provide documentation of professional liability insurance.
• 3. It removes the requirement for an applicant to demonstrate good moral character as that requirement is not required for applicants for other licenses issued by the board.
• 4. It removes the language authorizing the board to adopt rules related to exceptions to licensure.
• 5. It clarifies that, if there is a change in the supervision of a chiropractic intern, the intern must immediately cease to practice and must notify the board within 10 days.
• 6. It specifies that a chiropractic intern may not provide services without the written informed consent of the individual receiving chiropractic services.
• 7. It removes the requirement that an intern display the intern's license to be consistent with the requirements for other license categories.

• 1. It increases the municipal permit surcharge from $3 to $5 and specifies that the surcharge only applies to permits for new construction or renovations that are subject to the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code.
• 2. It transfers administration of code enforcement officer training from the Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of Community Development to the Department of Public Safety, Office of the State Fire Marshal.

The credit is fully refundable after the application of nonrefundable credits.

The bill also prohibits the Department of Environmental Protection and the Director of the Bureau of Parks and Lands within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry from permitting, approving or otherwise authorizing any oil or natural gas exploration, development or production in, on or under the submerged and intertidal land owned by the State.

It is the intent of this legislation to generally prohibit activities relating to offshore oil and natural gas exploration, development and production within the boundaries and jurisdiction of the State, which place the State's coastal communities at economic and ecological risk from oil spills, and from the pollution caused by routine drilling operations and onshore industrialization, and threaten the quality of life and livelihoods of Maine citizens and economically significant industries, including tourism, recreation and commercial and recreational fishing, and small businesses that rely on a clean and healthy ocean and clean and healthy beaches.

Amendment H-425
This amendment, which is the majority report of the committee, amends the bill to clarify the prohibition on oil or natural gas exploration, development or production activities as follows.

• 1. It amends certain definitions to more clearly delineate the activities regulated and to specify that the transfer of oil or natural gas resources to or from the waters of the State, including both on-loading and offloading of oil or natural gas resources between an oil terminal facility and a vessel or between vessels, is not prohibited under the bill.
• 2. It removes language specifically prohibiting exploration, development or production activities that may adversely affect the waters of the State.

This amendment also expands the duties of the task force to require that the task force examine the advantages and disadvantages of a comprehensive 4-year career and technical education high school, obstacles to implementation and other models of comprehensive 4-year career and technical education high schools around the State and on a national level. The task force is also required to examine increasing crosswalks and intersections between technical and occupational knowledge and curricula and academic standards in order to promote multiple pathways for awarding content area credit to students enrolled in career and technical education programs.

• 1. License up to 11 agency liquor stores in a municipality with a population over 60,000. Under current law, the maximum number of agency liquor stores that may be licensed in a municipality with a population over 45,000 is 10; and
• 2. License up to 7 agency liquor stores in a municipality with a population over 15,000 but less than 20,001 and 6 agency liquor stores in a municipality with a population over 10,000 but less than 15,001. Currently, 5 agency liquor stores are allowed in a municipality with a population over 10,000 but less than 20,001.

• 1. A qualified individual must be a full-year Maine resident who has obtained an associate, bachelor's or graduate degree from an accredited Maine or non-Maine community college, college or university after 2007 and who works at least part time in Maine or on a vessel at sea or is deployed for military service in the United States Armed Forces during the taxable year.
• 2. Loans obtained from related persons, such as family members and certain businesses, trusts and exempt organizations, do not qualify for the credit.
• 3. The credit may not reduce the tax due to less than zero.
• 4. The credit for qualified individuals is the lesser of the amount paid on eligible education loans during the taxable year and 15% of the outstanding eligible education loan debt on the date the first education loan payment is made after a degree is earned.
• 5. The credit for employers is the lesser of the amount paid by an employer on behalf of a qualified employee during the taxable year during the term of employment and 20% of the outstanding eligible education loan debt on the date the first education loan payment is made after December 31, 2019.
• 6. The credit is available to the spouse of an individual eligible for a credit even if the spouse is not employed.
• 7. Income tax deductions are provided for student loan payments made directly to a lender by an employer on behalf of a qualified employee and payments made directly to a lender on behalf of a taxpayer by a student loan repayment program funded by a nonprofit foundation and administered by the Finance Authority of Maine for residents of the State employed by a business located in the State.
• 8. The annual credit may include loan amounts paid in excess of the amount due during a taxable year. The amendment also provides that credits in excess of those that may be used during a taxable year may be carried over for the next succeeding 5 years.

This bill changes the rate of the penalty for those state employees who retired between July 1, 2011 and January 1, 2012 and for teachers who retired between July 1, 2011 and July 1, 2012 who had at least 25 years of service on July 1, 2011 but had not attained 62 years of age to 2.25% for each year the person was below 62 years of age upon retirement from service.

Amendment H-244
This amendment is the minority report of the committee.

This amendment makes clear that the change in the rate of the early retirement penalty for qualified members applies prospectively beginning October 1, 2019.

The bill also requires that insurers make specific written disclosures related to the terms and benefits of policies in at least 14-point type, including the types of benefits and consumer protections that are and are not included in the policies.

The bill prohibits the issuance of a policy without prior approval from the Superintendent of Insurance.

The requirements of the bill apply to policies issued or renewed in this State on or after January 1, 2020.

Amendment H-476
This amendment replaces the bill. The amendment does the following.

• 1. It limits the issuance of short-term, limited-duration individual health insurance policies in this State to policies with a term that ends on December 31st of the calendar year in which they are issued and allows an insurer or the insurer's agent or broker to issue a short-term, limited-duration policy that replaces a prior short-term, limited-duration policy only if the combined term of the new policy and all prior policies does not exceed 24 months and as long as the individual has not been covered under any short-term, limited-duration policy for at least 12 months prior to the issuance of a policy.
• 2. It requires that insurers make specific written disclosures related to the terms and benefits of policies in at least 14-point type, including the types of benefits and consumer protections that are and are not included in the policies, a summary of plan benefits, limits and exclusions in a standardized format, information about the circumstances in which covered benefits may be subject to balance billing and examples of how charges may be applied toward any cost sharing under the policy and billed to the individual policyholder, and a comparison of the short-term, limited-duration policy to a qualified health plan in the terms, benefits and conditions of the policy, any exclusions, medical loss ratio requirements or the provisions of guaranteed renewal and continuity of coverage. It also requires an insurer to make the documents and information required to be disclosed to be made available on the insurer's publicly accessible website.
• 3. It prohibits a short-term, limited-duration policy from being actively marketed or sold during any open enrollment period except for a policy that terminates coverage on December 31st.
• 4. It restricts the sale of short-term, limited-duration policies to in-person encounters with an insurer or an insurer's agent or broker.
• 5. It requires that an insurer or an insurer's agent or broker, upon offering an individual short-term, limited-duration policy for purchase, assess an individual making an application for eligibility for an advanced premium tax credit or cost-sharing reduction for coverage under a qualified health plan purchased on the exchange pursuant to the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and provide an estimate of the cost for coverage under a qualified health plan after applying any advanced premium tax credit or cost-sharing reduction.
• 6. It requires the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, Bureau of Insurance to issue, no later than 30 days following the effective date of this legislation, a bulletin related to short-term, limited-duration health insurance policies describing the statutory requirements for the policies, including the requirements enacted in this legislation and the required mandated benefits applicable to all short-term, limited-duration policies.
• 7. It makes the requirements of this legislation apply to policies issued or renewed in this State on or after January 1, 2020.

This bill, using the guidance developed by the federal Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, enacts the Maine Pharmaceutical Drug Safety Act to allow an individual in Maine to import prescription drugs from Canada as long as specific criteria are met, including that the drug is imported for personal use, that the individual importing the drug has a valid prescription, that the drug does not present an unreasonable risk to the individual and that no more than a 90-day supply of the drug is imported. The prescription drug to be imported must also meet specific requirements. The importation of controlled substances and prescription drugs for sale or resale is specifically prohibited.

The maximum weekly benefit amount is capped at 100% of the state average weekly wage. The weekly benefit amount is 90% of the portion of the covered individual's average weekly wage that is equal to or less than 50% of the state average weekly wage and 67% of the portion of the covered individual's average weekly wage that is more than 50% of the state average weekly wage.

Covered individuals are required to file claims for benefits in accordance with rules adopted by the department and to provide certification that they qualify for family leave or medical leave.

This bill establishes the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Fund to support the program. The funds for administrative costs and payment of benefits will come from payroll contributions by employees.

The bill requires payroll contributions to begin January 1, 2021, and benefits will be paid out beginning January 1, 2022

• 1. It changes the name of the occupation licensed from "dental hygiene therapist" to "dental therapist" to conform to the name used by other state licensing boards and the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation.
• 2. It identifies the educational requirement as a master's degree in dental therapy. It also clarifies that a dental therapy program must either be accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Education or approved by the Board of Dental Practice by rulemaking consistent with the curriculum standards of a dental therapy program as adopted by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Education.
• 3. It requires a provisional dental therapist and a dental therapist to maintain a current certification in advanced cardiac life support.
• 4. It clarifies the level of supervision of a provisional dental therapist to require both direct and general supervision as identified in a written practice agreement with a supervising dentist. It authorizes a dental therapist to practice under the general supervision instead of direct supervision of a dentist pursuant to a written practice agreement.
• 5. It removes the practice setting requirements.

The bill requires the board to have a public process for each prescription drug required to be reviewed based on certain criteria. The board is directed to determine if the cost to the health care system of appropriate utilization of a drug is commensurate with its benefit to the system and whether the drug is affordable to state residents. If the board finds that the cost in the State is not affordable to state health care systems and state residents, the board is authorized to establish a cost or payment rate for the drug to which all state programs, local governments, licensed commercial health plans, including state marketplace plans, licensed pharmacies, wholesalers and distributors must abide. These covered entities are prohibited from paying more for the drugs than the board-established rate.

Amendment S-251
This amendment replaces the bill.

The amendment, as in the bill, establishes the Maine Prescription Drug Affordability Board but removes the provisions that allow rate setting by the board and require the board to determine excess prescription drug costs based upon certain thresholds for prescription drug prices and price increases.

• 1. Lists as mandatory the specific codes that must comprise the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code;
• 2. Requires that each new version of a code or standard that is part of the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code must be reviewed as it is published and that the Technical Building Codes and Standards Board must adopt either the most recent edition or the edition previous of each code or standard;
• 3. Makes the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code applicable statewide but does not require municipalities under 4,000 residents to enforce the code; and
• 4. Provides that the Director of the Efficiency Maine Trust serves as a nonvoting member of the Technical Building Codes and Standards Board.

A benefit corporation may be subject to a benefit enforcement proceeding for failing to pursue or create general public benefit or a specific public benefit as set forth in its articles of incorporation, or for a violation of any obligation, duty or standard of conduct imposed.

A benefit corporation must make its annual benefit report available publicly.

LD 1519 Chaptered Law
LD 1519 Chaptered Law fiscal note

• 1. It provides that the program is an independent program operated as a nonprofit organization to provide investigative, oversight and advocacy services on a statewide basis.
• 2. It requires the program to provide oversight of child welfare practice and policy to ensure the rights and safety of children and their families.
• 3. It specifies staffing for the program.
• 4. It provides that the Governor appoints the ombudsman, subject to review by the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters and to confirmation by the Legislature.
• 5. It provides that the ombudsman serves a 7-year term of office.
• 6. It requires the ombudsman to submit the ombudsman's budget recommendations, using a format prescribed by the State Budget Officer, as part of the unified current services budget legislation.
• 7. It provides full-time program employees access to health insurance benefits provided to state employees and retirement benefits provided to state employees.
• 8. It requires the program to provide services directly to individuals and families and authorizes the program to provide systemwide comment to the department and the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters.
• 9. It requires the department to inform the ombudsman of any statewide policy or practice changes in child welfare before they take effect.
• 10. It allows the ombudsman to participate in trainings, studies or policy development activities conducted by the department.
• 11. It requires the ombudsman to be available to provide information about child welfare issues on a statewide basis to individuals and entities outside the department.
• 12. It authorizes the ombudsman to disclose confidential information, records or case-specific reports to a joint standing committee, joint select committee or oversight committee of the Legislature meeting in executive session.

• 1. Allow the programs to distribute naloxone hydrochloride and other safer drug use supplies; and
• 2. Expand the criteria a program must meet in order to be awarded funds, including distributing naloxone hydrochloride and other safer drug use supplies; providing HIV, AIDS and hepatitis C testing; and maintaining referral agreements or having the capacity to provide counseling services, medication-assisted treatment services and infectious disease care.