Legislative Blog # 3
Health and Human Services Committee
Supposed to be high of 43 degrees here today! Which means I will likely join the Women’s March beginning at 11:00 for
at least an hour or so.
It is still overwhelming to see pass
by me the number of important bills I am interested in that I can’t pay proper
attention to and to witness the complexity of the legislative process. In grossly
abbreviated and simplified form, here is the process by which every bill becomes law —or not:
2. The bill is referred by the originating body (House or Senate) to one of the Joint Standing or Joint Select committees (18 in #) in the originating branch and then sent to the other body for concurrence. In a few unusual circumstances such as an emergency, a bill may go directly to the floor of the appropriate body for discussion and action.
3. The committee conducts a public hearing where it accepts testimony supporting and opposing the proposed legislation from any interested party.
4. The committee conducts one or more Work Sessions to discuss the bill, draft amendments or review amendments proposed by others and vote on a recommendation.
5. The committee issues a report to the full legislature that includes one of the following recommendations: Ought to Pass, Ought to Pass as Amended, Ought to Pass in New Draft, Ought Not to Pass, Refer to Another Committee.
6. The bill is debated on the floor of the originating body where further amendments may be debated and voted upon.
7. The bill goes through a similar process in the other chamber.
8. The bill may go through a Committee of Conference when the House and the Senate pass different versions of the bill.
9. Finally the bill dies or becomes law 90 days after its passage.
It
is my understanding that any bill may die in committee or in any step thereafter.
Thousands of bills are introduced in
every regular legislative session which leaves hundreds unfinished to be taken
up in the special session, where we are now. I listened to part of the
House in Session where one representative spoke about the need to set priorities
and restrictions on the number of bills each legislator may be allowed to
introduce. I approve.
Tuesday, I attended a public hearing
of the Health and Human Services Committee beginning at 1:30 and attempting to
hear testimony for 4 different bills, starting with LD 1742, a “Resolve, ToSupport Vulnerable Seniors by Funding Assisted Living Programs.” I stayed until
about 4:00, and they had not heard all the testimony in favor of this bill and
still had to hear from those opposed. I do not see how they could adequately
hear the testimony for the 3 other bills at this session.
“This resolve
provides increased funding for the provision of assisted living services at
facilities currently operating at a loss, including, but not limited to,
facilities in Bangor, Millinocket, Camden and Sanford. It directs the
Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a review of possible ways to
stabilize funding for affordable assisted living facilities that contract with
the office of aging and disability services within the Department of Health and
Human Services, including permanent increases to existing funding levels,
paying the medical costs of certain residents until they are eligible for
MaineCare coverage, a practice known as Rate Code 53 spending, and designating
facilities as private nonmedical institutions. It directs the department to
report back with its recommendations to the joint standing committee of the
Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters by
January 11, 2019.” I learned that there are seven such contract facilities operating in Maine for
seniors no longer able to provide for all their needs and too poor to pay for all
the services they need. None of these facilities are in Aroostook.
I support whatever these seniors need, but I have
unanswered questions that concern me. If these seniors can no longer meet all
their needs by themselves and must move a supported facility wouldn’t it be
better for them and more cost effective to provide the assistance where they
are for as long as that is possible before moving to this facility. As one legislator
pointed out, these seniors are not going to become more capable and will
eventually have to move to another facility such as a nursing home to get their
needs met. Wouldn’t it be better to reduce the number of moves these seniors
must make? I hope to learn more about the issue by attending the work session
on this bill.
I also attended a Public Hearing on LD 1711 “Resolve, ToSave Lives by Establishing a Homeless Opioid Users Service Engagement PilotProject:” “ This resolve establishes within the Department of Health and
Human Services a pilot project to provide rapid access to low-barrier treatment
for substance use disorders and stable housing to support recovery and create
stability for 50 opioid users who are among the most vulnerable and unstable in
the State. It directs the department to implement the pilot project no later
than September 1, 2018 and to report to the joint standing committee of the
Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters by March
15, 2019. The joint standing committee is authorized to submit legislation
regarding the pilot project, including legislation to continue the pilot
project, to the First Regular Session of the 129th Legislature.”
I heard very moving testimony from providers and
some recovering addicts about the need for such services including one plea to the
committee to please include in this project at least 15 addicted pregnant women
in order to intervene on the number of babies being born addicted to opioids who
must go through treatment at birth. I support this resolve without reservation.
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