1 p.m.

Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee; work sessions; room 127; State House

L.D. 837, “An Act To Clarify the Laws Establishing the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry”: emergency bill; establishes the Potato Marketing Improvement Fund Committee to advise the Maine Potato Board; transfers the responsibility for maintenance of the Aroostoock County office to the Maine Potato Board; expands the mission statement of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to include the economy; changes the guiding principles of the department to include Noneconomic and locally grown, sustainable principles; refines the scope of the two deputy commissioners’ oversight and specifies the qualifications of the commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry; and authorizes the Finance Authority of Maine to make payments from the Potato Marketing Improvement Fund to the Maine Potato Board.

Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee; public hearings; room 436; State House

L.D. 85, “An Act To Amend the Motor Vehicle Ignition Interlock Device Requirements in the Laws Regarding Operating Under the Influence”: increases the minimum mandatory driver’s license suspension for a person convicted of operating under the influence who has three or more previous offenses within a 10-year period to eight years.

L.D. 297, “An Act To Require Forest Rangers To Be Trained in Order To Allow Them To Carry Firearms”: repeals the requirement of the commissioner of Conservation to sell all bulletproof vests, firearms and related equipment and the prohibition on the commissioner from purchasing bulletproof vests, firearms or related equipment without specific authorization; requires forest rangers to attend and complete a law enforcement training course at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy if they haven’t already; requires the state supervisor of the forest protection unit in the Division of Forestry and the director of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy to develop a plan to provide training to forest rangers in the use of firearms, bulletproof vests and other related equipment and report by Jan. 1, 2014.

L.D. 1260, “An Act To Allow Ignition Interlock Devices on Vehicles Operated by First-time Offenders of Operating Under the Influence”: increases penalties for first time OUI offenders with 180 license suspension, require an ignition interlock device in their motor vehicle for immediate license reinstatement and a $100 reinstatement fee.

Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee; public hearings; room 211; Cross Building

L.D. 1085, “An Act To Establish the Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff”: requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish a renewable energy resources feed-in tariff program to encourage the rapid and sustainable development of renewable energy resources and technology; requires that utilities purchase renewably produced electricity and requires that utilities enter into a standard contract with all renewable energy suppliers for a set term.

L.D. 1252, “An Act To Improve Maine’s Economy and Energy Security with Solar and Wind Energy”: reinstates the solar and wind energy rebate program; increases the limit on the total amount of renewable capacity to 60 megawatts; requires the Public Utilities Commission to reserve 10 megawatts for solar-power generation; increases the limit on contract price for solar-power generation; and indexes the price limit to the Consumer Price Index.

L.D. 1278, “An Act To Ensure Equitable Support for Long-term Energy Contracts”: provides that eligible costs and benefits related to transmission and distribution utilities in the state are determined annually based on a forecast and reconciled the following year.

Health and Human Services Committee; public hearings; room 209; Cross Building

L.D. 536, “An Act To Improve the Efficiency of Use of MaineCare Funds”: ensures that a person who has applied for MaineCare coverage is discharged from the hospital to a rehabilitation facility promptly as appropriate to that person’s medical condition.

L.D. 537, “An Act To Help Maine Residents Receive Private Health Care Insurance”: provides that individuals must apply for enrollment in an employer’s group health plan for eligible for MaineCare.

L.D. 716, “An Act Regarding Prescription Medications for Children under the MaineCare Program”: directs the Department of Health and Human Services to adopt a program that consists of a prescription medication protocol, monitoring and prior authorization for reimbursement under the MaineCare program for prescriptions given to children.

L.D. 804, “An Act To Improve Preventive Dental Health Care and Reduce Costs in the MaineCare Program”: adds one annual preventive oral health visit to the MaineCare-covered oral health services for adults 21 years of age and older.

L.D. 1089, “Resolve, To Allow York County To Renegotiate with the Department of Health and Human Services a Decision Regarding Transportation Services”: requires the Commissioner of Health and Human Services to reopen the decision to designate a broker for MaineCare nonemergency transportation services in York County.

L.D. 1188, “Resolve, Directing the Department of Health and Human Services To Amend Its Rules of Reimbursement under the MaineCare Program for Audiology and Speech-language Pathology Services”: equalizes rates, eliminate a prior authorization requirement and provides for payment by the MaineCare program of the Medicare deductible for audiology services.

L.D. 1247, “An Act To Expand Coverage of Family Planning Services”: expands Medicaid coverage for family planning services to adults and adolescents who have incomes less than or equal to 200 percent of the nonfarm income official poverty line.

L.D. 1274, “An Act To Sustain Emergency Medical Services throughout the State”: increases MaineCare reimbursement rates for ambulance services to Medicare reimbursement rate levels.

L.D. 1333, “Resolve, Directing the Department of Health and Human Services To Amend the MaineCare Benefits Manual”: pays a distinct psychiatric unit discharge rate equal to $9,128.31 per psychiatric discharge for patients under 18 years of age from hospitals in the Lewiston-Auburn area.

L.D. 1364, “An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Hospital Leave Days for MaineCare Recipients”: emergency bill, clarifies that the number of hospital and therapeutic leave days for MaineCare recipients is limited to four hospital leave days per hospital visit and one therapeutic leave day per year.

Insurance and Financial Services Committee; work sessions; room 220; Cross Building

L.D. 627, “An Act Relating to Orally Administered Cancer Therapy”: requires health insurance policies that cover cancer chemotherapy to include coverage for orally administered anti-cancer medication.

L.D. 1006, “An Act To Clarify Transparency of Medical Provider Profiling Programs Used by Insurance Companies and Other Providers of Health Insurance”: requires that any cost metric used by insurance providers is covered by the existing transparency provisions in the health plan improvement laws and requires carriers to provide copies of the data methodology used in the metric to affected providers.

Judiciary Committee; public hearings; room 438; State House

L.D. 777, “An Act To Protect Working Mothers Who Breast-feed”: provides that it is unlawful employment discrimination under the Maine Human Rights Act for an employer to fail to provide certain workplace accommodations for an employee with a nursing child.

L.D. 830, “An Act To Further Protect Pregnant Women under the Maine Human Rights Act”: provides that it is unlawful employment discrimination under the Maine Human Rights Act for a covered entity to fail to provide an employee who is pregnant the same reasonable accommodations applicable to a qualified individual with a disability.

L.D. 982, “An Act To Create a Gambling Offset To Enhance the Collection of Child Support”: requires that licensees that operate slot machines and table games intercept the gambling winnings of individuals with outstanding child support debt and forward the amount owed to the Department of Health and Human Services.

L.D. 1034, “An Act To Increase Child Support Collections by Requiring the Interception of Certain Gambling Winnings”: requires that licensees that operate slot machines and licensees that conduct pari-mutuel wagering on horse racing and table games intercept the gambling winnings of individuals with outstanding child support debt and forward the amount owed to the Department of Health and Human Services.

L.D. 1068, “An Act To Prevent the Reduction in Adoption Subsidy after an Agreement Has Been Signed by the Prospective Adoptive Parents and the Department of Health and Human Services”: emergency bill, prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services from reducing its adoption assistance payments to adoptive parents once an adoption assistance payment is agreed upon.

L.D. 1107, “An Act To Provide a Uniform Process for the Use of Orders Awarding Parental Rights and Responsibilities To Dispose of a Child Protective Case”: clarifies that the court has authority to completely dispose of a child protective case by entering an order awarding parental rights and responsibilities; requires the court to open a new family matters case and have it docketed; and repeals the authority of the court to order child protective reviews once the order awarding parental rights and responsibilities is entered.

L.D. 1114, “An Act To Amend the Laws Concerning Parental Rights in Child Abandonment Cases”: provides that criminal abandonment of a child does not include voluntary placement of a child with a person, agency or medical facility resulting from a coordinated effort with the Department of Health and Human Services and health care professionals to secure a placement that is in the best interests of the child.

L.D. 1136, “An Act To Provide State Recognition for the Kineo Band of Maliseet Indians”: provides for state recognition of the Kineo Band of Maliseet Indians as a Native American tribe.

L.D. 1249, “An Act To Make Statutory Changes To Address Certain Conflicting Requirements of the Maine Rules of Professional Conduct and the Federal Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 Regarding Maine’s Protection and Advocacy Agency”: requires that the Maine’s protection and advocacy agency maintain the confidentiality of client records; changes the role of the agency in investigating rights violations and in behavior modification and management review committees.

Marine Resources Committee; public hearings; room 206; Cross Building

L.D. 898, “An Act To Require Labeling of Genetically Engineered Marine Organisms”: requires clear and conspicuous labeling of marine organisms offered for sale that are produced using genetic engineering.

L.D. 1020, “An Act Regarding the Swans Island Lobster Fishing Zone”: emergency bill, establishes the Swans Island Lobster Conservation Area making the maximum allowable number of lobster traps and tags per individual registered to obtain Swans Island Lobster Conservation Area trap tags is 550.

State and Local Government Committee; public hearings; room 214; Cross Building

L.D. 1312, “An Act To Create a Succession and Knowledge Transfer Plan for State Government”: directs the Director of the Bureau of Human Resources to establish a plan to develop a pool of qualified internal candidates to fill vacancies at the managerial and senior staff levels within state agencies.

L.D. 1369, “An Act To Change the Way Legislators Are Paid”: changes the pay to senators and representatives in the first year of the legislative session to $20,000 and the pay in the second year of the legislative session to $20,000 and removes the cost-of-living adjustment beginning Nov. 30, 2014 and removes the provision of health insurance to legislators and allows them to purchase health insurance for themselves and for their dependents at the rate at which the state purchases health insurance.

Transportation Committee; public hearing; room 126; Cross Building

L.D. 1382, “An Act To Provide Toll Discounts to Maine Commuters on the Maine Turnpike”: requires that the system of commuter discounts established by the Maine Turnpike Authority provide passenger vehicles with reduced rates that do not exceed 50 percent of the normal passenger vehicle toll; requires the rate of toll be based on number of miles traveled; and requires the authority must submit its proposed revisions to the Legislature before implementing toll revisions.

Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee; public hearings; room 437; State House

L.D. 646, “An Act To Facilitate Consumer Taste Testings”: allows manufacturers and suppliers of alcoholic beverages and certain licensed sales representatives to purchase alcoholic beverages from a retail licensee’s existing stock for use exclusively in a consumer taste-testing event held at the retail licensee’s premises.

L.D. 704, “An Act To Improve the Availability of Coupons in the State”: allows an agency store licensee to voluntarily redeem coupons and removes the requirement that instant redeemable coupons be inserted in the package by the manufacturer or attached to the package by the manufacturer, manufacturer’s agent or manufacturer’s sales representative.

L.D. 766, “An Act To Define “Brand” under the Liquor Laws”: defines “brand” as the common name used to identify a manufacturer’s line or family of liquor products comprising individual labels.

L.D. 941, “An Act To Facilitate the Expansion of the State’s Liquor Distribution System”: authorizes the licensing of 12 agency liquor stores in a municipality with a population over 45,000 to provide larger municipalities with more equitable access to agency liquor stores.

L.D. 1042, “An Act To Increase the Opportunities for Taste-testing Events for On-premises Liquor Licensees”: allows on-premises liquor licensees to conduct up to 3 taste-testing events per month.

L.D. 1082, “An Act Concerning the Ability of Off-premises Liquor Licensees To Dispense Liquor in Sealed Refillable Containers”: allows off-premises retail liquor licensees to dispense liquor from kegs into sealable refillable containers for resale.

L.D. 1318, “An Act To Clarify the Law Regarding Advertising Signs outside Premises Licensed To Sell Alcohol”: clarifies the number of advertising signs a person licensed to sell liquor may have outside of the licensed premises is one sign in addition to the state agency liquor store sign.

1:15 p.m.

Transportation Committee; work sessions; room 126; State House

L.D. 569, “Resolve, To Study the Impact of Higher Maine Turnpike Tolls on Workers, Businesses and Economic Development”: emergency bill, establishes the Task Force To Study the Impact of Increased Tolls on Workers, Businesses and Economic Development.

L.D. 588, “An Act To Abolish the Maine Turnpike Authority and Transfer Its Functions and Duties to the Department of Transportation”: abolishes the Maine Turnpike Authority and transfers its duties and the operation of the turnpike to the Department of Transportation.

L.D. 621, “An Act To Change the Tolling on the Maine Turnpike”: directs the Maine Turnpike Authority to discontinue all toll facilities on the Maine Turnpike except for 6 toll collection facilities at the following locations: in the Town of York at mile 7.3; upon exit from the turnpike at the Interstate 295 interchange in the City of Portland at mile 44.3; upon exit from the turnpike at the Interstate 295 interchange in the Town of Falmouth at mile 51.6; in the Town of New Gloucester at mile 67; in the Town of West Gardiner at mile 100.2; and at the Interstate 295 interchange in the City of Gardiner at mile 103.

L.D. 779, “An Act To Require a Public Notification and Hearing Process before Any Toll Increase by the Maine Turnpike Authority and Establish a Formal Grievance Process”: requires that the Maine Turnpike Authority provide notice and hold public hearings in at least three municipalities no later than 60 days before voting on and instituting a toll increase and establishes a grievance process to receive complaints from the public.

L.D. 917, “An Act To Waive Tolls on the Maine Turnpike for Certain Disabled Maine Veterans”: requires the Maine Turnpike Authority to waive tolls on the Maine Turnpike for certain disabled Maine veterans.

L.D. 957, “An Act To Require Legislative Approval for the Issuance of Bonds by the Maine Turnpike Authority”: requires that the Maine Turnpike Authority receive legislative approval prior to its issuance of bonds.

1 :30 p.m.

State and Local Government Committee; work sessions; room 214; Cross Building

L.D. 613, “Resolve, Directing the Bureau of General Services To Erect a Memorial in Memory of Those Who Died at the Former Augusta Mental Health Institute”: directs the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of General Services to design and erect a memorial on the grounds of the former Augusta Mental Health Institute for the people who died at that hospital.

L.D. 954, “Resolve, Extending the Time That the Commissioner of Administrative and Financial Services Has To Sell or Lease Property in Augusta”: emergency bill, extends the repeal date of the sale of the stone buildings formerly occupied by the Augusta Mental Health Institute to June 30, 2018.

L.D. 955, “Resolve, Authorizing the Commissioner of Administrative and Financial Services To Sell or Lease the Interests of the State in Certain Real Property Located in Bangor, Boothbay Harbor and Hallowell”: gives the commissioner of Administrative and Financial Services authority to sell or lease the Bangor Mental Health Institute in Bangor and the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Boothbay Harbor and provides that any proceeds from a sale in Hallowell be deposited into the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of General Services’ capital repair and improvement account for capital improvements.

L.D. 1152, “Resolve, To Continue Consultation and Conditions Prerequisite to the Sale or Lease of Certain Real Property in Hallowell”: emergency bill, directs the state to enter into a lease to extend the current terms of School Administrative District 16 or any successor school administrative unit that includes the City of Hallowell as a tenant at the site through June 30, 2017; specifies that a subgroup of stakeholders must be invited to participate in interviews of qualified developers and to participate in interviews with developers prior to the transfer of any portion of the site to a developer; and requires the commissioner of Administrative and Financial Services to report on the status of all efforts toward the sale or transfer of the property.

L.D. 1169, “An Act To Ensure Accountability in State Contracts”: requires a request for proposals or solicitation of bids by the state for a contract for the provision of property, products or services with respect to the state budget to include certain defining information and requires the information to be posted on the publicly accessible portion of the Department of Administrative and Financial Services website.

2 p.m.

Education and Cultural Affairs Committee; public hearings; room 202; Cross Building

L.D. 751, “An Act To Limit the Effect of Standardized Tests on Teacher Evaluations”: provides that no more than 30 percent of an educator’s total educator effectiveness rating may be based on the results of standardized tests.

L.D. 1106, “An Act To Develop a Grant Program To Establish a Teacher-led School Model”: provides for the creation, submission, review and approval of innovation plans to establish teacher-led schools.

L.D. 1144, “An Act To Further Ensure Effective Teaching and School Leadership”: removes two of the data elements that the Department of Education is required to collect; requires the Department of Education to adopt rules regarding the qualifications that evaluators must have to participate in the performance evaluation of teachers and school principals; requires that the commissioner of Education provide state funding to implement performance evaluation and professional growth systems for teachers and principals beginning with the 2013-14 school year; provides that school administrative units are not required to implement the performance evaluation and professional growth systems for teachers and principals until the state funds their share of the total cost of funding public education from kindergarten to grade 12 at the 55 percent level.

L.D. 1330, “An Act To Establish in Law a Method for Alternative Certification of Teachers”: allows certification by the commissioner of Education for people who graduated programs that prepare persons for alternative certification.

L.D. 1350, “An Act Regarding School Administrator Effectiveness”: requires school administrative units to develop and implement performance evaluation and professional growth systems for administrators.

L.D. 1361, “An Act To Strengthen the Teaching of Writing and Mathematics and Improve Maine High School Graduates’ College and Career Readiness”: establishes a standards-based approach to assessing the proficiency and competency of new teachers and teachers seeking a renewal of a professional teacher certificate; requires the Education Coordinating Committee to conduct a review of college placement tests; and requires the Board of Trustees of the University of Maine System to establish graduation requirements that ensure that graduates of any baccalaureate degree program can demonstrate writing competencies.

Insurance and Financial Services Committee; pubic hearings; room 220; Cross Building

L.D. 971, “An Act Regarding Exemptions under the Maine Insurance Code”: removes the exemption of health care sharing ministries from regulation as insurers.

L.D. 984, “An Act To Amend the Health Plan Improvement Law Regarding Prescription Drug Step Therapy and Prior Authorization”: reduces the time for health insurance carriers to respond to nonemergency prescription drug prior authorization requests to 24 hours.

L.D. 991, “An Act To Promote Wellness and Prevention through Health Plans”: gives authority to the superintendent of Insurance to approve pilot projects allowing health insurance carriers to offer health plans that include premium credits and other incentives to encourage enrollees to participate in wellness and prevention programs beginning Oct. 1.

L.D. 1092, “An Act To Increase the Use of Long-term Care Insurance”: allows persons otherwise eligible for long-term care benefits under MaineCare that own life insurance policies with face amounts exceeding $10,000 to enter into life settlement contracts in exchange for direct payments to a health care provider for long-term care benefits.

Marine Resources Committee; work sessions; room 206; Cross Building

L.D. 810, “Resolve, To Amend the Lobster Trap Tag System Rules for Certain Zones”: directs the Commissioner of Marine Resources to reduce the number of lobster traps that a person may fish in the limited entry zone other than the person’s declared lobster zone to 25 percent of the person’s traps.

L.D. 899, “An Act Providing for a Noncommercial, Nondomiciled Resident Lobster and Crab Fishing License”: creates a noncommercial, nondomiciled resident lobster and crab fishing license for $250 and an annual surcharge of $1,000 for the Lobster Promotion Fund.

L.D. 939, “An Act To Restore Maine’s Groundfishing Industry”: adds $7 million for the purchase of federal groundfishing permits.

3 p.m.

Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee; work sessions; room 436; State House

L.D. 265, “An Act To Repeal the Restriction on Employers Regarding Firearms Kept in an Employee’s Vehicle”: repeals the prohibition of an employer from prohibiting an employee who holds a permit to carry a concealed firearm from keeping a firearm in the employee’s locked vehicle.

L.D. 335, “An Act To Review Firearm Laws in the State”: creates a study group to review all firearm laws to see if more could be done to protect citizens, especially educators.

L.D. 724, “An Act To Require Firearms Used in the Commission of Certain Acts To Be Civilly Forfeited to the State and Destroyed”: requires the forfeiture and destruction of a firearm used in a crime that causes death or serious bodily injury by a person who then, either due to suicide or attempted suicide or the justifiable actions of a law enforcement officer, dies or becomes incompetent to stand trial.

L.D. 1173, “An Act To Repeal the Law Allowing Concealed Weapons in State Parks with Certain Exceptions”: repeals the law that allows a person with a permit to carry a concealed firearm to carry a concealed firearm in the buildings or parts of buildings and other public property that are under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Division of Public Parks and Lands, including state parks and historic sites with some exceptions.

L.D. 1182, “An Act Regarding the Disposition of Firearms in State Custody”: amends the disposal of firearms by: including the disposition of firearms and ammunition acquired by the state; requires all law enforcement agencies to transfer any forfeited or no longer needed firearms and ammunition to the Department of Public Safety; clarifies that the department may transfer only unsafe firearms and ammunition to the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory or the Maine State Museum; requires the department to hold up to two firearm and ammunition auctions a year; outlines the rules for the firearm auction and removes the liability of the sate; and requires the department keep records of the disposition of all firearms and ammunition disposed of pursuant to the provisions of this bill.

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