9 a.m.

Health and Human Services Committee; work sessions; room 209; Cross Building

L.D. 197, “An Act To Permit Nurse Practitioners To Perform the Functions of School Physicians”: Allows a family or pediatric nurse practitioner to serve as a health care provider in a school.

L.D. 257, “An Act To Protect Newborns Exposed to Drugs or Alcohol”: Once a health care provider has notified the Department of Health and Human Services of an infant from birth to 12 months of prenatal alcohol or drug exposure, DHHS must prepare a plan for the safe care of the infant. Repeals the requirement that the department investigate every notification for abuse or neglect.

L.D. 276, “Resolve, To Improve Access to Oral Health Care for MaineCare Recipients”: Increases MaineCare dental reimbursement rates for 20 preventive, diagnostic and restorative dental procedures to the 10th percentile.

L.D. 305, “An Act To Eliminate Institute Councils for Mental Health Institutions”: Repeals the laws establishing institute councils for the Riverview Psychiatric Center and Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center. L.D. 386, “An Act To Reduce Tobacco-related Illness and Lower Health Care Costs in MaineCare”: This emergency bill requires tobacco cessation treatment for MaineCare members who are adults or are pregnant without copayments, requires the Department of Health and Human Services to pursue federal reimbursement for the cost of coverage.

L.D. 390, “An Act To Restore MaineCare Coverage for Ambulatory Surgical Center Services”: This emergency bill restores funding for MaineCare coverage for ambulatory surgical center services.

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

L.D. 182, “An Act To Support the Maine Lobster Industry”: Adds $1 million to the Lobster Promotion Council for this fiscial year.

L.D. 469, “An Act To Allow the Commissioner of Marine Resources To Investigate Price Fixing of Lobster”: This emergency bill authroizes the commissioner of Marine Resources to investigate lobster price fixing and requires the Attorney General to help at the request of the commissioner.

L.D. 486, “An Act To Provide for the Effective Marketing and Promotion of Maine Lobster”: Increases the surcharged on harvester and dealer licenses, changes the criteria for membership on the Lobster Promotion Council and requires the council to report annually to the joint standing committee, the Lobster Advisory Council and the lobster industry.

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

L.D. 155, “An Act To Streamline the Approval of Accessibility Structures”: This emergency bill allows a code enforcement officer to grant all permits to build a disability ramp, including any structure that requires a variance.

L.D. 340, “Resolve, Authorizing the Sale of Certain Property in Augusta to Motivational Services, Inc.”: Gives the commissioner of Administrative and Financial Services authority to sell Motivational Services Inc. building located at 6 and 10 Arsenal Heights Drive on the east campus of the Augusta Mental Health Institute.

L.D. 357, “An Act To Amend the Charter of the Augusta Parking District”: Repeals the provision requiring the dissolution of conveyance of assets to the city of Augusta upon payment of all bonds issued to the district. 

10 a.m.

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

L.D. 190, “An Act To Provide a Ten Percent Discount to Persons Charged with a Traffic Infraction Who Pay Fines by Waiver”: If a person files a written answer to the judicial branch’s violations bureau that does not contest a traffic infraction, the fine is reduced by 10%.

L.D. 192, “An Act To Allow Consideration of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder at Sentencing in a Criminal Case”: Allows a court to consider as a mitigating factor in sentencing a person convicted of a crime, that the person suffers from the condition of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, the person was exposed to alcohol in the womb resulting in impaired brain function.

L.D. 355, “An Act To Amend Provisions Relating to the Department of Corrections To Clarify Certain Enforcement Powers”: Allows employees of the Department of Corrections who are certified to uses the same law enforcement powers as investigative officers, requires transportation to work release job sites be approved by the correctional facility’s chief administrative officer and permits the correctional facility to use the first $1,000 in a deceased prisoner’s accounts to pay funeral directors and specified others.

Educational and Cultural Affairs Committee; work sessions; room 202; Cross Building

L.D. 243, “Resolve, To Direct the Department of Education To Amend Its Rules Regarding Restraint of Students”: This emergency bill directs the Department of Education to allow the use of physical restraint and seclusion to prevent imminent risk of harm to a student or others, significant property damage, to prevent disruption of the educational environment and when authorized in writing by a student’s parent. These changes must be made within seven business days of the effective date of the bill.

L.D. 351, “An Act To Authorize the Provision of Insurance on Student Loans”: This emergency bill specifies the Finance Authority of Maine may provide loan insurance on supplemental student loans and renames it the Higher Education Loan and Loan Insurance Program.

Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee; public hearings; room 208; Cross Building

L.D. 293, “An Act To Ensure Parity in the Collective Bargaining Process among State Institutions of Higher Education”: Removes the requirement that cost items in any collective bargaining agreement of community college employees be submitted for inclusion in the governor’s next operating budget and be subject to review by the Legislature.

L.D. 418, “An Act To Enforce Wage Laws by Preventing Misclassification of Employees”: Defines “employee,” “employer” and “independent contractor” to prevent misclassification of employees and their exclusion from wage law protection.

Transportation Committee; work sessions; room 126; State House

L.D. 51, “An Act To Allow Lifetime Disability Plates or Placards for Eligible Applicants with Lower Limb Loss”: Provides that the disability plate or placard for a person with loss of all or part of one or both lower limbs does not expire during the eligible applicant’s lifetime.

L.D. 226, “An Act To Establish a Renewable Energy License Plate”: Establishes a specialty license plate to increase funding for renewable energy programs.

L.D. 324, “An Act To Make Supplemental Allocations from the Highway Fund and Other Funds for the Expenditures of State Government Necessary to the Proper Operations of State Government for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2013”: This emergency governor’s bill makes appropriations and allocations of funds for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013 and makes allocations of funds for approved reclassifications.

L.D. 405, “An Act To Increase Municipal Agent Fees for Licensing and Registration of Motor Vehicles”: Increases the motor vehicle licensing and registration service fees to renewal of a license or registration to $5, and a new license or registration to $6.

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

L.D. 428, “An Act To License Betting on Football Score Pools”: Authorizes the chief of the state police to issue a license to operate football score pools for $50 per calendar year and the operator may retain a fee in an amount up to 20 percent the total entry fees received for that football score pool.

L.D. 433, “An Act To Provide Parity in Funding to the Maine Maritime Academy from Gaming”: Directs the Department of Public Safety, Gambling Control Board to forward 3 percent of revenue from slot machines to the Board of Trustees of the Maine Maritime Academy to help fund its scholarships program.

L.D. 510, “An Act To Ensure Equity in Funding to State Postsecondary Institutions of Higher Learning”: Directs the Department of Public Safety, Gambling Control Board to forward 4 percent of revenue from slot machines to the Board of Trustees of the Maine Maritime Academy to help fund its scholarships program.

L.D. 572, “An Act Regarding Games of Chance Operated by Snowmobile Clubs”: Allows snowmobile clubs to accept wagers of up to $50 per hand on games of chance and is limited to two poker run events per year in which the club is permitted to accept the increased wagers.

1 p.m.

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

L.D. 251, “An Act Criminalizing Trafficking in Contraband or Alcoholic Beverages in State Hospitals Serving Adults”: Makes it a class C crime to traffick in contraband and a class E crime to traffick in alcoholic beverages in Riverview Psychiatric Center or Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center.

L.D. 353, “An Act To Allow Young Adult Offenders To Be Confined in Juvenile Correctional Facilities and To Comply with Federal Law Requirements”: Allows the Department of Corrections to incarcerate offenders between the ages of 18-26 at the Long Creek Youth Development Center and the Mountain View Youth Development Center as long as they are separated from the juvenile population.

L.D. 366, “An Act To Adjust the Values of Property That Define the Class of Crime for Theft Offenses”: Allows the Department of Corrections to incarcerate offenders between the ages of 18-26 at the Long Creek Youth Development Center and the Mountain View Youth Development Center as long as they are separated from the juvenile population.

Environment and Natural Resources Committee; public hearings; room 216; Cross Building

L.D. 432, “An Act To Amend the Gifting of Land Exemption under the Subdivision Laws”: Removes the requirement that the donor of gifted property must have had the property for five years and provides that property gifted to relatives is transferred within 10 years of when the property was acquired by the donor.

L.D. 437, “An Act To Streamline the General Permit Process for Tidal Power”: Specifies that environmental assessment that includes a finding of no significant impact is not required for the department to accept the application for processing and the date of notification of acceptance of the application for processing must be within 30 days of filing the assessment.

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

L.D. 451, “An Act To Cap Certain Marine Resources Licenses Issued by the Passamaquoddy Tribe”: Limits the Passamaquoddy Tribe’s licenses to 20 licenses for scallops and eight licenses for elver.

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

L.D. 211, “An Act To Amend the Laws Governing the Limitation on County Assessments”: Changes the definition of “property growth factor” to use state valuation data.

L.D. 315, “An Act To Ban the Purchase of Bottled Water by State Agencies”: Prohibits the state or any political subdivision, governmental agency or public benefit corporation of the state from purchasing bottled water.

L.D. 397, “An Act To Amend the Laws Governing the Development and Administration of Municipal Budgets in Unorganized Territories”: Changes the counties’ annual deadlines for submitting to state officials their unorganized territory municipal cost component budget review to Feb. 1, separates the review of the budget from its general fund budget review and eliminates the role of the county budget committee in approving an excess or increase in the county growth limitation factor.

Transportation Committee; public hearings; room 126; State House

L.D. 187, “An Act To Permit Temporary Operation of a Motor Vehicle with an Expired Operator’s License Solely for the Purpose of Traveling Home or Renewing the License”: Allows la enforcement officers to issue a permit to a person whose operator’s license has expired within the previous 90 days to allow that person to renew the operators license.

L.D. 342, “An Act To Waive Driver’s License and Nondriver Identification Card Fees for Current and Recently Discharged Members of the Armed Forces”: Eliminates the driver’s license fee or nondriver identification card fee for people currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces and those who have been discharged or released with in two years aw.

L.D. 406, “An Act To Require Antique Automobiles That Are Operated on the Highways To Be Inspected”: Requires antique autos to be inspected based upon standards determined by the chief of the state police.

L.D. 564, “Resolve, To Allow Maine Drivers To Use Bioptic or Telescopic Spectacles When Driving Class C Motor Vehicles and When Testing for a Class C Driver’s License”: Directs the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to allow the use of telescopic or bioptic corrective lenses for the purpose of meeting any visual acuity requirements and during any phase of the driver’s exam for a class C license.

L.D. 570, “An Act To Create a Vintage Car Category in the Motor Vehicle Laws”: This bill creates a new vehicle registration category called “vintage auto” for a motor vehicle more than 25 years old but less than 51 years old to be inspected biennially.

Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee; work sessions; room 437; State House

L.D. 151, “An Act To Allow 2 Eligible Organizations To Jointly Hold a Game of Beano or Bingo”: This bill allows two organizations licensed to operate or conduct a game of beano or bingo to jointly operate that game on the same premises on the same date.

L.D. 241, “An Act To Amend Certain Laws Governing the Bureau of Maine Veterans’ Services”: Requires that to be eligible for educational benefits a student must apply for a federal Pell Grant; decreases the period of time that a certificate of release or discharge from active duty that is filed with a state, county or local government is kept confidential to 62 years.

L.D. 242, “An Act To Improve the Military Bureau Laws”: Specifies the adjutant general may execute cooperative agreements necessary to operate the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, provides the director of the Maine Emergency Management Agency is appointed by the governor upon the recommendation of the commissioner, renames the State Area Command as the Joint Force Headquarters, authorizes the transfer of unreserved retained earning of $10,000 annually to each of the three accounts, specifies that the level of punishment may be imposed by a colonel in the chain of command of the individual being punished and a person subject to the Maine Code of Military Justice who commits an offense under the Maine Criminal Code’s chapter on sexual assault is also guilty of violating the Maine Code of Military Justice.

L.D. 329, “An Act To Reduce the Licensing Fee for Certain Tournament Games”: Reduces the license fees for tournament games under 100 players and eliminates the ability of an licensed organization to hold a tournament to charge a play an addition to the entry fee.

L.D. 344, “An Act To Amend the Licensing Requirements for Beano Halls Leased by Veterans’ Organizations”: If a veterans’ organization is licensed to conduct beano and wishes to lease its facility to another beano licensed organization, this bill removes the requirement the veterans’ organization get a beano hall permit.

2 p.m.

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

L.D. 301, “An Act To Remove Unnecessary Agenda from the School Day”: Requires review of items that are required by law or policy that are taught in addition to the curriculum to find additional and/or obsolete items and report back to the Legislature.

L.D. 442, “Resolve, To Ensure the Continued Accessibility and Affordability of a High School Equivalency Exam for Maine Residents”: This emergency bill requires the Department of Education to find options for a high school equivalency exam and develop a plan for the availability of the exam and report their results to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs by April 1.

L.D. 466, “An Act To Provide an Honorary Diploma to Veterans”: Directs the Department of Education and the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, Bureau of Maine Veterans’ Services to issue honorary secondary school diplomas to qualified veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Health and Human Services Committee; work sessions; room 209; Cross Building

L.D. 272, “An Act To Reduce Youth Cancer Risk”: Prohibits tanning facilities from allowing those younger than 18 years old to use their services.

L.D. 337, “An Act To Require That Burn Injuries and Wounds Be Reported to the Office of the State Fire Marshal”: Requires that health care practitioners report burn injuries that are second or third degree up to 5 percent of the body, burns to the upper respiratory tract or wounds that may result in the death of the victim to the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Provides immunity for practitioners who report in good faith and abrogates the health care practitioner-patient privilege for the purposes of reporting.

L.D. 387, “Resolve, To Direct the Department of Health and Human Services To Assist Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities with Home Support”: Directs the Department of Health and Human Services to study the home and community based waiver program, which allows states to provide long term care services in home and community based settings, and locate funding to better provide services that allow program participants to meet basic needs for shelter and nourishment.

L.D. 388, “An Act To Amend the Controlled Substances Prescription Monitoring Program Participation Requirements”: Provides an automatic enrollment at the time of licensure or renewal or the issuance of a certificate of registration by the U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration as an alternative to the mandatory participation provision for prescribers in the Controlled Substances Prescription Monitoring Program.

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