1 p.m.

Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee; public hearings; room 214; Cross Building

L.D. 525, “An Act To Promote Industrial Hemp”: removes the requirements that an applicant for an initial license to grow industrial hemp for commercial purposes must submit a set of the applicant’s fingerprints and file with the Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry documentation indicating that the seeds were a type of approved hemp and repeals the provision that licensure is contingent upon action by the federal government.

L.D. 630, “An Act To Reserve Ten Percent of Campsites at State Parks for Maine Residents”: requires the director of the Division of Parks and Public Lands to set aside 10 percent of campsites for use by Maine residents on a first-come, first-served basis and may be made up to four months in advance of each camping season.

L.D. 657, “Resolve, Directing the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry To Review, Clarify and Update Its Rules Pertaining to the Maple Syrup Industry”: directs the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to review, clarify and update its rules relating to the licensing of maple syrup processors.

L.D. 658, “An Act To Change the Grade Standards of the Maine Maple Syrup Industry”: replaces the existing maple syrup grading system for the state with a new grading system that has been proposed by the International Maple Syrup Institute making grade A for maple syrup sold at retail.

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Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee; work sessions; room 211; Cross Building

L.D. 196, “An Act Regarding the Implementation of the Quality Assurance Program for Public Safety Answering Points”: directs the Public Utilities Commission, Emergency Services Communication Bureau to implement the public safety answering point quality assurance program.

L.D. 275, “Resolve, To Require the Emergency Services Communication Bureau To Expand the Existing Quality Assurance System”: directs the Public Utilities Commission, Emergency Services Communication Bureau to expand its quality assurance system to include fire and police call processing and dispatching and also to expand its emergency medical dispatch structured protocol system to include equivalent fire and police protocols and to authorize necessary 9-1-1 funding.

L.D. 774, “Resolve, Regarding a Fire and Police Protocols Pilot Program for E-9-1-1 Call Processing”: gives the Public Utilities Commission the authority to conduct pilot programs at public safety answering points to examine the benefits of and resources needed to implement a statewide fire and police protocols program for E-9-1-1 call processing in the state’s public safety answering points and report by Dec. 31, 2014.

Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee; public hearings; room 206; Cross Building

L.D. 730, “An Act To Protect Maine’s Loons by Banning Lead Sinkers and Jigs”: makes it illegal to sell or use lead sinkers and jigs weighing one ounce or less and measuring 2 1/2 inches or less in length.

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L.D. 775, “An Act To Require a Nonresident To Hire a Maine Guide To Hunt Sea Ducks”: requires a nonresident sea duck hunter to hire and be accompanied by a licensed Maine guide.

L.D. 800, “An Act To Expand Migratory Waterfowl Hunting Opportunities”: allows Sunday migratory waterfowl hunting during the 2nd duck hunting season.

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

L.D. 146, “An Act To Prohibit Unfair Discrimination in Long-term Care Insurance”: prohibits unfair discrimination on the basis of gender in the underwriting of long-term care insurance and requires the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, Bureau of Insurance to evaluate the best methods to stabilize rates for long-term care insurance.

L.D. 506, “Resolve, Directing the Bureau of Insurance To Amend Its Rules Pertaining to Medicare Advantage Plans”: emergency bill, directs the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, Bureau of Insurance to clarify that a Medicare beneficiary who is enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan may enroll in another Medicare Advantage plan with the same insurer or a different insurer for a period of three years without affecting the Medicare beneficiary’s continuity of coverage.

L.D. 637, “An Act To Prohibit Consideration of Preexisting Conditions in Short-term Disability Insurance”: prohibits an insurer that issues group short-term disability insurance on or after Jan. 1, 2014 from refusing to provide coverage on the basis of a pre-existing condition and from imposing any exclusion on coverage based on that pre-existing condition.

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L.D. 848, “An Act To Clarify the Right To Name a 3rd Party To Receive Notification of Policy Cancellation”: allows an insured person who had been paying for health insurance through a payroll plan 60 days after they are no longer on the payroll plan to designate at least one other person to receive notice of lapse or termination of the policy.

L.D. 891, “An Act To Create Uniform Claims Paying Practices in Long-term Care Insurance Policies”: emergency bill, requires a long-term care insurer to pay a claim to an insured within 14 business days of receipt of all necessary documentation identified by the insurer, if this does not happen then is subject to interest of 1 1/2 percent per month after the due date.

L.D. 893, “An Act To Protect Life Insurance Policyholders”: requires that a notice of cancellation of life insurance be sent by registered mail to the last known address of the policyholder and any third party designated by the policyholder.

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. 522, “An Act To Amend the Guardian Ad Litem Laws”: provides that the Supreme Judicial Court may adopt rules governing guardians ad litem appointed in family matters cases and in child protective cases.

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L.D. 551, “An Act To Establish Certification Standards for Guardians Ad Litem”: proposes to direct the Supreme Judicial Court to establish certification standards for guardians ad litem.

L.D. 785, “An Act To Ensure the Periodic Review and Revision of Statutory Provisions”: requires that program evaluation reports filed by state agencies, directs the Office of the Revisor of Statutes and the Office of Policy and Legal Analysis to review the program evaluation reports and any resulting legislation and to submit a report on other laws that may need review, each joint standing committee of the legislature receiving a report is directed to make recommendations to the joint standing committee of the legislature having jurisdiction over judiciary matters, which is to report a bill to make the necessary changes.

L.D. 872, “An Act To Improve the Quality of Guardian ad Litem Services for the Children and Families of Maine”: restructures the current guardian ad litem program in Maine based on the findings and recommendations of the 2006 report, “Performance Audit of Guardians ad litem for Children in Child Protection Cases” submitted to the Government Oversight Committee by the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability by proposing a comprehensive program governing guardians ad litem.

L.D. 975, “An Act To Ensure Accountability of Guardians Ad Litem and Parenting Coordinators”: requires the court to impose limits on the extent of investigations to be undertaken by a guardian ad litem, requires all guardians ad litem and parenting coordinators to have education and training in social work, requires the court to set expenditure limits on guardian ad litem and parenting coordinator fees and any other costs, removes the quasi-judicial immunity provided to guardians ad litem and parenting coordinators and allows a cause of action and the award of punitive damages against guardians ad litem and parenting coordinators who falsely accuse parties of abuse or neglect or who intentionally exclude from reports to the parties or the court relevant information.

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

L.D. 747, “An Act To Protect Doctors Who Prescribe a Complementary Course of Treatment and To Provide Insurance Coverage for That Treatment”: provides that the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, Board of Licensure in Medicine may not bring disciplinary action against a physician who prescribes or provides medicine or treatment that is authorized for a complementary health care provider and requires complementary treatment be covered under health insurance plans.

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L.D. 865, “An Act Regarding Contract Indemnification”: prohibits certain indemnification agreements by which a contracting party compensates itself from its own negligence or willful misconduct.

L.D. 952, “An Act To Ensure Increased Wages for Wabanaki Tribal Members”: raises the state minimum wage to $10 per hour for members of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Passamaquoddy tribe, Penobscot nation and Aroostook Band of Micmacs.

L.D. 976, “An Act To Reform Employer-provided Benefits”: prohibits an employer from giving an employee remuneration in lieu of an offered benefit when by refusing the benefit the employee receives a publicly funded benefit.

L.D. 977, “An Act To Restore Uniformity to the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code”: requires the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code to be enforced in all municipalities with more than 2,000 residents, beginning July 1, 2014.

L.D. 993, “Resolve, To Amend Maine Board of Pharmacy Rules Regarding Automated Pharmacy Systems in Hospitals”: removes hospital pharmacies from the rules governing the use of automated pharmacy systems in both retail establishments and institutional pharmacies.

1:30 p.m.

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

L.D. 694, “An Act To Clarify Solid Waste Policy”: emergency bill, amends the declaration of policy in the laws governing waste management to provide that the Legislature finds that the highest and best use of a state-owned solid waste facility is for waste that cannot be handled by waste reduction, reuse and recycling and provides that a change in the type or volume of waste accepted by a facility requires approval by the Department of Environmental Protection and a public benefit determination.

L.D. 845, “An Act To Change the Classification of the Lower Androscoggin River”: changes the lower Androscoggin River from the Worumbo Dam in Lisbon Falls to a line formed by the extension of the Bath-Brunswick boundary across Merrymeeting Bay to class B.

L.D. 877, “An Act To Establish the Geospatial Data Reserve Fund”: establishes the Geospatial Data Reserve Fund to continue projects established by the Maine Library of Geographic Information Board.

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

L.D. 247, “An Act To Amend the Law Governing Appeals of Final Agency Action on Applications Concerning Wind Energy Development”: allows a person aggrieved by any order or decision of the Board of Environmental Protection or commissioner of Environmental Protection on an application for an expedited wind energy development may instead appeal to the Superior Court.

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L.D. 385, “An Act To Improve Wind Energy Development Permitting”: provides for public comment and the opportunity for the public to request a hearing on wind energy permits.

L.D. 616, “An Act To Amend the Expedited Permitting Area for Wind Energy Development under the Jurisdiction of the Maine Land Use Planning Commission”: remove Carrying Place Township, Concord Township, Highland Plantation, Lexington Township and Pleasant Ridge Plantation from the expedited wind power permitting area.

2:30 p.m.

Environmental and Natural Resources Committee; work sessions; room 216; Cross Building

L.D. 105, “An Act To Allow Motor Fuel Containing Five Percent Ethanol To Be Sold in the State”: allows a distributor, blender or retail dealer of gasoline in the state to sell, consign or distribute gasoline containing only 5 percent ethanol.

L.D. 115, “An Act To Join in a Prohibition on Motor Fuel Containing Corn-based Ethanol”: prohibits the sale of motor fuel that contains corn-based ethanol if at least two other New England states pass a similar prohibition.

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L.D. 141, “Resolve, Directing the Department of Environmental Protection To Develop Quantitative Odor Management Standards”: requires the Department of Environmental Protection to adopt rules concerning septage and wastewater treatment sludge processing facilities that incorporate odor management standards.

L.D. 261, “An Act To Provide That a Distributor, Blender or Retail Dealer of Motor Fuel May Not Be Required To Sell, Consign or Distribute Motor Fuel Containing Ten Percent or More Ethanol”: provides that a distributor, blender or retail dealer of motor fuel may not be required to sell, consign or distribute motor fuel containing 10 percent or more ethanol.

L.D. 453, “An Act To Prohibit the Sale of Gasoline That Contains Ethanol as an Additive at a Level Greater than 10 Percent by Volume”: prohibits the sale of gasoline that contains ethanol as an additive at a level greater than 10 percent by volume, if at least two other New England states enact laws that prohibit such sales.

L.D. 596, “An Act To Help Small Businesses and Promote Tourism by Allowing the Construction of a Platform, Walkway or Deck over a River or Marshland”: provides that construction of a platform or walkway or deck over a river or marshland may be exempt from the Department of Environmental Protection’s rules relative to significant wildlife habitat under certain conditions.


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