MCOA Legislative Testimony on COVID-19
Maine Council on Aging
129th Maine Legislative Priorities & Actions
The Maine Council on Aging has introduced and is supporting a number of bills that will further our overall goal of ensuring we can all live healthy, engaged and secure lives as we age in our homes and community settings. Our priorities include:
- Increasing access to affordable housing & home repair
- Strengthening the direct care workforce across all settings
- Growing transportation options and funding
- Addressing food insecurity among older Mainers
- Increasing financial stability of older Mainers
- Incentivizing and Supporting Community Initiatives
- Promoting coordination and interdepartmental collaboration on aging policy
The 129th Maine Legislature took up over 130 bills related to aging and issues impacting older Mainers. Some bills didn’t pass muster, many good bills were carried over to the next session, and many more were enacted and became law. Below is an overview of enacted bills and bills that were carried over.
Coordinated Leadership on Aging Issues
Carried Over: LD 1733 – An Act To Ensure Comprehensive Interdepartmental Planning, Coordination and Collaboration on Aging Policy
Goals of the 129th Legislative Session:
- Creation of a cabinet level position of Director of Aging in the Governor’s Office
- Creation of State Commission on Aging
- Enhanced requirements for a Comprehensive State Plan on Aging to identify, track and address gaps in housing, transportation, long term supports and services and workforce
- Increased accountability through provision of annual Long Term Services and Support and Aging Services report to the Legislature
Increased Access to Safe Housing
Enacted: LD 1131 An Act To Improve the Ability of Senior Citizens and Persons with Disabilities To Stay in Their Homes
Enacted: LD 1318 Resolve, To Increase Access to Housing-related Support Services
Carried Over: LD 1645 – An Act To Establish a Maine Low-income Housing Tax Credit
Carried Over: LD 1146 – An Act to Ensure the Provision of Housing Navigation Services to Older Adults
Goals of the 129th Legislative Session:
- With the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition, support a State Low Income Housing Tax Credit
- Increased and on-going funding for home repair and modification for low income older Mainers
- Creation of a position within DHHS to provide formal housing transition navigation services from every type of housing and to home repair and modification resources
Strengthened Direct Care Workforce
Enacted in the Biennial Budget: Commission to Study Long Term Care Workforce Issues
Click here to read the Report: Commission to Study Long-term Care Workforce Issues – Released January 2020
Goals of the 129th Legislative Session:
- Creation of the Commission to Study Long Term Care Workforce Issues
- Maintain increased funding for direct care workers across sectors
Access to Transportation
Carried Over: LD 1142 – An Act To Expand Transportation for Seniors
Carried Over: LD 1258 An Act To Increase Access to Transportation for Workforce and Other Essential Transportation Needs
Goals of the 129th Legislative Session:
- Increased funding for public transit, including for volunteer networks
- Allowing non-medical transportation as a benefit under MaineCare and the Section 19 Waiver
Access to Quality Food Sources
Included in Biennial Budget: LD 472 – An Act to Provide Meals to Homebound Individuals
Enacted: LD 786 An Act To Reduce Hunger and Promote Maine Agriculture
Carried Over: LD 474 – An Act To Ensure the Health and Wellness of Older Residents of the State
Goals of the 129th Legislative Session:
- Elimination of Meals on Wheel wait list
- Elimination of barriers to low income older Mainers accessing food benefits
- Home delivered meals as a covered service for all appropriate care transitions
Increasing Health, Financial Stability & Security
Included in Biennial Budget: Increases in eligibility for the Medicare Savings Program and Drugs for the Elderly; increases to the Maine Homestead Exemption and Property Tax Fairness Credit; increased revenue sharing.
Enacted: LD 38 An Act To Require Insurance Coverage for Hearing Aids for Adults
Enacted: LD 566 An Act To Protect Vulnerable Adults from Financial Exploitation
Enacted: LD 748 An Act To Provide Relief to Survivors of Economic Abuse
Enacted: LD 811 An Act To Provide Additional Flexibility in the Municipal Property Tax Assistance Programs for Seniors
Enacted: LD 1713 An Act To Return Funds to Maine Property Tax Payers
Carried Over: LD 1106 – An Act To Improve the Health and Economic Security of Elderly Residents of the State
Goals of the 129th Legislative Session:
- Support meaningful property tax relief for low income older Mainers
- Increase eligibility for Medicare Savings Program
Supporting Community Healthy Aging Initiatives
Enacted: LD 62 An Act To Enhance the Senior Volunteer Benefit Program
Enacted: LD 301 An Act To Help Older Adults Age in Place through Comprehensive Planning
Enacted: LD 970 An Act To Encourage Policies Regarding Accessory Dwelling Units under Local Comprehensive Plans and Zoning Requirements
Carried Over: LD 315 An Act To Promote Healthy Living in Maine
Goals of the 129th Legislative Session:
- Changes to the Comprehensive Planning Statute to include considering the needs of older residents and allowing Accessory Dwelling Units
- Increased funding for evidence-based Healthy Aging Programs
Supporting Family Caregivers & Grandparents
Enacted: LD 84 Resolve, Directing the Department of Health and Human Services To Allow Spouses To Provide Home and Community-based Services to Eligible MaineCare Members
Enacted: LD 831 An Act To Ensure Grandparents and Great-grandparents Have Visitation Rights
Enacted: LD 1485 An Act To Create a Contact Person Program in the Department of Public Safety
Carried Over: LD 1410 An Act To Create Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits
Prescription Drugs & Insurance Issues:
Enacted: LD 5 An Act To Require Notification of Proposed Rate Increases for Long-term Care Policies
Enacted: LD 1162 An Act To Further Expand Drug Price Transparency
Enacted: LD 1228 Resolve, Requiring the Department of Health and Human Services To Create a Limited Benefit MaineCare Card for Individuals Eligible for the Medicare Savings Program
Enacted: LD 1272 An Act To Increase Access to Low-cost Prescription Drugs
Enacted: LD 1453 Resolve, To Establish a Stakeholder Group To Develop an Adult Dental Benefit under MaineCare
Enacted: LD 1499 An Act To Establish the Maine Prescription Drug Affordability Board
Enacted: LD 1504 An Act To Protect Consumers from Unfair Practices Related to Pharmacy Benefits Management
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Testimonies from the 129th Legislature
Read our testimony submitted in support or opposition to pending bills for the 129th Legislature
LD 38 – Supporting An Act to Require Insurance Coverage for Hearing Aids for Adults
LD 214 – Increase Funding for Civil Legal Services for the Elderly
LD 301 – Supporting changes to Maine’s Comprehensive Planning laws – Age Friendly Communities
LD 315 – Promoting Healthy Living In Maine
LD 322 – In Opposition to Requiring Photographic Identification for the Purpose of Voting
LDs 472 & 474 – Increased funding for home delivered meals (Meals on Wheels)
LD 519 – Expanding Dental Health Insurance Coverage
LDs 529, 682 & 751 – Tax Bills
LD 566 – Supporting an Act To Protect Vulnerable Adults from Financial Exploitation
LD 583 – Study the State’s Long-term Services and Supports System for Older Adults
LD 726 – Supporting Making Sales to Area Agencies on Aging Tax-exempt
LD 786 – Funding to Essential Food Assistance Services
LD 970 – Supporting changes to Maine’s Comprehensive Planning laws – Accessory Dwelling Units
LD 1001 – Supporting 2020-2021 Biennial Budget
LD 1142 – Providing non-medical transportation to Section 19 Waiver and MaineCare Members
LD 1258 – Increasing Access to Transportation for Workforce and Other Essential Transportation Needs
LD 1318 – Increasing Access to Housing-related Support Services & MCOA LTSS Work Group Recommendation
LD 1410 – Creating Paid Family & Medical Leave Benefits
LD 1453 – Improving Dental Health for Maine People of all Ages with Low Incomes
LD 1499 – Establishing the Maine Prescription Drug Affordability Board
LD 1645 – Creating Affordable Workforce & Senior Housing and Preserving Affordable Rural Housing
LD 1655 – Improve and Modernize Home-based Care
LD 1919 – An Act To Provide a Tax Credit for Family Caregivers
LD 2137 – Resolve, To Increase the Reimbursement Rates for Home-based Services
LR 3206 – An Act Making Supplemental Appropriations and Allocations
2016 Legislative Highlights
MCOA Legislative Priorities Enacted in the First Regular Session
- Increased funding for direct care workers: $4.1 million included in the FY16-17 budget for increased reimbursement rates for Section 19, 63 and 96 Personal Support Services workers.
- Increased funding for the Family Caregiver Respite Program: Enacted and funded $120,500 in FY16 and $126,772 in year two.
- Inclusion of home delivered meals a covered service under MaineCare: Enacted and funded $75,000 in each year; DHHS directed to file a waiver to allow home delivered meals to be a covered MaineCare service under Section 19.
- Increased inclusion of Caregivers in medical settings (CARE Act): Enacted to allow patients to designate a caregiver to receive information
- General fund bond funding for affordable senior housing: $15 million General Fund Bond authorized to build affordable senior housing, $500,000 to be used for home repair
- Increased funding for Private Nonmedical Institutions: Net increase of 3% included in FY16/17 Budget for PNMI and Adult Family Care Homes
- Improved Transit Services Statewide: Enacted; creates a Public Transit Advisory Council that includes an aging advocates
- Decreased Fees Charged for Security Freezes: Enacted to completely eliminate fees for Security Freezes
- Protection of Older Adults from Financial Exploitation (Money Minders): Enacted to allow money management services through AAAs; funded $75,000 each year.
MCOA Legislative Priorities Enacted in the Second Regular Session
- Increased funding for direct care workers: Additional $4 million (one-time) included in the FY16-17 budget for increased reimbursement rates for Section 19, 63 and 96 Personal Support Services workers.
- Increased funding for Maine’s Long Term Care Ombudsman Program : Funded two new positions and authorized LCTOP to act as resource in discharge process
- Telecommunications attempt to avoid Provider of Last Resort defeated
2015 Legislative Highlights
Specifically, the Legislature:
- authorized funding for Alzheimer’s Respite, financial management services, home delivered meals, senior housing, and home repair;
- increased MaineCare funding for direct care workers, assisted living facilities and nursing homes; and
- First-in-the-nation Legislative Caucus on Aging was launched by Speaker Eves and Senator Burns (over 50 members from both parties met five times over the session and tracked the 28 aging-related bills that made their way through the Legislature).
- Beyond Speaker Eves and Senator Burns, key legislative leadership on aging issues was provided by Linda Sanborn, Drew Gattine, Richard Malaby and Ellie Espling and all members of the Appropriations Committee—giant thanks to them all.
Who Helped: All this policy work was accomplished by a huge team effort led by M4A, AARP, and LSE with help from MAHC, MEJP, MHCA, Catholic Charities, Home Care Alliance, LTCOP and MAR. Special thanks to Community Member Judy Rawlings for testifying on MCOA’s behalf so many times!
Background on Legislative Priorities Development and Execution: MCOA spent the last two-and-a-half years working collaboratively with Speaker of the House Mark Eves and other members of both parties to elevate the conversation about the challenges and opportunities of our aging demographic. In 2014, Speaker Eves partnered with us to build the Maine Blueprint for Action on Aging (March) and to launch the Maine Aging Initiative (May). With input from Initiative workgroups and MCOA members, the MCOA put together an comprehensive legislative package that included 13 bills intended to further the work of the Initiative. MCOA members worked tirelessly to advance this package of bills. Ultimately, 9 bills were enacted and/or funded, 2 failed and 2 had alternative dispositions.
The MCOA provided testimony for or against an additional 11 bills, with favorable outcomes on all but Medicaid Expansion. Three bills were enacted that the MCOA did not weigh in on due to lack of resources. By the end of the session, the Legislature passed and funded 16 laws to help older adults age in place and access services across the aging continuum, including an Senior Housing Bond that includes funding for home repair. Also, the FY16/17 budget includes property tax relief by a doubling of the Homestead exemption and additional MaineCare funding for direct care workers, PNMIs and nursing homes.