Rep. Kathy Javner

Maddy summaryLD 1509 requires Maine's Department of Health and Human Services to finalize and implement reimbursement rates for home and community-based services by July 1, 2025. These rates, based on a 2023 cost study, directly affect approximately 5,000 adults with intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, or brain injury who rely on MaineCare for essential daily services. The bill mandates the department to use the completed rate study - previously delayed due to a postponed waiver rollout - to ensure providers can continue delivering critical support. This prevents disruption to services like individualized employment, residential care, and community engagement that these individuals depend on daily.

Maddy summaryLD 1395 requires school library databases used by Maine K-12 students to block child pornography, obscene material, and content depicting sexual exploitation of minors. Schools must withhold payment from non-compliant providers and treat repeated failures as a contract breach. The bill also removes an exception allowing schools to share obscene material for "educational purposes," closing a prior loophole. Additionally, it permits schools to integrate human trafficking prevention lessons into curricula, teaching students to recognize signs of sexual abuse and exploitation, and mandates staff training on these topics. These changes directly affect schools, library providers, and students across Maine.

Maddy summaryLD 202 increases the number of children a family child care provider may care for without needing a license from 2 to 3, not including the provider's own children or children residing in the home. The bill also allows up to 4 children if at least two are siblings, providing more flexibility for small-scale providers. This change directly affects home-based child care providers operating in residential settings who currently face licensing requirements when exceeding the lower threshold. The policy adjustment modifies Maine’s licensing rules under 22 MRSA §8301-A to reduce regulatory barriers for providers managing modest-sized groups.

Maddy summaryLD 1878 establishes a managed care program for MaineCare, requiring the state to contract with three health plans to deliver comprehensive services to specific MaineCare enrollees: TANF recipients, CHIP participants, Medicaid beneficiaries under age 65 with income up to 138% of the federal poverty level, and dual-eligible Medicare-Medicaid beneficiaries. The health plans must cover physical health, behavioral health, pharmacy, and dental services, and address social determinants of health like housing and food insecurity. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services will manage the program but cannot alter eligibility rules, such as income thresholds, while pursuing federal waivers as needed.

Maddy summaryLD 1799 directs Maine's Department of Health and Human Services to convene a stakeholder group to review the Progressive Treatment Program and the processes for involuntary psychiatric hospital admissions or court-ordered community treatment. The review will examine barriers in filing applications, enforcement of treatment plans, and the efficiency of current procedures to reduce delays in care. The stakeholder group must include patients, families, healthcare providers, legal representatives, and community advocates, and will submit recommendations by December 3, 2025. These findings may inform future legislation but do not change current laws or policies.

Maddy summaryLD 349 would repeal Maine's current law allowing same-day voter registration and set a new deadline for in-person voter registration to the close of business on the Thursday before election day. This change means voters can no longer register in person on election day or the day before, requiring registration by the Thursday prior instead. The bill directly affects voters who rely on same-day registration for in-person voting, particularly those who may not have registered in advance. It also repeals existing provisions permitting same-day registration and amends related deadlines for mail and online registration, but the key policy change is the earlier in-person registration cutoff.

Maddy summaryLD 635 is a resolution directing Maine's Attorney General to dismiss the state's lawsuit against major oil companies (State of Maine v. BP, PLC et al, Case No. 2:2025cv00001-NT) currently pending in federal court. This would end the state's legal action regarding climate change-related claims against oil companies. The bill specifically requires withdrawal from this existing case and does not create new environmental policies or regulations.

Maddy summaryLD 1753 establishes the Upper St. John Valley Recovery High School Pilot Program, a 3-year initiative based at the University of Maine at Fort Kent campus. The program targets high school students in recovery from substance use disorders or co-occurring disorders, requiring supervised housing during the school week and mandatory participation in concurrent recovery programs. It mandates specific staffing (including certified teachers, a recovery coach, and education technicians) and includes drug/alcohol testing protocols for enrolled students. The Department of Education must collaborate with the Valley Unified Education Service Center and the Department of Health and Human Services to develop curriculum and enrollment criteria, with the program set to expire September 1, 2029.

Maddy summaryLD 1631 requires Maine's Department of Health and Human Services to implement recommendations from a stakeholder group aimed at reducing long waits for children and adolescents in hospital emergency departments. The bill directs the department to provide emergency funding for intensive staffing needs (like 2:1 or 3:1 ratios) to prevent closures of youth residential beds, develop an internal process for screening services, and submit two detailed data reports to the legislature by late 2025 and 2026. These reports must track children staying more than 48 hours in ERs, denials of residential services, youth in long-term care (over one year), and program closures. The bill focuses on concrete data collection and immediate staffing support to address systemic gaps in child and youth behavioral health services.

Maddy summaryLD 1758 creates a faster process for healthcare providers to join MaineCare (Maine's Medicaid program). It allows the Department of Health and Human Services to temporarily approve enrollment within 48 hours if a provider works for an organization with over 90% enrollment approval in the past five years and has a national provider ID. The temporary approval becomes final after 60 days unless the department revokes it for a serious issue, and providers may have to repay MaineCare for services if approval is later revoked. This applies to individual providers, clinics, and health organizations seeking MaineCare enrollment.