Rep. Allison Hepler

Maddy summaryThis bill allows Maine health care providers to perform blood tests for drugs or medications with a pregnant person's consent both before childbirth and after delivery. It requires providers to maintain detailed records of all drugs administered during childbirth and to reconcile all test results before reporting any drug use. Any report of drug use must include all test results and records maintained under the law. The law directly affects pregnant individuals receiving care in Maine and their health care providers, focusing on consent, documentation, and procedural safeguards.

Maddy summaryLD 1055 prohibits Maine healthcare facilities and providers from denying organ transplants or anatomical donations based solely on a person's disability. It directly affects individuals with disabilities seeking transplants by requiring facilities to consider them qualified if they meet medical standards with necessary support systems (like family or home care services) or accommodations (such as communication aids). Key provisions ban discrimination in waiting list placement, referrals, and post-transplant care, while mandating reasonable policy changes to ensure access. Facilities may only consider disability if medically significant after individual evaluation, but cannot deny care due to lack of independent ability to manage post-transplant needs with available support. The law aims to ensure equitable access to life-saving transplants for people with disabilities.

Maddy summaryLD 994 clarifies enforcement for private road maintenance costs in Maine. It requires residential property owners sharing a private road to pay their equal share for repairs, with a written demand specifying the vendor, repair purpose, and payment date. If unpaid within 30 days, other owners can pursue legal action for the amount owed, plus interest, court fees, and reasonable attorney fees. This directly affects residential property owners whose homes rely on a shared private road for access. The bill modifies existing law to standardize notice requirements and collection procedures.

Maddy summaryLD 728 amends Maine's smelt fishing regulations to allow recreational anglers to temporarily exceed the daily bag limit while actively fishing, provided the smelt remain alive in a grader or other live containment device. The bill requires anglers to measure their catch at day's end and immediately release any live smelt exceeding the daily limit at the water's edge. This change clarifies the process for handling excess live fish without altering the established bag limit itself. The bill directly affects recreational smelt fishermen in Maine who use live containment methods during fishing trips. It makes no changes to the actual bag limit or other fishing rules, only streamlining the handling of excess live fish.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Maine's laws governing the Animal Welfare Advisory Council to allow the council to meet more frequently than the current requirement of every other month. It also permits the council chair to delegate tasks to individual members or subcommittees as needed. These changes aim to improve the council's operational flexibility and efficiency. The bill directly affects the council and its chair, with no changes to the council's advisory role or animal welfare responsibilities.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new "Local Government Hospitality Fund" to share revenue from meals and lodging sales taxes with municipalities. Starting January 1, 2026, 1% of the previous month's meals and lodging tax revenue collected by the state will be added to this fund. The state will then distribute these funds each month to municipalities based on how much of the tax they collected locally. This directly benefits municipalities that collect these taxes, providing them with additional local revenue without requiring new taxes.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes an impact fee for owners of large privately owned pleasure vessels, known as megayachts, that are docked in Maine for up to 30 consecutive days. The fee is calculated at $10 per foot for any length exceeding 150 feet and applies to any vessel meeting the size criteria, regardless of where it is registered. Collected funds are split evenly between the Department of Environmental Protection and the state, with half allocated to harbor infrastructure and sea level rise mitigation, and the other half dedicated to public transit projects. The legislation excludes commercial vessels, military ships, and boats built before 1950 from the fee, while allowing the Department of Environmental Protection to create rules for administering the program.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a task force to study how state and local governments in Maine can share the costs of training first responders. The group will consist of 18 members representing various organizations, including fire chiefs, police associations, and municipal leaders. The legislation does not change current reimbursement rules but instead creates this committee to examine the issue further before any laws are passed. The task force must submit its report by the first Wednesday in November to ensure timely consideration of the matter.

Maddy summaryLD 2237 allocates $17.3 million to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to expand mental health crisis intervention services available around the clock. The funding specifically supports mobile response teams by hiring peer support specialists, recovery coaches, and behavioral health liaisons, while also covering travel costs and critical incident response. Additionally, the bill amends the text to ensure the Public Utilities Commission coordinates with relevant agencies in the implementation of these safety measures. These changes aim to provide more immediate and accessible mental health support to individuals in crisis situations across the state.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to evaluate how $50 million in state funding has improved accessibility at parks and historic sites. It requires the department to create a plan that includes strategies for ongoing engagement with people with disabilities to remove physical and program barriers. The bill also sets a deadline of December 31, 2025, for submitting this plan and any related legislation to the legislature. Additionally, it authorizes $120,000 in funding for contracted services to support these efforts.