Rep. Josh Morris

Maddy summaryLD 1218 allows county commissioners in Maine who previously served in the Legislature and are currently members of the Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MPERS) to switch to the Legislative Retirement Program. Eligible commissioners must submit a written election to MPERS within 90 days of the bill’s effective date or when assuming office. Upon election, their past MPERS contributions transfer to the Legislative Retirement Program, future contributions shift to this program, and their county commissioner service counts toward creditable service. This change applies only to commissioners who were previously legislators and contribute to MPERS’ defined benefit plan.

Maddy summaryLD 917 repeals a law that prohibited healthcare providers from charging uninsured patients for administering a COVID-19 vaccine. This change allows providers to bill uninsured patients for vaccine administration services, meaning these patients may now face costs for getting vaccinated. The bill directly affects uninsured patients (who may now be charged) and healthcare providers (who can now collect fees for administration). The repeal specifically targets the administration fee, not the vaccine itself, and removes a prior restriction on such charges.

Maddy summaryThis bill repeals three existing Maine laws that imposed specific restrictions on public activities. It removes the rule limiting amateur sports events on Sundays, eliminates the requirement for municipalities to hold votes to allow movie theaters to operate on Sundays (1 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.), and abolishes penalties for sports events with admission charges before 3:30 p.m. on Memorial Day. The repeal directly affects municipalities, movie theaters, and event organizers by lifting these historical restrictions. No new rules are created - this bill simply removes the current legal barriers.

Maddy summaryLD 450 repeals Maine's net energy billing laws, prohibiting the Public Utilities Commission from requiring utilities to offer bill credits for excess solar energy sent back to the grid. It directly affects residential and commercial solar customers who currently participate in net energy billing programs and the utilities serving them. The bill removes specific statutory provisions (35-A MRSA §§3209-A through 3209-E) and adds a new section (§3209-F) explicitly banning the requirement for net energy billing. Additionally, it amends property tax exemptions for solar equipment to align with the repeal, requiring that solar-generated energy must be used on-site or connected to a net energy billing customer.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows time-share associations and their managing entities to charge a surcharge when owners pay assessments or fees using credit or debit cards. The surcharge must be clearly disclosed before payment and cannot exceed the actual cost of processing the card transaction (including fees from payment processors). Time-share owners can avoid the surcharge by paying with cash, check, or other non-card methods. The bill directly affects time-share owners who use card payments and associations managing their fees. It does not permit surcharges for debit card transactions if payment processors don't charge for them.

Maddy summaryLD 1030 prohibits credit bureaus from listing certain medical debts on consumer credit reports. It specifically applies to Maine residents who had health insurance at the time of emergency care or out-of-network treatment, after they've paid deductibles, copays, and coinsurance. The law blocks reporting of the remaining balance for these covered medical expenses. This change prevents such debts from negatively impacting credit scores for people with insurance who received emergency or out-of-network care.

Maddy summaryLD 444 repeals Maine's legally established renewable energy consumption goals for electricity, removing specific targets from state law. This directly affects utilities, energy developers, and the Maine Public Utilities Commission, which previously had to evaluate projects based on meeting these goals. The bill eliminates requirements in sections 3210 and 3210-I that mandated proposals support the state's renewable energy targets. Key provisions include deleting references to "renewable energy goals" from evaluation criteria for transmission projects and offshore wind program administration (section 35), though the offshore wind program itself remains unchanged.

Maddy summaryLD 314 creates the "Maine Small Dollar Consumer Protection Act" to regulate loans under $2,500 for personal use. It directly affects small-dollar lenders (excluding banks/credit unions) and consumers taking such loans, prohibiting deceptive practices like disguising loans as property sales. Key provisions require lenders to provide a signed loan copy, ban payment method fees, grant a 3-day cancellation right, and restrict loan renewals unless 30% of payments are made or 50% of principal is repaid. The law also prevents multiple open small-dollar loans with different lenders and mandates equal installment payments over 90-365 days.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs Maine's Department of Health and Human Services to create a program offering $25,000 recruitment and retention incentives to behavioral health clinicians during fiscal year 2025-26. It requires clinicians and their employers to sign written agreements outlining eligibility, minimum employment periods, and repayment conditions if employment ends early. The department must establish specific criteria for participation and submit a report on the program to the Health and Human Services Committee by December 3, 2025. The policy directly affects behavioral health clinicians and their employers across the state by providing financial incentives to address staffing challenges.

Maddy summaryThis Maine bill (LD 720) protects federal home loan banks that lend to insurer members when those insurers face financial distress. It requires these banks to repurchase excess capital stock held by an insurer within 7 days of a redemption request, and limits restrictions on enforcing loan agreements to no more than 10 days. The bill also mandates that federal home loan banks provide the Insurance Superintendent with a timeline for releasing collateral and resolving accounts within 10 days of a receiver being appointed for the insurer. These provisions directly affect federal home loan banks and their insurer members operating under Maine's insurance laws.