This afternoon the Appropriations Committee held work sessions on a number of bills with the following outcomes:
LD 1486 Resolve, To Reauthorize the Issuance of Certain Bonds for Land Conservation Projects- ONTP at the request of the sponsor
LD 1640 An Act To Provide Emergency Repair Funding for the Restoration of the Official State Vessel, the Schooner Bowdoin- Majority ONTP
LD 1645 An Act To Address Employee Recruitment and Retention Issues at State Mental Health Institutions- Tabled
LD 1653 An Act Implementing Pay Increases for Certain Law Enforcement Employees To Aid in Recruitment and Retention- Tabled
LD 1597 An Act To Provide Supplemental Appropriations and Deappropriations for the Judicial Department for the Fiscal Years Ending June 30, 2016 and June 30, 2017- OTP-AM
Audio of today’s meeting can be found here.
Democrats on the committee also shared a list of critical priorities composed of initiatives proposed by Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature as well as by the Governor. The priorities seek to address recruitment and retention, the drug crisis, preventing increases in property taxes, the health of Mainer’s, connecting Maine’s rural communities and honoring Maine’s veterans.
Members talked about how this is a starting point and an effort to engage in a conversation. Sen. Hamper agreed to hold a conversation.
| Priority | Initiative | FY 16 | FY17 | Biennium GF | Biennium Other Sources | Source |
| Easing Recruitment and Retention | ||||||
| Department of Corrections stipends | $1,387,054 | $1,387,054 | GF | |||
| Riverview and Dorothea Dix workers (LD 1645) | $932,039 | $932,039 | GF | |||
| Direct care workers (LD 886) | $6,375,000 | $6,375,000 | FMAP | |||
| Law Enforcement Officer Recruitment and retention (LD 1653 ) | $7,000,000 | $7,000,000 | GF | |||
| AG Investigators in Special Plan (LD 654 ) | $3,684 | $3,684 | GF | |||
| Combating the Drug Crisis | ||||||
| Increase Access to opiate addiction treatment (LD 1473) | $710,589 | $710,589 | FMAP | |||
| Law Enforcement Assisted diversion program (LD 1488 ) | $1,100,000 | $1,100,000 | GF | |||
| Increased funding for toxicology testing at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner | $80,000 | $120,000 | $200,000 | GF | ||
| Needle Exchange (LD 1552) | $75,000 | $75,000 | GF | |||
| Preventing Property Tax Increases | ||||||
| Support for the operation of county jails (LD 1614) | $2,465,896 | $2,465,896 | $4,931,792 | GF | ||
| General Purpose Aid for Education direct DOE to use $9M of the $11M GPA surplus held by DOE | $9,000,000 | GPA held | ||||
| Health | Fund HIV, Sexually Transmitted Disease and Viral Hepatitis Screening, (LD 661 ) | $195,900 | $195,900 | GF | ||
| Peer Centers (LD 842 ) | $147,944 | $147,944 | $295,888 | GF | ||
| Home accessibility (LD 365) | $50,000 | $143,250 | $193,250 | GF | ||
| MaineCare Service Provider Tax Fix (LD 1638) | $2,303,007 | $2,303,007 | GF | |||
| Judiciary | Indigent Legal Services | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 | GF | ||
| Judicial supplemental (LD 1597 ) | ($521,224) | $6,776 | ($514,448) | GF | ||
| Supporting Maine’s Veterans | ||||||
| Recommendations of Veterans Commission (LD 1611 and 1612) | $361,774 | $361,774 | UMS | |||
| National Guard Tuition (LD 1343) | $600,000 | $600,000 | UMS | |||
| Connecting Maine’s Rural Communities | ||||||
| Rural Broadband (LD 826 ) | $750,000 | $750,000 | GF | |||
| Combating hunger | ||||||
| Food Insecurity (LD 1471) | $3,000,000 | $3,000,000 | FHM Arbitration | |||
| Election Transparency | Maine Clean Elections Act (LD 1579) | $900,000 | $900,000 | |||
| AFA Table | $2,000,000 | GF | ||||
| TOTALS | ||||||
| Total GF Sources | fs$23,753,166 | |||||
| Other Funding Sources | ||||||
| FMAP | $7,085,589 | |||||
| UMS | $2,500,000 | |||||
| FHM Arbitration | $3,000,000 | |||||
| GPA Surplus | $9,000,000 | |||||
| Transfer to Budget Stabilization (assuming $55M ending balance) | $31,246,834 |
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