Action Alert – LD 1984 "An Act To Eliminate Waiting Lists for Home and Community-based Services for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities, Autism, Brain Injury and Other Related Conditions" and LD 399, "An Act To Align Wages for Direct Care Workers fo

1. Action Alert – LD 1984 "An Act To Eliminate Waiting Lists for Home and Community-based Services for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities, Autism, Brain Injury and Other Related Conditions" and LD 399, "An Act To Align Wages for Direct Care Workers for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities or Autism with the Minimum Wage."

 
A Public hearing was held on 1/27 in front of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee for LD 1984, "An Act To Eliminate Waiting Lists for Home and Community-based Services for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities, Autism, Brain Injury and Other Related Conditions"
 
It is not too late to submit written testimony online and/or contact members of the HHS Committee.  Please consider taking action to show your support for this bill, and there are a couple easy ways in which you can do so:

• How to submit written testimony:
  • You can submit written testimony online, and doing so is simple.  You can use the webform at https://www.mainelegislature.org/testimony/ if you choose "Health and Human Services" committee, then choose date "Jan 27 2020 2:00 PM" then check the box for LD 1984, as illustrated in the picture below:

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• You can email it directly to HHS committee members at the following addresses:
  • Sen Geoff Gratwick (D-Penobscot) (sen chair) geoffrey.gratwick@legislature.maine.gov
  • Sen Ned Claxton (D-Androscoggin) ned.claxton@legislature.maine.gov
  • Sen Marianne Moore (R-Washington) marianne.moore@legislature.maine.gov
  • Rep Patty Hymanson (D-York) (house chair) patricia.hymanson@legislature.maine.gov
  • Rep Margaret Craven (D-Lewiston) margaret.craven@legislature.maine.gov
  • Rep Abigail Griffin (R-Levant) abigail.griffin@legislature.maine.gov
  • Rep Kathy Javner (R-Chester) kathy.javner@legislature.maine.gov
  • Rep Colleen Madigan (D-Waterville) colleen.madigan@legislature.maine.gov
  • Rep Michele Meyer (D-Eliot) michele.meyer@legislature.maine.gov
  • Rep Beth O'Connor (R-Berwick) beth.oconnor@legislature.maine.gov
  • Rep Anne Perry (D-Calais) anne.perry@legislature.maine.gov
  • Rep Holly Stover (D-Boothbay) holly.stover@legislature.maine.gov
  • Rep Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland) rachel.talbotross@legislature.maine.gov

If you chose to submit written testimony, your message can be simple:

• If you think that the waitlists should be eliminated then you may consider thanking them for previous funding to help address a portion of the Section 21 waitlist, thank the Administration for including funding in the Supplemental Budget to clear the current Section 29 waitlist, and ask that they make LD 1984 a top priority so that that all of the waitlists can be eliminated.  There are currently about 1,600 people on the wait list for the Section 21 comprehensive waiver and hundreds each on the Section 29, 20, and 18 wait lists. 

If you happen to be a constituent of any of the legislators on the HHS Committee you could consider reaching out to them directly via email asking for their support.  If your Representative and/or Senator is not on the HHS Committee, you could still reach out and ask that encourage their colleagues on the HHS Committee to support LD 1984 to eliminate the wait lists.  You can get their email addresses by searching based on your town for House members at http://legislature.maine.gov/house/house/MemberProfiles/ListAlphaTown and for Senate members at http://legislature.maine.gov/senate-home-page/find-your-state-senator
 
Additionally, LD 399, "An Act To Align Wages for Direct Care Workers for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities or Autism with the Minimum Wage" passed last year but was on the Special Appropriations Table awaiting funding when the Legislature adjourned last session.   This bill would set MaineCare reimbursement rates for direct service providers (DSP) for adults with intellectual disabilities or autism at least 125% of the state minimum wage.  The bill was carried over into the Second Legislative Session and currently sits with the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee.  If the DSP rates remain something about which you’re concerned, and you believe they ought to be set at 125% of minimum wage, you might consider reaching out to members of the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee advocating for this bill’s passage.  You can contact Members of the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee via the email addresses below:

• Cathy.Breen@legislature.maine.gov
• James.Hamper@legislature.maine.gov
• Nathan.Wadsworth@legislature.maine.gov
• Teresa.Pierce@legislature.maine.gov
• Sawin.Millett@legislature.maine.gov
• John.Martin@legislature.maine.gov
• Dennis.Keschl@legislature.maine.gov
• Erik.Jorgensen@legislature.maine.gov
• Brian.Hubbell@legislature.maine.gov
• Michelle.Dunphy@legislature.maine.gov
• Amy.Arata@Legislature.Maine.gov
• Andrew.Gattine@legislature.maine.gov
• Linda.Sanborn@legislature.maine.gov

 
Thank you!