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Appropriations Committee advances more than a dozen bills off special appropriations table
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Summary
The Maine Legislature Appropriations Committee moved a broad slate of bills off the special appropriations table, advancing measures on housing, health, environment and benefits; most motions passed with either unanimous consent or recorded 8–3 or 9–2 votes.
The Maine Legislature Appropriations Committee met and voted to advance a large group of bills from the special appropriations table, moving items ranging from jury-pool reform to funding for senior-housing redevelopment and prescription-monitoring activities.
Senate Chair Peggy Rotundo opened the session and turned the floor over to Representative Drew Gautin, who made a series of motions to move bills off the special appropriations table. Key outcomes included: LD 338 (increase and balance jury pools) — moved and approved unanimously; LD 522 (study workforce gender segregation) — motion carried 8–3; LD 669 (death benefit for Department of Transportation workers) — unanimous; LD 1187 (include certain mental-health assessment data in firearm fatality/hospitalization reports) — 8–3; LD 1502 (prostate cancer screening coverage) — unanimous; LD 1652 (expand dental-care access credit) — unanimous; LD 2017 (update school-nutrition statutes) — 8–3; LD 2123 (modify certain dental-care reimbursement methodology) — unanimous; LD 2228 (eliminate inactive boards and commissions) — unanimous; LD 54 (pay-range disclosure) — moved as amended, 8–3; LD 1106 (redevelop island nursing home into affordable senior housing) — moved as amended, unanimous; LD 1277 (controlled-substances prescription-monitoring funding) — moved as amended, 9–2; LD 1519 (stewardship program for electronic smoking devices) — 8–3; LD 496 (Silver Alerts) — 9–2; LD 1661 (invasive-species review) — unanimous; LD 582 (insurer coverage for PFAS blood testing) — 8–3; LD 2136 (support for trafficking victims) — 8–3; LD 840 (modernize state SSI supplement) — unanimous; LD 2146 (increase vaccination access) — 8–3; LD 2220 (Maine Home Energy Navigator) — 8–3.
Several measures were moved "as amended," with committee members and staff noting timing and fiscal-year shifts for onetime costs and startup IT expenses. Representative Gautin frequently referenced staff cost notes and asked staff (including Luke Lazur) to confirm fiscal-year adjustments. One item, LD 2127 (increase the cap on bonds by the Maine State Housing Authority), was discussed and then pulled for further work rather than voted out today.
The committee concluded its voting for the day and announced it will continue consideration of additional items at a future meeting.
Votes at a glance: motions and outcomes above reflect the tally reported by the clerk during the meeting (unanimous, 8–3 or 9–2 as recorded); individual roll-call votes by member name were not read into the transcript.
