Your Voice Counts!

Dear MSLHA Members,

Welcome to the Legislative Action page! The Legislative Action Committee works hard to pursue change in legislation that will positively impact the fields of speech language pathology and audiology. As the Legislative Action Chair, it’s my goal to keep you informed on important issues and to facilitate grassroots lobbying efforts. I work closely with Preti Flahery, a lobbying firm engaged by MSLHA, to assure that the voices of speech pathologists and audiologists throughout the state of Maine are heard in Augusta.
There are many important issues our Senators and Representatives are voting on during this legislative session. Take a minute and read through the rest of this page to learn about proposed legislation that could affect you!

Sincerely,
Kim Reily M.A. CCC-SLP
MSLHA Legislative Action Chair
legislativeaction@mslha.org

Interesting Links

• Check out legislative bill status and read the full bill text here.
• Who is your senator? Who is your representative? Click here and find out!
• How does a bill become a law? Check out Maine’s path of legislation.
• Hey, sometimes I have to look it up too! Click here for a glossary of legislative terms.

What’s Happening Now?
LD 1973 - An Act to Improve the Compliance and Accountability of the Child Development Services System
This bill requires the Department of Education to submit quarterly reports to advisory groups about Child Development Services System regional sites that are under a corrective action plan and about regional sites for whose operations the Department of Education has assumed temporary responsibility, with the reports describing any progress or slippage by individual regional sites in meeting compliance requirements. Under this bill, the Maine Advisory Council for the Education of Children with Disabilities may continue to serve as both the state interagency coordinating council and the state advisory panel.Sponsored by Senator Peter Bowman This bill has been voted not to pass by the House and voted to pass in the Senate. It has been sent to a joint committe of the House and Senate so that they may come to an agreement. Our lobbyist has attended the work sessions for this bill and voiced MSLHA's support of it.

LD 1977 - Resolve, To Establish a Statewide Protocol for the Early Detection and Treatment of Autism
This resolve requires the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education, working together and within existing resources, to develop and implement a uniform statewide protocol for the screening of all children between 18 and 30 months of age for signs of autism. The departments are further required to implement through rulemaking a program of intensive treatment for children who are diagnosed with autism through the Child Development Services System.Sponsored by Senator Peter Mills.

LD 2027 - An Act To Provide Parents of Children with Disabilities Access to Ombudsman Services
This bill creates an ombudsman program to provide services to children and families in the State regarding special education programs and special education services and to provide support to students with disabilities and their parents, guardians and educators. Sponsored by Representative Patrick Flood No action has been taken with this bill since 12/07.

LD 2062 - An Act Regarding Education Laws
Part B of this bill eliminates the sunsets on the transition periods and makes the centralization of the fiscal, data and human resources of the Child Development Services System permanent to achieve a more efficient and effective Child Development Services System delivery and governance system. Sponsored by Representative Jacqueline Norton No action has been taken with this bill since 12/07.

LD 2106 - An Act To Enhance the Newborn Hearing Program
This bill gives the Department of Health and Human Services the authority to participate in a national or regional database or both for tracking information about newborns and children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing so as to plan more effectively for developmentally appropriate services to further the goals of the Newborn Hearing Program.Sponsored by Representative Elaine Makas Passed in the House and Senate.

LD 1949 - Resolve, Regarding Special Education Evaluations
This resolve directs the Department of Education to amend its rules governing special education to provide a deadline of 45 school days for the completion of an evaluation. Sponsored by Representative Troy Jackson Passed in House and Senate.

LD 2136 - Resolve, Regarding Legislative Review of Portions of Chapter 101: Maine Unified Special Education Regulation, a Major Substantive Rule of the Department of Education
This resolve provides for legislative review of portions of Chapter 101: Maine Unified Special Education Regulation, a major substantive rule of the Department of Education. The Resolve was REFERRED to the Committee on EDUCATION AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS.

LD 2287 - Resolve, Regarding Legislative Review of Portions of Major Substantive MaineCare Benefits Manual, Chapter III, section 21; Home and Community Benefits for Members with Mental Retardation on Autistic Disorder, a Major Substantive Rule of the Department of Health and Human Services. This resolve provides for legislative review of portions of Major Substantive MaineCare Benefits Manual, Chapter III, Section 21, Home and Community Benefits for Members with Mental Retardation or Autistic Disorder, a major substantive rule of the Department of Health and Human Services. Passed in the House and Senate on 4-7-08.

LD 2295 - An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Working Group To Study the Effectiveness and Timeliness of Early Identification and Intervention for Children with Hearing Loss in Maine. This bill implements the unanimous recommendations of the Working Group To Study the Effectiveness and Timeliness of Early Identification and Intervention for Children with Hearing Loss in Maine. The bill requires a birthing hospital or birthing center, upon the approval of a parent of a newborn whose hearing is screened and receives a result of "refer," to schedule the newborn for a follow-up appointment with an audiologist. That appointment must be scheduled prior to discharge, and the birthing hospital or center shall notify the newborn's primary care provider in writing of such a referral prior to discharge. The bill also requires the Newborn Hearing Program within the Department of Health and Human Services to report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters on the results of its study of barriers to access to audiologists for the continued evaluation of hearing loss in newborns. Passed in the House and Senate on 4-4-08.

Want to make a difference? Join our committee!
Contact me at legislativeaction@mslha.org to join the legislative action committee.

Coming Soon
Please bear with us as we change and update MSHLA’s website to best serve your needs. Check back with us soon for sample letters to legislators, updates on public hearings and legal documents (LDs), and other interesting information!