The Maine Legislature adjourned the 2024 session on April 17. The legislature will not officially adjourn sine die until the House Speaker and Senate President decide to. Under this procedure, bills may still be considered for the year; however, it is unlikely there will be any further movement unless the Speaker and President call a special session. At this point, any measures that have not already passed both chambers are unlikely to move. 2,291 bills were introduced during Maine’s 2024 session and approximately 668 passed both chambers.
Here is what you may have missed.
Housing
In March, Governor Janet Mills (D) amended the supplemental budget by adding $22 million in one-time funding to build more housing in Maine. The amendment included $11,000,000 to the Rural Affordable Rental Housing Program and $11,000,000 to leverage an additional $11,000,000 in federal low-income housing tax credits. These provisions were amended in the final days of session and changed from $11,000,000 to $10,000,000 for a one-time funding total of $20,000,000. Additionally, Mills signed LD 2169, a measure that directs the Maine Office of Policy Innovation to expand the availability of affordable housing options by redeveloping recommendations for financial assistance programs.
Right to Repair
On November 7, 2023, Maine voters, like their neighbors in Massachusetts, approved a voter referendum to allow vehicle owners and independent repair facilities to gain access to vehicles’ on-board diagnostic systems. Under the referendum, car manufacturers would be required to standardize on-board diagnostic systems and provide remote, wireless access to those systems and data to vehicle owners and independent repair facilities. The referendum was supported by the Maine Automotive Right to Repair Committee.
Following passage of the referendum, revising legislation was filed for the 2024 session. The measure would have required manufacturers of automobiles to make available for purchase the same diagnostic and repair information, including technical updates, that the manufacturer makes available to its dealers. The bill was heard several times by the Joint Committee on Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement, and Business, had several amendments proposed, and ultimately died in the senate on April 15, several days before Maine’s adjournment.
In the closing days of session, the legislature did address right to repair by passing LD 2289, which creates a working group to study the issue. The working group is required to submit findings and recommendations in 2025.
PFAS
Governor Mills signed LD 1537 into law on April 16. The measure is a revision to the first-of-its-kind PFAS bill that was passed in 2021. The initial law contained two main provisions: a ban on products containing intentionally added PFAS and a reporting requirement for manufacturers for products containing intentionally added PFAS. The newly passed bill expedites the product ban for specified products, including cleaning and cookware products, while pushing back the general product ban from 2030 to 2032 and creating additional exemptions. The bill revises the reporting requirement by reducing applicability and delaying the date by which the first manufacturer reports must be submitted, which was previously slated for January 1, 2025.
The Department of Environmental Protection is tasked with evaluating implementation and developing recommendations. For regulatory developments, please contact Becky Lukaesko at bml@stateside.com.
Budget
LD 2214, the supplemental budget proposal, passed on April 18 after numerous hearings, amendments, and work sessions. It was signed on April 22. Below are several major provisions:
- The measure clarifies that paid family and medical leave may be taken by an employee intermittently in increments equaling at least one day or on a reduced leave schedule otherwise agreed to by the employee and the employer. (Page 210)
- The measure appropriates $4,000,000 to support access to pharmacy services and affordable prescription drugs to residents of the state in rural and underserved communities by providing funds to support federally qualified health centers in developing or improving pharmacy services. (Page 194)
- The measure provides $2,450,193 to the Department of Health and Human Services to strengthen and expand mental health crisis intervention mobile response services to provide services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. (Page 212)
Interim/Future Outlook
In the coming months, interim hearings will begin. The Automotive Right to Repair Working Group will also begin their work soon. For further insights into legislation passed this session or discussions occurring during the interim, please contact Constantine Costidis at cec@stateside.com.