Amendment to ld 2225 from sen. rick bennett garners bipartisan 20-13 vote

AUGUSTA – On Friday, the Maine Senate adopted a bipartisan amendment to a disaster relief bill that will provide $117 million in funding to help rebuild damaged infrastructure and address critical needs across the state. The amendment, which was proposed by Republican Sen. Rick Bennett of Oxford, passed in a bipartisan 20-13 vote and now heads to the House.

“As one who often criticizes our budgeting process, this is a positive result for Maine’s people. I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for stepping up and voting for this bold package,” said Senator Bennett, who is the Senate Republican lead on the Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee. “We have known for some time that the lack of access to mental health services in Maine is a major issue. This goes a long way in addressing that as well as taking care of our veterans, shoring up our education workforce and supporting our nursing homes.”

In her original bill LD 2225, Gov. Janet Mills sought $50 million from the Maine Budget Stabilization Fund – or the “Rainy Day Fund” – to cover the damage that occurred from storms in December and January that wreaked havoc and power outages across the state. The amended bill maintains that request along with an additional $10 million in relief funds to aid businesses that were impacted by the storms.

“As one who often criticizes our budgeting process, this is a positive result for Maine’s people. I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for stepping up and voting for this bold package.”

Sen. Rick Bennett, R-Oxford

According to language in the amendment, no more than $30 million must be used for infrastructure projects related to wharves and piers that support commercial fisheries and aquaculture businesses. The rest will go to noncoastal projects to help inland areas that were impacted by the storms.

The relief package will also provide $31 million from the surplus to shore up nursing homes across the state. Recently, the Presque Isle Rehab and Nursing Center and Heritage Rehabilitation and Living Center in Winthrop announced their respective closures due to financial and staffing challenges. According to the Maine Health Care Association, nursing homes and assisted living facilities are under water by more than $112 million.

“I’m glad the Senate came together today to work as it should for Maine’s people. Through this bipartisan package, we are able to take care of those impacted by the storms, our veterans and our vulnerable seniors in nursing homes. While this funding may not help the nursing home that is closing in my district, I hope we can prevent more from closing in the future,” said Senate Republican Leader Trey Stewart, R-Aroostook. “This will also help to address a mental health crisis that unfortunately is affecting so many people in our state. We must do everything we can to get those who are in a mental crisis the help they need.”

Under the package, funding will also be provided for LD 2237, which was sponsored by House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, and seeks to strengthen mental health response services across the state through mobile units. The $30 million in funding will also provide for crisis receiving centers, suicide prevention and ongoing efforts to reduce waitlists for medication management services.

“I’m glad the Senate came together today to work as it should for Maine’s people. Through this bipartisan package, we are able to take care of those impacted by the storms, our veterans and our vulnerable seniors in nursing homes. While this funding may not help the nursing home that is closing in my district, I hope we can prevent more from closing in the future.”

Senate Republican Leader Trey Stewart, R-Aroostook

Funding is also provided for the establishment of the Office of Violence Prevention that was included in LD 2237. The new office will operate under the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and administer a grant program for organizations to conduct community-based violence intervention initiatives.

Another initiative covered by the amended bill is LD 2217, a bill sponsored by Senate President Troy Jackson, R-Aroostook, that will increase funding by $5 million for Maine Veterans’ Homes (MVH). The MVH system has struggled for years due to low Medicare reimbursement rates and staffing shortages.

Also addressed in the amended bill is an increase in the minimum wage for educational technicians and other school support staff that was sought through LD 974, a bill sponsored by Rep. Edward Crockett, D-Portland.