Legislative Update

Budget Cuts At MCD

You may know that Maine’s government has a budget deficit (which means not enough money to pay all it owes) right now in the millions of dollars. To make up the budget shortfall (cut what Maine’s government owes), Maine’s Governor announced in mid-December that the government would “curtail” or stop payment on a bunch of contracts and programs it has.

This “curtailment” affects almost every part of Maine’s government, including a ton of programs run by Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services (“DHHS”). One of the programs run by DHHS is a contract for advocacy services on behalf of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing people with mental health or developmental disabilities issues. MCD has the contract now to deliver this advocacy service, and the money we get each year under this contract will now end. The “curtailment” is effective for MCD – meaning MCD will no longer be funded by DHHS to provide advocacy to Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing consumers – as June 30, 2008. The MCD Civil Rights Program, which does the advocacy work, will lose about one-quarter of our yearly Civil Rights Program budget. We are not sure yet if or how we will have to change our Civil Rights Program to deal with the budget cut, but will keep you posted as we figure it out.

In the meantime, we will keep doing our best to serve all the Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing and Late-Deafened people who come to us for help with requesting accommodations and access and addressing discrimination. Please feel free to write to your lawmakers to tell them how much Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing and Late-Deafened people with mental health or developmental disability issues need specially trained advocates like those at MCD. A link to the names and addresses of the lawmakers who control the state dollars – the Appropriations Committee –is at this website: http://janus.state.me.us/house/jt_com/afa.htm.

Legislation Update

Maine’s legislature – the bunch of state senators and representatives that we all elect to represent us – meets on a two-year cycle. One year there is a long session when the lawmakers meet, and the second year there is a shorter session in which only time-sensitive or “emergency” legislation is supposed to be heard.

Last year, we were in the long session, and MCD’s Civil Rights Program was extremely busy up at the State House in Augusta. MCD was the lead advocate on three bills, and helped to get two of them passed outright; one law, which required health insurers to provide hearing aids for kids, went into effect January 1, 2008, and the other law went into effect immediately last summer to make more money available for the Telephone Equipment Program. The third bill we were the lead advocate on, a push to get hearing aids for low-income seniors, was sent to be studied more. MCD’s Civil Rights Program testified on a total of 14 laws during the long session! Over the past six months, the time between sessions, MCD has been participating in five groups that are studying proposed laws affecting Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing and Late-Deafened folks. One was the group studying hearing aids for low-income seniors, one was a group to come up with a symbol that D/HH/LD drivers could have on their drivers’ licenses if they wanted to do so, one was a group to discuss defining “service dogs”, one was a group to study whether Maine’s laws should use language that is more respectful to Maine’s disabled persons, and one was a large group looking at whether Maine should adopt a Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Educational Bill of Rights.

The legislature is back in now, in the short session. The working groups that MCD’s Civil Rights Program was involved with, groups that studied so many issues – hearing aids for low-income seniors, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Educational Bill of Rights, service dog, and respectful language – have all been working hard and have submitted or are submitting reports to the legislature. Then we will wait to see if the lawmakers will push these initiatives forward at all. MCD’s Civil Rights Program also has been involved with opposing changes that Maine’s Department of Education proposed to Maine’s special education laws.

Last summer, you and MCD finally gt  a law passed requiring health insurers in Maine to provide coverage for children's hearing aids.  Hooray!  Governor Baldacci signed the bill into law on June 28, 2007.  Congratulations, and huge thanks to you all for your passionate - and sustained over several years - advocacy on this issue.  Here are the details.  The law will went into effect as of January 1, 2008.  If you have a health insurance policy that is either issued or renewed after that date, your insurer must provide your children with a $1,400 per ear benefit once every three years.   We believe that this benefit will apply whether your insurer is in Maine or your insurer is out of state but providing a policy in Maine.

Here's a link to the version of the bill that passed, finally:  http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/billtexts/LD151404.asp

We’d be glad to tell you more about any of these issues, or get your input or support on them too. Please call, TTY, or e-mail Amy Sneirson ( asneirson@mcdmaine.org ) or Beth Gallie ( bgallie@mcdmaine.org ) to talk more about these issues!

Amy Sneirson, Esq.
Civil Rights Manager
Maine Center on Deafness
68 Bishop Street, Suite 3
Portland , Maine 04103
Voice/TTY: 207-797-7656
Toll free (outside of Portland)
1-800-639-3884
Facsimile: 207-797-9791

Build community connections for Maine's Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing!  Your tax-deductible gift to MCD (whether a check payable to MCD, or via payroll deduction using www.MaineShare.org  and checking the MCD box) will support our Equipment Program, peer support and language development programs, civil rights legal services, Maine Relay outreach, and Deaf notary service (by appt).

The Children’s Hearing Aid Bill Passed!!!

 We all have done it - the Legislature passed LD 1514, a law requiring insurers in Maine to provide health insurance benefits to cover hearing aids to Maine's children!  Governor Baldacci signed the bill into law on June 28, 2007.  Congratulations, and huge thanks to you all for your passionate - and sustained over several years - advocacy on this issue. 

 Here are the details.  The law will go into effect as of January 1, 2008.  If you have a health insurance policy that is either issued or renewed after that date, your insurer must provide your children with a $1,400 per ear benefit once every three years.   We believe that this benefit will apply whether your insurer is in Maine or your insurer is out of state but providing a policy in Maine.

 As of January 1, 2008, children aged zero to five will be eligible for the benefit.  As of  January 1, 2009, children aged six to 13 will be eligible for the benefit. 

As of January 1, 2010, children aged 14 to 18 will be eligible for the benefit. 

 Here's a link to the version of the bill that passed, finally:  http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/billtexts/LD151404.asp

 

COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS REGARDING IMPORTANT INITIATIVES ARE WELCOME.

If you have questions or need any additional information, please contact Amy Sneirson or call 1-800-639-3884 Voice/TTY