AUGUSTA - Rep. Poppy Arford, D-Brunswick, has been named House chair of a legislative panel tasked with reviewing the impact of so-called "facility fees," which are fees that hospitals and health care providers add to patient bills in addition to their professional fees for services provided.

The Task Force to Evaluate the Impact of Facility Fees on Patients held its first meeting at the State House on Friday, Dec. 1.

AUGUSTA - The Legislative Council recently approved a bill from Rep. Colleen Madigan, D-Waterville, that would increase the nightly rate that the state pays low-barrier shelters. The bill would also direct the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to pursue a waiver to access federal Medicaid funds to serve unhoused people with substance use disorders, mental health disorders and older or disabled people with critical medical needs.

AUGUSTA - Rep. Jessica Fay, D-Raymond, received the Advocate of the Year award from the Home Care and Hospice Alliance of Maine on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at the Blaine House for her extensive work to enhance the well-being, safety and care of older Mainers.

AUGUSTA - The Legislative Council recently voted to advance a bill from Rep. Ron Russell, D-Verona Island, that would provide property tax relief to Mainers by expanding the existing Property Tax Fairness Credit.

AUGUSTA - The Legislative Council recently approved a bill from Rep. Colleen Madigan, D-Waterville, that would make it easier for more MaineCare members to have a loved one accompany them to a medical appointment.

AUGUSTA - The Legislative Council recently approved a bill from Rep. Gerry Runte, D-York, that would address ratepayer dissatisfaction by enhancing performance-based ratemaking (PBR) for Maine's electric utilities, adding incentives or penalties for utilities that meet or fail to meet performance goals established by state regulators.

AUGUSTA - The Legislative Council approved a bill last week from Rep. Cheryl Golek, D-Harpswell, which would direct the Maine State Housing Authority (MSHA) to examine systemic difficulties in obtaining and utilizing low-income affordable housing vouchers and provide further support for Section 8 housing voucher recipients.

AUGUSTA - The Legislative Council voted earlier this month to advance two bill proposals sponsored by Rep. Kristen Cloutier, D-Lewiston, that would support the state's health care workforce by adding Maine to the Physician Assistant Licensure Compact and prohibiting the Maine Department of Health and Human Services from enforcing electronic visit verification practices among hospice care providers within the MaineCare program.

AUGUSTA - The Legislative Council recently approved a bill from Rep. Kathy Shaw, D-Auburn, that would make it easier for more Mainers to grow their own food by exempting buildings used for the cultivation of crops, like permanent greenhouses, from the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC).

AUGUSTA - The Legislative Council approved a bill Thursday from Rep. Anne-Marie Mastraccio, D-Sanford, that would increase the state's annual shelter operating subsidy from $2.5 million to $12.5 million.