Here's how other LePage vetoes fared
The solar bill wasn’t the only legislation vetoed by Gov. Paul LePage to face override votes by lawmakers on Wednesday. Bills dealing with the phaseout of flame retardants, promoting telehealth for rural patients and public health nursing also had been vetoed by the governor. Here’s how they fared:
LD 182
The veto of LD 182, “An act to protect firefighters by establishing a prohibition on the sale and distribution of new upholstered furniture containing certain flame-retardant chemicals,” was successfully overturned with a 123-14 vote in the House and 31-1 vote in the Senate.
“Once again, Maine common sense leads the nation,” said Mike Belliveau, executive director of Environmental Health Strategy Center and Prevent Harm, which worked with Maine firefighters to pass the bill. “This new law phases out all flame retardant chemicals in residential upholstered furniture, because none are needed for fire safety. And the Maine ban tells the chemical industry to give up its futile attempt to weaken national protections.”
LD 182 states that after Jan. 1, 2019, furniture containing flame-retardant chemicals can no longer be sold in Maine if it contains flame retardant chemicals.
LD 1485
The veto of LD 1485, a bill to require the state’s Medicaid program treat telehealth medical services the same way as in-person treatment, was successfully overturned with a 112-20 vote in the House and 25-9 vote in the Senate.
Telehealth services utilize audio-video conferencing and remote monitoring to deliver a variety of medical services to patients without requiring them to meet in-person with a doctor. These services can help rural patients or patients who are unable to travel long distances get the care they need. The bill sponsored by Sen. Geoff Gratwick, D-Bangor, would ensure that Medicaid cover telehealth services at the same rate as in-person services.
"Telehealth is a medical advancement whose time has come. It ensures access to medical attention for patients no matter where they live and saves money for providers,” Gratwick said in a news release. “This bill will bring MaineCare in line with much of the country by providing telehealth services just as in-person services are provided, and I am pleased that my colleagues voted to override Gov. LePage’s veto.”
LePage’s veto of another telehealth bill sponsored by Gratwick, LD 949, was sustained when the House vote did not reach the required two-thirds majority to override it. LD 949 would have required private insurers to cover services via telehealth just as they would cover in-person assessment and treatment.
LD 1108
The veto of LD 1108, “An act to restore public health nursing services, was overturned with a 101-34 vote in the House and a 29-5 vote in the Senate.
Sponsored by Sen. Brownie Carson, D-Harpswell, the bill requires the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to promptly fill vacancies within the state’s public health nursing program, which the bill states has been reduced in the last six years from 59 nurses to approximately 20. The new biennial budget includes 48 positions within the program and the bill sets deadlines for achieving full staffing and requires the Public Health Nursing Program to report this fall on its progress in meeting that goal.
“There is no greater obligation for elected officials than ensuring the health and wellbeing of the residents in this great state, and public health nurses are the vanguard of our public health system,” Carson said in a statement. “These dedicated health professionals protect us from disease outbreaks, they work with our families to ensure the health of our children, and they address a dire need for preventative health services at the community level. They work with anyone, regardless of their income or their insurance status. For six years, this administration has attacked our public health infrastructure. This bill is a critical step to reversing the damage.”
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