Within the Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHS):

We are working with SAMHS to create rules and regulations that both enhance service delivery and assure access across our state to quality, evidence based mental health and substance use treatment services.

Within the 128th Maine Legislative Biennium (2017-2018):

We are working with our Maine legislators to create legislation that will advance our mission and goals:

• Ensure access to quality, efficient and effective mental health and substance use services.
• Achieve positive system change in the public perception of mental health and substance use disorder.
• Support the delivery of services with a highly competent workforce.

First Session Legislation (2017)
1 – Resolve, To Establish a Moratorium on Rate Changes Related to Certain Community Behavioral Health Services
Key Points:

• This bill is intended to continue the moratorium on any rate changes for Mainecare Sections 13, 17, 28 and 65 until the end of session.
• The legislature should have a chance to weigh in on the Burns & Associates rate study report as well as the currently submitted rate legislation.

> SUCCESS: The moratorium was added to the biennium budget to block any further rate reductions, but allow rate increases as deemed necessary.

2 – An Act to Enhance Workforce Development for Behavioral Health and Substance Use Workers
LD. 1376, Prime Sponsor – Rep. Gay Grant
Key Points:

• This bill will assist with increasing the recruitment, development and retention of workers in the behavioral health and substance use disorder fields.
• In order to enhance the pipeline for advancement and development of a substance use disorder treatment workforce, this bill streamlines and clarifies the progression of licensure within the field of Alcohol and Drug Counselors.
• Creates parity for LCPCs.
• Allows twice the number of CEUs to be taken through online courses.

>SUCCESS: This bill was enacted and should be operational by January 2018.

3 – An Act To Strengthen Maine Children’s Mental Health
LD. 384, Sponsor: Sen. Rebecca Millet
Key Points:

• This bill is a concept draft pursuant to Joint Rule 208.
• This bill proposes to require MaineCare to cover mental health treatment for a child that uses evidence-based practices, to include meetings with the parent of the child without the child present as long as the meetings are focused on the goals of the treatment.
  

>SUCCESS: This legislation has passed the House and Senate and is awaiting funding on the Appropriations table.

4 – An Act An Act To Support Evidence-based Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder
LD. 605, Sponsor: Rep. Karen Vachon
Key Points:

• This bill provides funding for primary care patient-centered medical homes and behavioral health providers that provide evidence-based, integrated medication-assisted treatment to approximately 1,000 uninsured patients with opioid use disorder to cover costs of intensive, intermediate and long-term treatment.
• Allocation would be $6 million.

>SUCCESS: This legislation was incorporated into LD 1430.

5 – Resolve, To Increase Access to Evidence based Psychosocial Treatment for Children in the MaineCare Program
LD. 902, Sponsor: Rep. Richard Malaby
Key Points:

• This resolve requires the Department of Health and Human Services to increase the MaineCare reimbursement rates for evidence-based outpatient psychosocial treatments for children to a rate that covers all costs involved with providing the service, including additional training.
• Clears waiting lists and attracts providers to all areas of the State, including underserved rural areas.
• Requires the department to cover 2 additional evidence-based services known as trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and parent management training programs through a request for proposals, using General Fund funds for training and hiring staff.
• The department and the contracted providers are required to develop a reimbursement rate for providing the service that is sufficient to allow the continued financial health of the service providers providing these therapies.                                                                                                         

>SUCCESS: This legislation spawned another bill, LD 1868. Both have passed the House and Senate and are awaiting funding on the Appropriations table.

6 – An Act To Develop a Statewide Resource and Referral Center & Develop Hub-and- spoke Models To Improve Access, Treatment and Recovery for Those with Substance Use Disorder
LD. 1430, Sponsor: Rep. Karen Vachon
Key Points:

• Establishes a statewide resource and referral center for individuals with substance use disorders and friends and family members of individuals with substance use disorders, law enforcement and providers of substance abuse treatment.
• Requires the Department of Health and Human Services to contract with evidence-based substance abuse treatment providers across the State to provide integrated medication-assisted treatment to individuals with substance use disorders.
• Department of Health and Human Services is directed to fund treatment for individuals without insurance and develop a rate of reimbursement that takes into account the multiple parts of treatment an individual with a substance use disorder requires in addition to medication.

>SUCCESS: This legislation has passed the House and Senate and is awaiting funding on the Appropriations table.

7 – An Act to Ensure Transparency in the Distribution of Federal Block Grant Funds
LD. 1435, Prime Sponsor: Rep. Erik Jorgensen

Key Points:

• This bill is intended to ensure transparency and proper legislative oversight of the allocation of Federal block grant funding.
• Many states share the responsibility of oversight between the administration and the legislative branch.
• There have been movements of funding between programs that did not meet federal guidelines.
• Medicaid is a critical federal program that may be moving to block grant status.

>SUCCESS: This legislation has passed the House and Senate.

8 – An Act to Ensure Access to Behavioral Health Services
LD. 1517, Prime Sponsor – Rep. PinnyBeebe-Center

Key Points:

• Funding for community based behavioral health and substance use disorder services has not kept pace with the Consumer Price Index. This has impacted the ability to provide adequate services.
• This bill would examine the rates and ensure a net rate increase of 20% (CPI for this period has gone up 21%). It would provide a cost of living adjustment in each biennial budget to keep pace with the CPI.

>SUCCESS: This legislation has passed the House and Senate and is awaiting funding on the Appropriations table.

9 – An Act to Coordinate Services and Support Workforce Development for Substance Use Disorder Prevention and Peer Recovery Services
LD 447, Sponsor: Senator Joyce Maker
Key Points:

• Would fund statewide prevention and recovery networks for substance use disorder.
• Would fund an annual Prevention Convention to continue workforce development and assure best practices within the substance use field.

>FAIL: This bill was defeated in committee.

10 – An Act to Support Substance Use Prevention, Treatment and Recovery
LD. 1197, Sponsor: Rep. Pinny Beebe-Center

Key Points:

• Would take 10% of the tax from marijuana implementation for prevention efforts, treatment, and recovery for substance use disorder.

> FAIL: This legislation was caught up in the Marijuana implementation legislation and has been vetoed.

Second Session Legislation (2018)

1 – An Act To Preserve Medication Management for Persons with Mental Health Needs
LD 1737, Sponsor: Sen. Catherine Breen

Key Points:

• This bill would increase rates to fund medication management for persons with severe and persistent mental illness by 25% across the board in order to retain services, access and providers across geographic regions.
• Without an increase in the reimbursement rate for medication management for Mainers living with severe and persistent mental illness, we are going to see more programs close across the state, further exacerbating the ability for Maine people to access mental health medication management, especially for Maine youth.
• Considering the serious implications of medication management for Mainers living with mental illness, it is important for us to support quality medication management and service integration.

>SUCCESS: This legislation has passed the House and Senate and is awaiting funding on the Appropriations table.

2 – An Act To Clarify Authority Pertaining to the Collection of Debts of MaineCare Providers       
LD 1714, Sponsor: Rep. Andrew Gattine  

Key Points:

• This bill would prohibit the imposition of personal liability for a MaineCare provider’s debts onto an employee, officer, director, member or shareholder of the provider unless that employee, officer, director, member or shareholder controls at least the number of votes of the provider’s governing body necessary to govern operations of the provider

>SUCCESS: This legislation has passed the House and Senate.

3 – An Act To Save Lives and Create the Homeless Opioid User Service Engagement Pilot Project
LD 1711, Sponsor: Rep. Andrew Gattine  

Key Points:

• H.O.U.S.E. is a pilot project that provides low-barrier treatment for substance use disorders and stable housing to support recovery and create stability for 50 opioid users who are among the most vulnerable and unstable in Maine (homeless, uninsured, underinsured, unemployed polysubstance users) and are among the highest utilizers of inpatient hospital services and criminal justice system.

>SUCCESS: This legislation has passed the House and Senate and is awaiting funding on the Appropriations table.

4 – An Act To Ensure Quality of and Increase Access to Recovery Residences
LD 1682, Sponsor: Sen. Shenna Bellows

Key Points:

• Without housing assistance tied to substance use disorder diagnosis, we will continue to see a high relapse rate for people seeking treatment for Opioid Use Disorder (and other substances).
• You cannot sustain recovery without a solid and safe home base.
• Bill would set state standards for recovery residences that are tied to National Alliance for Recovery Residences standards.
• Bill would also expand eligibility for the Bridging Rental Assistance Program to include persons with substance use disorder diagnoses
• Would allow all program funds to be used for regular housing or recovery residences

>SUCCESS: This legislation has passed the House and Senate and is awaiting funding on the Appropriations table.

Within the 114th US Congress:

We are working with the National Council to promote public policies that support a strong addiction and mental health safety net. Our public policy agenda includes:

• Promoting federal initiatives that support public education on mental illness and addiction such as the Mental Health First Aid Act.
• Ensuring implementation and expansion of federal funding for community behavioral health organizations, as outlined in the Excellence in Mental Health Act.
• Promoting and funding financial resources and incentives to help states and local governments expand drug treatment, prevention and recovery efforts, as in the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act.
• Preserving funding for other important behavioral health programs such as the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant and other programs funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
• Working to ensure that behavioral health providers are eligible for health information technology incentives, as in the Behavioral Health IT Act.
• Protecting federal funding for Medicaid and protecting beneficiaries and providers.
• Ensuring behavioral health’s full inclusion in health reform implementation.