It’s May, and the legislative season is speeding up (typically, it’s over in a matter of weeks)! We want to give you the latest on LD 199, the bill to increase access to healthcare for immigrants in Maine, and make sure you add your voice to the bill’s growing chorus of supporters by sending an e-postcard to your legislators.
Public Hearing
The hearing for LD 199 on March 28th was a success by all counts – 43 people testified in person or on zoom and another 37 submitted written testimony (that’s 80 total!). And we had a fantastic response from the press – eight different news outlets covered the hearing and/or our press conference earlier that morning, including WGME, WABI, and Maine Public (Maine Public also did a fantastic story on LD 199 before the hearing).
"If you’ve worked thousands of hours in a lobster plant, or in the blueberry fields, or in potato packing, aren’t you a Mainer? The health of one is the health of us all, and we all reap the benefits when our communities are cared for."
– Crystal Cron, founding director of Presente! Maine
Work Session
The next step for the bill was a work session in the Health and Human Services (HHS) committee, after which the majority of committee members voted “ought to pass as amended” on LD 199. We heard some powerful messages of support for the bill from legislators, including from co-chair Sen. Joseph Baldacci of Bangor.
“I just want to go on the record and indicate I’m going to be proudly supporting this bill… Immigration makes Maine stronger. As the grandson of Italian and Lebanese immigrants—and I’m very proud of that lineage—we came to this country for opportunity and to build businesses and to build families and we are going to continue to welcome people from all over the world. I think that is our mission, that is what America is all about, and I think that Maine will be a leader, because I think Maine also understands that healthcare is a human right.”
And from Rep. Graham (North Yarmouth and Gray), who is a retired pediatric nurse practitioner:
“Health care is a human right and the issue that I saw time and again was we can care for people, prevent illness, treat them early on so that we don’t end up having them in our ERs…The bottom line is, every single one of us is an immigrant. Every single one of us in this state and in this country are immigrants except for our indigenous friends.”
Lobby Day
We had a successful lobby day thanks to our leadership team of directly-impacted people and fellow coalition leaders! Advocates connected with their legislators and shared their stories:
“As a mother, I want to be able to care for my children. As a worker, I want to be able to go to work and contribute to my community.”
– Evelin, who gained coverage during her pregnancy but lost it the month after her infant son was born
We had overwhelmingly positive responses from many of the legislators we talked to, but there are still some who aren't supportive of the bill yet.
What’s Next?
Now the bill moves to the House where it will stay until the right time to hold a vote. The Appropriations and Financial Affairs (AFA) Committee, who helps guide what gets included in the budget, is now holding hearings. We hope they will follow the HHS Committee's recommendation to include funding for LD 199 in the budget.
How You Can Help
You can help from home by sending an e-postcard to your legislators asking them to support LD 199! Our supporters have sent more than 240 postcards so far and we can see the positive effects already. Calls, emails, snail mail, letters to the editor, and meetings with your legislators are all ways to make your views heard. Whether you're in Augusta or rooting from home, your support continues to mean a lot--and to make a big difference in how your lawmakers think about LD 199 and vote.
You can learn more about the bill here.
You can also connect with this issue on facebook, instagram, and twitter and help by sharing our posts.
“We see this as completing the circle – education, prevention, but also access.”
– Selam, Director of Development and Community Engagement at New Mainers Public Health Initiative
Maine Equal Justice focuses its work on many of the issues that affect people’s daily lives – access to adequate health care, housing, transportation and childcare; food and income security; and higher education and training. Maine Equal Justice is a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization. Our EIN is 04-3346273. 