An Act To Study Allocations of the Fund for a Healthy Maine
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 0905
Committee: Health and Human Services
Sponsors: BEAVERS, DUTREMBLE, EVES, GATTINE, HEAD, HYMANSON, POULIOT, SANBORN, VACHON, KATZ
Amends: 5 MRSA §12004-I, 22 MRSA §1511, 3 MRSA §251

Legislative Document 
No. 905 
H.P. 624 
House of Representatives, March 12, 2015 
An Act To Study Allocations of the Fund for a Healthy Maine 
Reference to the Committee on Health and Human Services suggested and ordered printed. 
ROBERT B. HUNT 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative BEAVERS of South Berwick. 
Cosponsored by Senator DUTREMBLE of York and 
Representatives: Speaker EVES of North Berwick, GATTINE of Westbrook, HEAD of Bethel, 
HYMANSON of York, POULIOT of Augusta, SANBORN of Gorham, VACHON of 
Scarborough, Senator: KATZ of Kennebec. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  3 MRSA c. 12 is enacted to read: 
CHAPTER 12 
COMMISSION TO STUDY ALLOCATIONS OF THE FUND FOR A HEALTHY 
MAINE 
§251.  Commission To Study Allocations of the Fund for a Healthy Maine 
1.  Commission established.  The Commission To Study Allocations of the Fund for 
a Healthy Maine, referred to in this section as "the commission," is established in Title 5, 
section 12004-I, subsection 30-B. 
2.  Commission membership.  The commission consists of 13 members appointed 
as follows: 
A.  The President of the Senate shall: 
(1)  Appoint 3 members of the Senate, including a member from each of the 2 
parties holding the largest number of seats in the Legislature.  At least one of the 
appointees must serve on the joint standing committee of the Legislature having 
jurisdiction over appropriations and financial affairs and at least one of the 
appointees must serve on the joint standing committee of the Legislature having 
jurisdiction over health and human services matters; and 
(2)  Appoint one person representing municipal public health departments and 
one person representing a major voluntary nonprofit health organization; and 
B.  The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall: 
(1)  Appoint 4 members of the House of Representatives, including members 
from each of the 2 parties holding the largest number of seats in the Legislature.  
At least one of the appointees must serve on the joint standing committee of the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over appropriations and financial affairs and at 
least one of the appointees must serve on the joint standing committee of the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters; and 
(2)  Appoint one person representing a nonprofit statewide organization of public 
health professionals, one person representing a public health organization or 
agency operating in a rural community, one person representing the organizations 
providing services supported by funds from the Fund for a Health Maine and one 
person who possesses expertise in the subject matter of the study under this 
section. 
3.  Terms of appointment.  The terms of appointment for members of the 
commission are as follows. 
A.  Except as provided in paragraph B, members are appointed for terms of 3 years. 
B.  Members who are Legislators are appointed for the duration of the legislative 
terms of office in which they were appointed. 
C.  Members may serve beyond their designated terms until their successors are 
appointed. 
4.  Chairs.  The first-named Senate member of the commission is the Senate chair 
and the first-named House of Representatives member of the commission is the House 
chair of the commission. 
5.  Quorum.  A quorum of the commission is 7 members. 
6.  Meetings.  The commission may meet only when the Legislature is not in regular 
or special session.  The commission may meet up to 6 times every 3 years to accomplish 
its duties. 
7.  Duties.  The commission shall review the alignment of allocations from the Fund 
for a Healthy Maine, established in Title 22, section 1511, with the State's public health 
care and preventive health priorities and goals.  The commission shall gather information 
and data from public and private entities as necessary to: 
A.  Identify or review the State's public health care and preventive health priorities 
and goals; 
B.  Identify or review strategies for addressing priorities and goals and potential 
effectiveness of those strategies; 
C.  Assess the level of resources needed to properly pursue the strategies identified in 
paragraph B; 
D.  Make recommendations for how Fund for a Healthy Maine funds should be 
allocated to most effectively support the State's public health and preventive health 
priorities, goals and strategies; and 
E.  Make recommendations for processes to be used to ensure that Fund for a Healthy 
Maine allocations stay aligned with the State's health priorities and goals. 
8.  Cooperation.  The Commissioner of Administrative and Financial Services, the 
Commissioner of Education, the Commissioner of Health and Human Services and the 
Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention within the Department 
of Health and Human Services shall provide information and data to the commission as 
necessary for its work. 
9.  Staff assistance.  The Legislative Council shall provide necessary staffing 
services to the commission. 
10.  Report.  By December 7, 2015 and every 3 years thereafter, the commission 
shall submit a report that includes its findings and recommendations, including suggested 
legislation, to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over 
appropriations and financial affairs and the joint standing committee of the Legislature 
having jurisdiction over health and human services matters. 
11.  Compensation.  Legislators who are members of the commission are entitled to 
receive the legislative per diem and expenses as defined in section 2 for their attendance 
to their duties under this section. Other members are entitled to receive reimbursement of 
necessary expenses if they are not otherwise reimbursed by their employers or others 
whom they represent. 
12.  Funding for commission activities; outside funding; Fund for a Healthy 
Maine.  The commission may seek outside funds to fund the cost of meetings and other 
activities of the commission.  Contributions to support the work of the commission may 
not be accepted from any party having a pecuniary or other vested interest in the outcome 
of the matters being studied. Any person, other than a state agency, desiring to make a 
financial or in-kind contribution shall certify to the Legislative Council that it has no 
pecuniary or other vested interest in the outcome of the commission's activities.  Such a 
certification must be made in the manner prescribed by the Legislative Council. All 
contributions are subject to approval by the Legislative Council. All funds accepted must 
be forwarded to the Executive Director of the Legislative Council along with an 
accounting record that includes the amount of funds, the date the funds were received, 
from whom the funds were received and the purpose of and any limitation on the use of 
those funds. The Executive Director of the Legislative Council shall administer any funds 
received by the commission.  The commission may accept funds from the Fund for a 
Healthy Maine pursuant to Title 22, section 1511. 
Sec. 2.  5 MRSA §12004-I, sub-§30-B is enacted to read: 
30-B.   
Sec. 3.  22 MRSA §1511, sub-§6, as amended by PL 2011, c. 617, §1, is further 
amended to read: 
6.  Health promotion purposes.  Allocations Except as otherwise provided in this 
subsection, allocations are limited to the following prevention and health promotion 
purposes: 
A.  Smoking prevention, cessation and control activities, including, but not limited to, 
reducing smoking among the children of the State; 
A-1.  Prevention, education and treatment activities concerning unhealthy weight and 
obesity; 
B.  Prenatal and young children's care including home visits and support for parents 
of children from birth to 6 years of age; 
C.  Child care for children up to 15 years of age, including after-school care; 
D.  Health care for children and adults, maximizing to the extent possible federal 
matching funds; 
Health Care 
Commission To 
Study Allocations of 
the Fund for a 
Healthy Maine 
Legislative Per Diem 
and Expenses for 
Legislators/ Expenses 
Only for Other 
Members 
MRSA §251
E.  Prescription drugs for adults who are elderly or disabled, maximizing to the extent 
possible federal matching funds; 
F.  Dental and oral health care to low-income persons who lack adequate dental 
coverage; 
G.  Substance abuse prevention and treatment; and 
H.  Comprehensive school health and nutrition programs, including school-based 
health centers. 
Allocations may be used to fund the activities of the Commission To Study the 
Allocations of the Fund for a Healthy Maine established under Title 3, section 251. 
SUMMARY 
This bill establishes an ongoing commission to review whether allocations of the 
Fund for a Healthy Maine are properly aligned with the State's public and preventive 
health priorities and goals and recommend adjustments to allocations as necessary.  
Under the bill, the commission is authorized to meet up to 6 times every 3 years when the 
Legislature is not is session and the commission's first report must be submitted by 
December 7, 2015 to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction 
over appropriations and financial affairs and the joint standing committee having 
jurisdiction over health and human services matters.  Money in the Fund for a Healthy 
Maine may be used to fund the activities of the commission.