More on Maine's hearing tomorrow from Health Choice Maine. Important background.

Ignore if you are not planning to attend or give testimony

Good Morning, 

I just wanted to touch base with everyone regarding Zoom testimony tomorrow. I cannot express how grateful our community in Maine is to each of you for your support and assistance. 

I have included the zoom instruction below, as well as links and background just in case you need it again. You will need to sign up preferably tonight, but by tomorrow morning at the latest. I understand there are scheduling needs, so please let me know if you prefer to go at the front of the line, or at the end of the line, and I will make sure that the Representative assisting us with scheduling has the proper list. If you need a text message when it is getting close to your time to testify, please text me privately at 207-801-0227 and I will shoot you a message and give you a heads up. 

If you have any other questions or needs, please don't hesitate to reach out and let us know! We are happy to do what we need to in order to facilitate your support and make this as simple as possible. 

Information for Zoom:

To sign up to submit the written version of testimony, and to sign up to testify via zoom,
visit https://www.mainelegislature.org/testimony/ and follow these steps:

- Click "Public Hearing"

- Select "Education and Cultural Affairs" in the committee dropdown

- Choose "April 3, 2023"

- Click "LD 51: An Act to Restore Religious & Philosophical Exemptions to Immunization Requirements"

- If you are testifying via zoom Click "I would like to testify over Zoom" otherwise just dont click that box

- Select "I am for the proposed legislation

- Type your testimony in the box below, or upload a file

- Complete the form with your name, town, and email address

LD 51- Our bill to restore exemptions: 

LD51-Bill.pdf (healthchoicemaine.org)

LD 798- the 2019 bill that removed exemptions for schools, daycares, daycare employees, and all healthcare facility employees. 

getPDF.asp (mainelegislature.org)

This was the LD 798 law as it was passed in 2019: 

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: (mainelegislature.org)

This is the law as it exists today 

Microsoft Word - Chapter 126-261_Final Adoption.docx (maine.gov)

Immunization Requirements for Healthcare Workers.pdf (maine.gov)

https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/sites/maine.gov.dhhs/files/inline-files/10-148%20Ch.%2032%20Child%20Care%20Facility%20Licensing%20Rule%20Effective%209-27-21_jpf%20edits.pdf

I don't think it matters, but in case it does, we do have a timeline of legislative attempts and rule changes here Legislative Efforts - Health Choice Maine

IMPORTANT: THE STORY OF LD798 AND HOW ITS PROVISIONS TO PROTECT CHILDREN HAVE BEEN PROGRESSIVELY AND SILENTLY WHITTLED DOWN

In 2019, LD 798 An Act to protect children by removing certain exemptions was introduced into the legislature. After a lot of bouncing amendments back and forth, the bill passed by a single vote. During these debates, multiple claims were made. An expansion to medical exemptions was added which included language that would prevent regulatory additions to this provision, to ensure that people who need a Medical Exemption (ME) could obtain an ME. It was also added that changes to the vaccine schedule would now require legislative review, rather than being made by the executive branch: DHHS routine technical rule changes. A concession that allowed any student with an IEP dated prior to Sept. 1, 2021 to be grandfathered and remain in School was added. Laboratory Immunity acceptance was added.

This bill was sold on the promise that this would protect children. That having under-vaccinated children in classrooms would be detrimental to the health of the classroom.

Since then, without rule-making or votes by the legislature, language was added to the Medical Exemption summary that created a State Licensing stipulation. So any child with a Medical Exemption that was not written by a Maine Licensed MD, DO, NP, and PA, would no longer be accepted. 

The definition of acceptable titers was changed. Not in the Statute, but on a FAQ sheet, which the DOE sent to schools to enforce. This changed it so that only fully vaccinated students that had lost their vaccine records were eligible.

An additional Varicella shot was added to the Children's schedules, and the Flu Shot was added to the Healthcare Workers schedule outside of legislative review.

And of course, we have now also seen students with appropriately date IEPs being refused in-school education as well. 

Everything that we were told wouldn't happen, in order to get LD 798 passed, has happened. And not through any actual legal channels either. These things have largely been done by stealth, outside of the actual required provisions. 

Multiple School Districts are beginning to struggle under their shrinking budgets as students are pulled, or removed. Our Hospital Networks are barely holding on, each dangerously understaffed, while hemorrhaging funds due to inflating salaries and incentive packages they are having to offer to attract travel nurses. While local medical professionals in Maine are left struggling to support their families.

LD798 went on to usher in detrimental policies beyond its initial scope, as many of us warned it would. However, coupled with the COVID emergency, the harm caused is unimaginable. 

Thank you,
Tiffany Kreck
Health Choice Maine
207-801-0227