AUGUSTA - Rep. Lydia Crafts, D-Newcastle, introduced legislation Monday before the Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee to encourage safe and recovery friendly workplace (RFW) environments in Maine.
LD 973 has five components. It would create a partnership between the state and community-based recovery organizations; establish best practices in hiring, training and supporting staff in recovery; offer education and training to interested employers; create a certification process for employers to be designated recovery friendly and provide access to life-saving tools like Naloxone (Narcan).
"Fostering a culture in which individuals in or seeking recovery are welcomed and supported in the workplace is crucial for Maine's workforce," said Crafts. "Substance use disorder must be recognized as a health condition. There are many different steps to tackle this epidemic in Maine, and this legislation is an important piece of the solution."
New Hampshire started the first RFW initiative in the country in 2018, and while there is no formal inventory of RFW programs, 35 states have registered to be part of the national Recovery Friendly Workplace Community of Practice.
"Ensuring people in recovery have resources to be successful in the workplace is vital," said Rep. Raegan LaRochelle, D-Augusta, who cosponsored the bill and owns a property maintenance business that acts as an informal recovery friendly workplace. "This legislation will strengthen our workforce and change peoples lives for the better."
The Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee will hold a work session on this bill in the coming weeks.
Rep. Crafts is serving her second term in the Maine House and represents Bristol, Damariscotta, Newcastle, Nobleboro and Monhegan Plantation. She is a member of the Legislature's Marine Resources and Transportation Committees
Contact:
Brian Lee [Crafts], c. 305-965-2744