AUGUSTA – The Legislature gave final approval on Wednesday to two bills sponsored by Rep. Kristi Mathieson, D-Kittery, that will support first responders with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and aid essential state and federal workers who are furloughed in the event of a government shutdown.
LD 82 will make permanent a temporary law that allows first responders to receive workers’ compensation for work-related PTSD. The bipartisan bill will continue to support a proven program benefiting law enforcement, corrections officers, dispatchers, firefighters and EMS personnel by enabling early treatment to improve first responders' lives and reduce costly long-term absences.
“Emergency personnel like firefighters, who often serve for more than 20 years, may face multiple traumatic events in just one call—matching what the average person might experience in a lifetime,” said Mathieson. “Many brave first responders, who may not want to admit weakness or might find it difficult to ask for help, shared that these programs have made it possible for them to seek treatment, increase peer-to-peer counseling groups and create better awareness and acceptance of PTSD.”
The Professional Fire Fighters of Maine, members of the Portland Fire Department, the Professional Firefighters of Hampden, the Workers’ Compensation Board and others supported the bill at its public hearing in February.
Another bill, LD 874, will create a loan guarantee program offering interest-free loans up to $6,000 to help cover lost income for essential state and federal employees during government shutdowns lasting more than seven days. Workers can receive up to three individual loans per shutdown, with repayment delayed until the shutdown ends or 90 days later, and no interest charged for 180 days after that.
“When the state or federal government shuts down due to political brinksmanship, it’s not politicians that have to face real consequences, it’s working families,” said Mathieson. “State and federal employees in Maine are the backbone of many essential and specialized services – from maintaining public safety and transportation infrastructure to building Navy submarines in Kittery. Government shutdowns mean that these workers will continue to provide these services, but might not get paid for a long time. This bill will provide workers with a lifeline to be able to support themselves and their families until the shutdown is resolved.”
The Department of Defense Conference of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the Northern New England Carpenters Locals 349 and 352, Local 3073 at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the Maine Service Employees Association, SEIU Local 1989, the Maine Credit Union League, the Maine Bankers Association and many others testified in support of this legislation at its public hearing in April.
Both bills now head to the governor’s desk.
Mathieson is serving her third term in the Maine House representing Kittery and is House chair of the Legislature’s Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee.