Rep. Lyford's News from the Legislature: Maine Moose Permit Lottery, Rural Reopening Plan, State Secures Major COVID-19 Testing Expansion, & More

Maine Moose Permit Lottery Deadline This Week

Using this online service you will be able to enter into the Maine Moose Permit Lottery.  From the list of lottery applicants, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will administer a chance drawing to select winners for a Maine moose hunting permit.  Applications must be completed by 11:59 pm (ET) on May 14, 2020.  The Moose Lottery drawing will be held in June 2020.

Who can use this service?

You are eligible to apply if:

• You are eligible to obtain a Maine Big Game Hunting License or will be eligible to obtain a Maine Big Game Hunting License by the opening day of the Moose hunting season.
• Applicants under 10 years of age on 9/28/2020 may apply for a bonus point only, but are not eligible to win a permit.
• Sub-permittees and alternate sub-permittees must be 10 years of age on or before 9/28/2020.

What will I need?

To complete the application you will need:

• your current hunting license if you are applying with a superpack license;
• your personal information, i.e. name, address, DOB, etc.;
• sub-permittee information (if applicable); and
• a credit or debit card (Discover, Visa and Mastercard accepted).

Rural Reopening Plan

For Aroostook, Piscataquis, Washington, Hancock, Somerset, Franklin, Oxford, Kennebec, Waldo, Knox, Lincoln, and Sagadahoc counties

Certain businesses in these 12 Maine counties, which have not experienced community transmission of COVID-19, are now permitted to open on the following schedule.

May 11

Retail businesses (PDF) (released 5/8/20)

May 18

Restaurants (PDF) (for dine-in service and outdoor dining) (released 5/8/20)

Wilderness campsite guidance from DACF (PDF)

Sporting camps (A specific checklist for sporting camps is in development and will be available soon.)

State Secures Major COVID-19 Testing Expansion for Maine

The State of Maine has partnered with Maine-based IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. to purchase enough of the company’s recently authorized COVID-19 testing kits to more than triple the State’s testing capacity.  The breakthrough will soon allow anyone in Maine suspected of having COVID-19 to receive a test.

IDEXX, a worldwide leader in animal diagnostics, also has deep expertise in human diagnostics through its human health business, OPTI Medical Systems.  IDEXX recently announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted OPTI Medical Systems an Emergency Use Authorization for IDEXX’s OPTI SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR laboratory test kit for the detection of the 2019 novel coronavirus.  The State is purchasing enough of these test kits to run at least 5,000 tests per week for the foreseeable future.

Taken in combination with Maine CDC’s current capacity of 2,000 tests per week, the partnership with IDEXX more than triples the State of Maine’s testing capacity.  These tests are in addition to those conducted for Maine residents by nongovernmental labs in and outside of the State.  Additionally, IDEXX is loaning a testing instrument to the Maine CDC’s laboratory to help accommodate the higher testing volume and is generously donating enough test kits to conduct 3,500 tests.

This significant expansion of testing will ultimately allow the Maine CDC to eliminate its testing prioritization system, which most states have had to implement as a result of the limited national supply of testing materials.  After testing with the new instrument and materials is operational, which is expected as early as the end of next week, healthcare providers in Maine will be able to seek testing for anyone they suspect of having COVID-19.  This includes people with symptoms, as well as those who have had significant, close contact with a person with COVID-19, such as a spouse.  The breakthrough will also allow the State to more fully implement universal testing in congregate care settings, such as nursing facilities and shelters, and enable the State to work with providers to conduct voluntary sentinel testing, or “spot checks”, on patients in different parts of the healthcare system.

The tests will be run at Maine CDC’s Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory (HETL) in Augusta.  The Maine CDC is hiring additional staff at HETL to support the expansion.

Even with this announcement, the Administration will continue its efforts to secure more testing as part of its ongoing commitment to Maine’s public health.  For example, the Maine CDC has also recently received testing supplies for its second King Fisher testing platform, which will further expand capacity.  Additionally, the State continues to press the federal government to ensure that healthcare providers have a reliable and adequate supply of materials, such as swabs, to collect samples from patients for testing.

Maine’s Application for the Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) Approved

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved Maine’s application for the Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT).  This means that Maine families earning under 175% of the federal poverty line are now eligible for $381.90 in Pandemic-EBT support.

Details

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act authorized a temporary assistance program for households with children affected by school closures during the public health.  On March 20, 2020 the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announced and began accepting state plans for the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) program.  Maine submitted the following plan, which was approved on May 5.  

Summary of State Plan

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services and the Maine Department of Education will issue P-EBT benefits to current Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households and non-SNAP households, which include children eligible for free and reduced price school meals, through the State’s SNAP EBT card system.

The income eligibility spread between SNAP (138% FPL) and reduced price school meals (175% FPL) includes 2,221 Maine households.

The State will issue benefits to households of children whose schools were closed for at least five consecutive days during the emergency designation and who would have received free or reduced price meals if not for the school closures.

The State will conduct a public information campaign to alert those receiving benefits regarding the purposes of P-EBT and how P-EBT benefits and EBT cards are to be used, as described in the plan.

The State must also provide information to non-SNAP households about what to do if they do not wish to receive or use P-EBT benefits.  In addition, the State will identify risks for improper payments and ensure a high level of integrity.

The State will calculate monthly benefits for each eligible child in the household equal to the daily reimbursement for free breakfast and lunch ($5.70), multiplied by the average number of days school was canceled in the month.

The State estimates that it will issue $15.4 million to 23,582 SNAP households and $1.5 million to 2,221 non-SNAP households for school closures extending from March 16, 2020 through June 18, 2020 -- a total of 67 days. 

This total equals $381.90 in EBT benefits for all Maine families under 175% FPL.  175% FPL = $29,593 for a family of 2, $37,328 for a family of 3, $45,063 for a family of 4, $52,798 for a family of 5, $60,533 for a family of 6.

Here is a list of COVID-19 related USDA waivers and approvals.

Maine State Legislature

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife

Maine Unclaimed Property

Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection

Safety Issues and Recalls