MMA’s Legal Services Department has issued an update on the status of OSHA’s recently issued COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard, and its application to Maine’s public sector employers. The OSHA standard proposes to mandate that large employers (100 or more employees) require their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to weekly testing and workplace masking.  As a result of litigation, the OSHA standard is currently on hold.

"Public Information in an all-hazards incident" examines the role of public information in managing an all-hazards incident and provides practical training in crisis communication techniques. The course, scheduled for December 14 and 15, is designed for participants whose duties may require them to interface with news media representatives during their community’s response to a WMD/terrorism incident or major disaster. Course participants who would benefit from this training include key elected officials, public information officers, key department heads, key public health and medical personnel, and emergency management officials from both the public and private sectors.

The Office of Governor Janet Mills is asking municipal officials for help in spreading the word that Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace is now open for enrollment. For the first time, the state is running its own Marketplace - CoverME.gov - where Maine residents can apply, get financial assistance and access to health insurance. The last day of open enrollment is Jan. 15, 2022.

MMA’s Legal Services Department today issued an update relating to COVID-19 vaccination requirements for employees of licensed Maine emergency services programs. The Maine Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) has removed Emergency Medical Services (EMS) organizations from its final rule requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for health care workers (10-144 CMR ch. 264, issued 11/10/21). This change resolves a conflict between state agency regulations that has been of great concern to municipal EMS 

Maine’s Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is reaching out to municipalities to help get federal reimbursement through FEMA for eligible COVID-19 expenses.  Some expenses that were not previously eligible are now eligible after FEMA updated the guidelines.  For example, if you previously had $1,500 worth of PPE for your fire and EMS departments, but couldn’t include the $2,000 of PPE and plexiglass dividers for the Clerk’s office – you may now meet the threshold and be eligible for FEMA reimbursement.

The Penobscot County Emergency Management Agency will be conducting incident command system courses for command and policy level first response personnel in early December. Topics include organization and staffing, incident and event planning/staffing, organizing a response to an incident or planned event, and incident resource management. The courses include group activities, a tabletop exercise, and a final exam. This program is intended for middle management, command staff personnel.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announced the award of more than $7.5 million  in Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Farm to Food Bank Project funding to 29 states and territories that administer The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). Farm to Food Bank Grants support the harvesting, processing, packaging or transportation of food donated by agricultural producers, processors, or distributors for use by emergency feeding organizations, like food banks.

MMA’s Legal Services Department today issued an update on Maine’s “Fair Chance in Employment” Act, which went into effect October 18, 2021. The act prohibits employers, including municipal employers, from seeking a job applicant’s criminal history on an initial job application in most situations. The law also prohibits employers from stating in an application or advertisement that candidates with a criminal history will not be considered for a position. 

The 6th Annual Northeast CO Alliance Virtual Summit (Maine, New Hampshire & Vermont) will be held on Thursday, November 4, 2021 from 1:00pm-4:00pm.

The 2021 GrowSmart Maine Summit is a hybrid session this year, being held both virtually and in person on Thursday, November 4 from 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. The Summit’s theme this year is “Turning Climate Action into Economic Opportunity: Smart Growth Guidance for Maine Communities.” Keynote Speakers are Dr. Devashree Saha, Senior Associate from World Resources Institute and Kate Dufour, Director of MMA’s State and Federal Relations Department.