Legislative Accomplishments
Statement
Michael Brennan served in both the house and the senate in the Maine legislature. Throughout his legislative career, Michael was a progressive leader, who worked to improve Maine by passing landmark policy initiatives, many of which have been used as models in other states.
Education
Key Positions
* Chair and member of the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs
* Chair of the Legislative Committee on Learning Technology
* Member on Leadership Committee on Tax Reform
Accomplishments
* Rewrote the school funding formula to ensure that all children in the state achieved Maine's learning results.
* Redesigned the school construction process so that more funds were distributed in a fair and equitable manner.
* Enacted legislation that allowed thousands of Maine students to have access to higher education.
* Supported the creation of Maine's community college system.
* Created one of the nation's first college tuition waiver programs for children in foster care.
* Designed the first-in-the nation local school lap-top technology program.
* Secured additional funding for after-school programs for high-risk students.
* Sponsored legislation that provided funding for Maine's Senior College system.
* Passed legislation that limited Maine's financial obligation to No Child Left Behind.
* Supported bond issues and state funding to promote research and development by the University and Community College systems.
* Sponsored legislation to increase educational opportunities for students who are immigrants and refugees.
Health Care Reform
Key Position
* Chair of the Joint Select Committee on Health Care Reform
Accomplishments
* Created the Reimportation Task Force to develop a plan for reimporting safe drugs from Canada and other countries.
* Provided a safety net for Maine seniors forced off Maine's prescription drug programs, required participate in Medicare Part D.
* Addressed changes to the Maine Rx Plus Program providing discounts on the cost of prescription drugs for Maine citizens without drug coverage.
* Ensured prescription drugs were readily available to people suffering with mental illness by limiting the use of prior authorization and formularies under Maine public health programs.
* Promoted the use of effective, less expensive drugs by requiring pharmacists to fill prescriptions with generic equivalents when brand name drugs were not medically necessary.
* Helped design the first-in-the-country Dirigo Health Reform Law aimed at providing universal health care coverage for Mainers which has since become a national model. This law has resulted in more affordable insurance for over 2,000 small business and 25,000 individuals.
Health and Human Services
Key Positions
* Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services.
* Chair of the Blue Ribbon Commission to reform MaineCare.
* Member of the Blue Ribbon Commission on the financing of long-term care.
Accomplishments
* Addressed funding and quality issues related to Maine's Long Term Care programs including home health care and nursing home care.
* Supported legislation that passed into law a measure allowing nurse practitioners to practice independently, expanding access to preventive health care throughout Maine.
* Sponsored the state's first bicycle helmet law for youth.
Environment
Accomplishments
* Received 100% rating while serving as a Maine senator from the Maine League of Conservation Voters
* Sponsored legislation that will increase Maine's utilization of renewable energy by 10% in the next decade by emphasizing more wind and solar energy sources.
* Sponsored legislation that promoted the use of low-emission vehicles in Maine.
* Supported funding for the Land for Maine's Future program to ensure the purchase of land for public use throughout Maine.
* Sponsored legislation that protected Casco Bay from overboard discharges from ships.
Substance Abuse and At-Risk Youth
Key Positions
* Chair of the Joint Select Committee on Substance Abuse
* Chair on Speaker's advisory Committee on Educational Programming at the Maine Youth Center
Accomplishments
* Secured over $6 million dollars annually in additional funding for substance abuse and alcohol prevention programs from Tobacco Settlement Funding.
* Worked to allocate an additional $1.5 million in State funding for substance abuse programs.
* Obtained additional resources for education reform focusing on youth at-risk.
* Expanded resources for mental health and substance abuse treatment.
* Passed legislation increasing mental health and substance abuse resources for immigrant and refugee populations.
Affordable Housing and Homelessness
Accomplishments
* Co-sponsored legislation to protect the civil rights of homeless people in Maine.
* Sponsored legislation that allocated bond money to create affordable housing in Maine
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