LD2189 - Hospital Closures

(2026)

Act to Require Prior Notification of Closures of Labor and Delivery Units and Changes in Maternity or Newborn Care Services by Hospitals as Recommended by the Commission to Evaluate the Scope of Regulatory Review and Oversight over Health Care Transactions That Impact the Delivery of Health Care Services in the State

Maine AFL-CIO Supported

What is the bill?

Nurses, healthcare workers and working people in rural Maine have been hit hard by hospital unit closures, including a rash of birthing unit closures in Maine. Maine has lost 33 percent of rural hospital labor and delivery units since 2020, and people in rural towns drive an average of 45 minutes to the nearest birthing hospital. This new law will require hospitals to notify the public before termination or change in the level of maternity or newborn care services, requires notification of affected patients and provides opportunities for communities to think about how they can act collectively to address closures.

What happened?

Enacted into law (Passed by the Legislature, Signed by the Governor)

Votes

Senate

32 Pro-labor 0 Anti-labor

Sen. Mark Lawrence

District 35 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Sen. Joseph Rafferty

District 34 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Sen. Matthew Harrington

District 33 - Republican

Pro-labor

Sen. Henry Ingwersen

District 32 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Sen. Donna Bailey

District 31 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Sen. Stacy Brenner

District 30 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Sen. Anne Carney

District 29 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross

District 28 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Sen. Jill Duson

District 27 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Sen. Timothy Nangle

District 26 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Sen. Teresa Pierce

District 25 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Sen. Denise A. Tepler

District 24 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Sen. Matthea Daughtry

District 23 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Sen. James Libby

District 22 - Republican

Pro-labor

Sen. Margaret Rotundo

District 21 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Sen. Bruce A. Bickford

District 20 - Republican

Pro-labor

Sen. Joseph Martin

District 19 - Republican

Pro-labor

Sen. Richard Bennett

District 18 - Republican

Pro-labor

Sen. Jeffrey Timberlake

District 17 - Republican

Pro-labor

Sen. Scott Wynn Cyrway

District 16 - Republican

Pro-labor

Sen. Richard T. Bradstreet

District 15 - Republican

Pro-labor

Sen. Craig Hickman

District 14 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Sen. Cameron Reny

District 13 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Sen. Pinny Beebe-Center

District 12 - Democrat

Excused

Sen. Glenn "Chip" Curry

District 11 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Sen. David G. Haggan

District 10 - Republican

Pro-labor

Sen. Joseph (Joe) Baldacci

District 9 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Sen. Michael (Mike) Tipping

District 8 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Sen. Nicole Grohoski

District 7 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Sen. Marianne Moore

District 6 - Republican

Pro-labor

Sen. Russell Black

District 5 - Republican

Excused

Sen. Stacey Guerin

District 4 - Republican

Pro-labor

Sen. Bradlee Farrin

District 3 - Republican

Pro-labor

Sen. Trey Stewart

District 2 - Republican

Excused

Sen. Susan Bernard

District 1 - Republican

Pro-labor

House

139 Pro-labor 2 Anti-labor

Rep. Kristi Michele Mathieson

District 151 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Michele Meyer

District 150 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Tiffany Roberts

District 149 - Democrat

Excused

Rep. Thomas A. Lavigne

District 148 - Republican

Absent

Rep. Holly T. Sargent

District 147 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Walter Gerard Runte, Jr.

District 146 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Robert A. Foley

District 145 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Jeffrey Sean Adams

District 144 - Republican

Absent

Rep. Ann Fredericks

District 143 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Anne-Marie Mastraccio

District 142 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Lucas John Lanigan

District 141 - Republican

Absent

Rep. Wayne R. Parry

District 140 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. David Woodsome

District 139 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Mark John Blier

District 138 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Nathan M. Carlow

District 137 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. John Eder

District 136 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Daniel Sayre

District 135 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Traci Gere

District 134 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Marc G. Malon, II

District 133 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Ryan D. Fecteau

District 132 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Lori K. Gramlich

District 131 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Lynn H. Copeland

District 130 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Marshall F. Archer

District 129 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Suzanne M. Salisbury

District 128 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Morgan J. Rielly

District 127 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Drew Gattine

District 126 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Kelly Noonan Murphy

District 125 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Sophia B. Warren

District 124 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Michelle Nicole Boyer

District 123 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Matthew Beck

District 122 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Christopher J. Kessler

District 121 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Deqa Dhalac

District 120 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Charles A. Skold

District 119 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Yusuf M. Yusuf

District 118 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Matt Moonen

District 117 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Samuel Lewis Zager

District 116 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Michael F. Brennan

District 115 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Dylan R. Pugh

District 114 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Grayson B. Lookner

District 113 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. W. Edward Crockett

District 112 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Amy D. Kuhn

District 111 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Christina R.C. Mitchell

District 110 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Eleanor Y. Sato

District 109 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Parnell William Terry

District 108 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Mark C. Cooper

District 107 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Barbara A. Bagshaw

District 106 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Anne P. Graham

District 105 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Amy Bradstreet Arata

District 104 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Arthur L. Bell

District 103 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Melanie F. Sachs

District 102 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Poppy Arford

District 101 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Daniel J. Ankeles

District 100 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Cheryl A. Golek

District 99 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Kilton M. Webb

District 98 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Richard G. Mason

District 97 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Michel A. Lajoie

District 96 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Mana H. Abdi

District 95 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Scott Harriman

District 94 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Julia A.G. McCabe

District 93 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Stephen J. Wood

District 92 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Joshua Morris

District 91 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Laurel D. Libby

District 90 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Adam R. Lee

District 89 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Quentin J. Chapman

District 88 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. David W. Boyer, Jr.

District 87 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Rolf A. Olsen Jr.

District 86 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Kimberly J. Pomerleau

District 85 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Mark Walker

District 84 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Marygrace Caroline Cimino

District 83 - Republican

Anti-labor

Rep. Nathan J. Wadsworth

District 82 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Peter Conley Wood

District 81 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Caldwell Jackson

District 80 - Republican

Absent

Rep. Michael J. Lance

District 79 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Rachel Ann Henderson

District 78 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Tammy L. Schmersal-Burgess

District 77 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Sheila A. Lyman

District 76 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Stephan M. Bunker

District 75 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Randall C. Hall

District 74 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Michael Soboleski

District 73 - Republican

Absent

Rep. Elizabeth M. Caruso

District 72 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. John "Jack" E. Ducharme, III

District 71 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Jennifer L. Poirier

District 70 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Dean A. Cray

District 69 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Amanda N. Collamore

District 68 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Shelley Rudnicki

District 67 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Robert W. Nutting

District 66 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Cassie Lynn Julia

District 65 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Flavia M. DeBrito

District 64 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Paul R. Flynn

District 63 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Katrina J. Smith

District 62 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Alicia Collins

District 61 - Republican

Absent

Rep. William R. Bridgeo

District 60 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. David M. Rollins

District 59 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Sharon C. Frost

District 58 - Independent

Pro-labor

Rep. Tavis Rock Hasenfus

District 57 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Randall Adam Greenwood

District 56 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Daniel Joseph Shagoury

District 55 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Karen L. Montell

District 54 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Michael H. Lemelin

District 53 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Sally Jeane Cluchey

District 52 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Rafael Leo Macias

District 51 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. David Sinclair

District 50 - Democrat

Absent

Rep. Allison Hepler

District 49 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Holly B. Stover

District 48 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Wayne K. Farrin

District 47 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Lydia V. Crafts

District 46 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Abden S. Simmons

District 45 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. William D. Pluecker

District 44 - Independent

Pro-labor

Rep. Ann Higgins Matlack

District 43 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Valli D. Geiger

District 42 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Victoria W. Doudera

District 41 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. D. Michael Ray

District 40 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Janice S. Dodge

District 39 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Benjamin C. Hymes

District 38 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Reagan L. Paul

District 37 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Kimberly M. Haggan

District 36 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. James E. Thorne

District 35 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Abigail W. Griffin

District 34 - Republican

Excused

Rep. Kenneth Wade Fredette

District 33 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Steven D. Foster

District 32 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Chad Richard Perkins

District 31 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. James Lee White

District 30 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Irene A. Gifford

District 28 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Gary A. Drinkwater

District 27 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. James F. Dill

District 26 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Laurie Osher

District 25 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Sean Faircloth

District 24 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Amy J. Roeder

District 23 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Laura D. Supica

District 22 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Ambureen Rana

District 21 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Dani L. O'Halloran

District 20 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Richard H. Campbell

District 19 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Mathew David McIntyre

District 18 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Steven M. Bishop

District 17 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Nina Azella Milliken

District 16 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Holly Rae Eaton

District 15 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Gary Friedmann

District 14 - Democrat

Pro-labor

Rep. Russell P. White

District 13 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham

District 12 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Tiffany Strout

District 11 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. William R. Tuell

District 10 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Arthur Kevin Mingo

District 9 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Tracy L. Quint

District 8 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Gregory Lewis Swallow

District 7 - Republican

Anti-labor

Rep. Donald J. Ardell

District 6 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Joseph F. Underwood

District 5 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Timothy C. Guerrette

District 4 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Mark Michael Babin

District 3 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Roger Clarence Albert

District 2 - Republican

Pro-labor

Rep. Lucien J.B. Daigle

District 1 - Republican

Pro-labor

LD2189 - Hospital Closures

Sponsored by Representative Kristi Mathieson (D-Kittery)

What is the bill?

What happened?

Votes

Senate

Sen. Mark Lawrence

Sen. Joseph Rafferty

Sen. Matthew Harrington

Sen. Henry Ingwersen

Sen. Donna Bailey

Sen. Stacy Brenner

Sen. Anne Carney

Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross

Sen. Jill Duson

Sen. Timothy Nangle

Sen. Teresa Pierce

Sen. Denise A. Tepler

Sen. Matthea Daughtry

Sen. James Libby

Sen. Margaret Rotundo

Sen. Bruce A. Bickford

Sen. Joseph Martin

Sen. Richard Bennett

Sen. Jeffrey Timberlake

Sen. Scott Wynn Cyrway

Sen. Richard T. Bradstreet

Sen. Craig Hickman

Sen. Cameron Reny

Sen. Pinny Beebe-Center

Sen. Glenn "Chip" Curry

Sen. David G. Haggan

Sen. Joseph (Joe) Baldacci

Sen. Michael (Mike) Tipping

Sen. Nicole Grohoski

Sen. Marianne Moore

Sen. Russell Black

Sen. Stacey Guerin

Sen. Bradlee Farrin

Sen. Trey Stewart

Sen. Susan Bernard

House

Rep. Kristi Michele Mathieson

Rep. Michele Meyer

Rep. Tiffany Roberts

Rep. Thomas A. Lavigne

Rep. Holly T. Sargent

Rep. Walter Gerard Runte, Jr.

Rep. Robert A. Foley

Rep. Jeffrey Sean Adams

Rep. Ann Fredericks

Rep. Anne-Marie Mastraccio

Rep. Lucas John Lanigan

Rep. Wayne R. Parry

Rep. David Woodsome

Rep. Mark John Blier

Rep. Nathan M. Carlow

Rep. John Eder

Rep. Daniel Sayre

Rep. Traci Gere

Rep. Marc G. Malon, II

Rep. Ryan D. Fecteau

Rep. Lori K. Gramlich

Rep. Lynn H. Copeland

Rep. Marshall F. Archer

Rep. Suzanne M. Salisbury

Rep. Morgan J. Rielly

Rep. Drew Gattine

Rep. Kelly Noonan Murphy

Rep. Sophia B. Warren

Rep. Michelle Nicole Boyer

Rep. Matthew Beck

Rep. Christopher J. Kessler

Rep. Deqa Dhalac

Rep. Charles A. Skold

Rep. Yusuf M. Yusuf

Rep. Matt Moonen

Rep. Samuel Lewis Zager

Rep. Michael F. Brennan

Rep. Dylan R. Pugh