On Dec. 5, I was sworn in alongside my colleagues by Maine Supreme Court Chief Justice Leigh Saufley to serve as your state senator for the 129th legislative session. It was an honor to represent part of Gorham for eight years in the Maine House, and it is an honor to represent you now, along with the communities of Scarborough and Buxton, in the Maine Senate. To all the residents of Senate District 30, I want to say thank you for allowing me this incredible opportunity.
Over the next two years, I intend to use this column to provide regular updates on legislative efforts to improve the lives of those in Gorham and beyond.
I am excited to have been appointed to the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee (AFA), which is responsible for crafting the biennial state budget, and the Government Oversight Committee, which provides evaluations of government programs and requires government accountability. Both of these committees’ work is critical to address the many priorities you shared with me when I was knocking on doors during the campaign.
However, my central priority this session is affordable health care for all Maine people. It’s an issue that affects the daily lives of all our neighbors, and one which we must move quickly to address. Gov. Mills has already moved to enact MaineCare expansion passed by the voters in 2017. This move will bring in critical federal funding to our hospitals and health clinics, stabilize health care costs for those with employer-based health care plans and it will make sure more Mainers have health insurance. I look forward to working with her administration and my colleagues on AFA to fully and sustainably fund MaineCare.
Recently, a federal judge in Texas struck down the entire Affordable Care Act (this decision is being appealed and will not affect your current health care coverage), which really drives home the importance of ensuring that we have protections in place for health insurance consumers in Maine. To that end, I am introducing legislation that will prevent insurance companies from providing sub-standard coverage and discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions and legislation that will help Mainers sign up for the health coverage they need.
The opioid crisis is another top health care priority for the coming legislative session. In 2017 alone, 418 Mainers passed away from a drug overdose, and we have a moral duty to ensure that never happens again.
The fiscal cost of this crisis is staggering, too. A recent study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston estimated over $100 million in costs to our criminal justice and health care systems alone, not to mention lost wages and productivity.
I have submitted several bills this session that address this issue, including one related to comprehensive evaluation and treatment for substance use disorder in our jails and prisons, which are on the front lines of this crisis, and another that provides for harm-reduction by initiating syringe exchange programs across the state.
If we improve the health and well-being of Maine people, improvements in our community and economy will follow.
I am excited and grateful for the opportunity to be your State Senator, and aim to serve you to the best of my ability. Please feel free to reach out with any questions, comments or concerns.
Linda Sanborn is serving her first term in the Maine Senate, representing Senate District 30, which includes Gorham, part of Buxton, and part of Scarborough. She previously served four terms in the Maine House, and practiced family medicine in Gorham for 25 years.
Senator Sanborn lives in Gorham with her husband, Jeff, a Gorham native. They have three adult sons and one granddaughter. (207) 287-1515, Linda.Sanborn@Legislature.Maine.gov.