LD 105 — Summary
Overview
- Title: An Act To Implement The Recommendations Of The Commission Regarding Foreign-Trained Physicians Living In Maine To Establish A Sponsorship Program For Internationally Trained Physicians
- Purpose: To implement recommendations for integrating foreign-trained physicians in Maine by establishing an International Medical Graduates Sponsorship Program funded and administered through the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME).
- Sponsor/Committee: Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services; related to health care personnel, international sponsorship, and physicians.
- Status: Carried over “in the same posture” to any special or regular session of the 132nd Legislature (pursuant to Joint Order SP 800). Introduced January 8, 2025.
Purpose and intent
- The bill seeks to address physician workforce needs in Maine by creating a sponsorship pathway for internationally trained physicians who are issued a temporary educational license to practice in Maine.
- It aims to implement recommendations from a Commission regarding foreign-trained physicians living in Maine.
Key provisions
- Establishes an International Medical Graduates Sponsorship Program within the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME).
- Program purpose: provide funding for employment and training of internationally trained physicians who hold a temporary educational license to practice in Maine.
- Scope: funding for 10 sponsorship slots per year (annual cap).
- Implementation/administration: FAME would administer the program under the bill’s provisions.
- Associated regulatory costs: The Board of Licensure in Medicine, which is part of the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, would incur costs to implement the requirements, but those costs are anticipated to be absorbable within existing resources.
- Interagency coordination: Involves licensing (Board of Licensure in Medicine) and workforce funding/administration (FAME).
Funding and fiscal impact
- Fiscal Note (as amended by committee): Ongoing General Fund appropriations of $2,500,000 per year starting in FY 2025-26.
- Program funding: 10 slots per year at a cost of $250,000 per slot per year.
- Total ongoing cost: $2,500,000 per year (FY 2025-26 through FY 2028-29, and subsequent years as carried).
- Funding source: General Fund.
- Administrative capacity: FAME has indicated it can administer the program within the bill’s provisions.
- Additional costs: Board of Licensure in Medicine costs to implement requirements can be absorbed within existing resources.
Fiscal note details
- Projections cover FY 2025-26, FY 2026-27, FY 2027-28, and FY 2028-29.
- Net cost to General Fund is $2.5 million annually; no net savings are indicated beyond the program’s operation in the note, but the note frames costs/scheduling for ongoing funding.
Procedural/timeline context
- Introduced: January 8, 2025.
- Committee action: Referred to Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services; amendments proposed (Committee Amendment "A" H-281) and adopted; reported OTP-AM/ONTP; second readings and enactment steps followed in late May 2025.
- Status as of documented actions: Passed several readings, sent for concurrence, and placed on the Special Appropriations Table pending enactment before being carried over to a future session (SP 800).
- Next steps: If not enacted in the current session, LD 105 remains alive for consideration in a future special or regular session of the 132nd Legislature.
Who would be affected
- Internationally trained physicians seeking licensure and employment in Maine (via temporary educational license and sponsor support).
- Sponsoring Maine healthcare institutions (hospitals/clinics) that would participate in hosting sponsored physicians.
- The Board of Licensure in Medicine (regulatory oversight and implementation tasks).
- The Finance Authority of Maine (administration and allocation of sponsorship funds).
- Maine taxpayers (General Fund financing of the program).
Potential impacts and considerations
- Addresses physician workforce shortages by creating a structured sponsorship pathway.
- Provides a defined funding stream ($2.5 million annually) and a capped number of slots (10 per year).
- Requires ongoing administration by FAME and regulatory coordination with the Board of Licensure in Medicine.
- Legislative status indicates ongoing consideration; future sessions could modify funding levels, slot limits, or administrative processes.
