An Act To Provide Funding For Respite Care And Supplemental Services Provided By The Family Caregiver Support Program

132nd Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Amy Arata and 8 co-sponsors

The bill provides ongoing funding of $100,000 per year starting in FY 2025–26 to DHHS for respite care and supplemental services under the Family Caregiver Support Program.

Signed by Governor

#caregivers #healthcareservices #homehealthcare

Purpose

LD 815 provides ongoing General Fund appropriations to support respite care and other supplemental services delivered through the State’s Family Caregiver Support Program. The intent is to supply targeted funding to assist family and older relative caregivers who provide unpaid care to household members in need of assistance.

Key provisions

Appropriates ongoing annual General Fund dollars to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for use by the Family Caregiver Support Program to provide respite care and supplemental services to family and older relative caregivers.

Final enacted funding level: $100,000 per year beginning in fiscal year 2025–26 and continuing thereafter (see Fiscal Impact below).

Does not, in the bill text summarized here, add new programmatic eligibility rules or create a separate entitlement; it provides funding for existing Family Caregiver Support Program activities administered by DHHS.

Fiscal impact

Final enacted appropriation (as engrossed): $100,000 General Fund each year beginning FY 2025–26 (FY 2025–26, FY 2026–27, FY 2027–28, FY 2028–29 — ongoing).

Earlier bill versions and committee actions proposed larger funding: initial/earlier fiscal notes showed a proposed ongoing appropriation of $2,250,000 annually; a Senate amendment reduced the appropriation from $2,250,000 to $100,000 (a $2,150,000 reduction). The fiscal notes reflect these changes at each stage.

The appropriation is intended to fund respite care and supplemental caregiver services; the fiscal note identifies the appropriation as an ongoing General Fund cost to DHHS.

Who is affected

Primary beneficiaries: family and older relative (informal/unpaid) caregivers who receive respite care and supplemental supports through the Family Caregiver Support Program.

Administrator: Department of Health and Human Services, which will receive and allocate the funds.

Payers: General Fund (state).

Legislative and procedural timeline

Introduced: February 27, 2025 (sponsor: Rep. Cloutier of Lewiston).

Committee: Referred to and reported out by the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services; Committee Amendment "A" (H‑45) adopted.

Senate Amendment "A" (S‑463) adopted June 25, 2025, reducing the program appropriation to $100,000.

Passed both chambers as amended; House receded and concurred.

Signed by the Governor: July 1, 2025 (enacted).

Notes

The final enacted bill funds the existing Family Caregiver Support Program at a modest level ($100,000/year). Earlier proposals for substantially larger funding ($2.25M/year) were amended down during the legislative process.

The bill’s language (as summarized here) focuses on funding; any operational details (allocation formula, service definitions, eligibility changes, or program reporting requirements) would be implemented by DHHS under existing statutory authority or subsequent rulemaking/administrative guidance unless further legislative changes are adopted.

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