Maine Legislative Alert

MAINE LEGISLATIVE ALERT

Legislation: None

Status: Law in place

Points of Contact:

Your local State Representative and Senator can be found by visiting: http://legislature.maine.gov/house/townlist.htm

Analysis

Maine has a restrictive dietetics law which requires a dietician to do pretty much everything. Title 32, Chapter 104 §9915 provide some exemptions to the licensure law, including individuals “who give general nutrition-related information”, and those who provide weight control services so long as there is a supervising dietitian.

Recommendations

Although there is no legislation we should educate and encourage, while the legislature is in session, an expansion of the exemption language. SAMPLE LETTER TO SEND TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVE(S)

May 5, 2017

Dear ______:

As your constituent, I am writing to ask that you sponsor legislation to amend Title 32, Chapter 104 §9915 to allow for greater choice, more employment, lower costs, and more competition, in the practice of nutrition care.

Presently, only a licensed dietician or nutritionist may provide nutrition care including assessment, goal setting, counseling or advice. This law has had the unfortunate affect of giving one nutrition philosophy a monopoly over the whole practice of nutrition. No one group should have this monopoly, and no one method, practice, education, or philosophy is right for everyone.

As a supporter of holistic nutrition, which seeks to heal the “whole” body, and provide a comprehensive assessment, I would like to see a more broad and diverse choice in nutrition providers. Nutrition is not “one size fits all” and it’s important that the practice of nutrition is open to all philosophies, not only to have gainful employment and improve the health of all citizens, but to provide maximum competition which gives maximum choice for consumers and helps to lower costs. Additionally, by increasing the availability of nutrition practitioners, we can increase choice and availability in rural communities.

Please sponsor legislation to add an additional subsection to the law, to read:

“6. Anyone may provide wellness and lifestyle recommendations, nutritional guidance, counseling, analysis, or education, so long as such person does not use any title, designation, words, letters, abbreviation, or insignia, or any combination thereof, to indicate that the person is a registered dietitian or licensed dietitian.”

This exemption would immediately allow for more practitioners of nutrition care to provide greater choice and competition, which would help to lower costs and encourage others to seek employment in the field.

Thank you very much,

(Your signature here) Main House of Representatives Address: 2 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333

District First Name Last Name Home Cell EMail Phone Phone 1 Deane Rykerson [email protected] 2 Mark Lawrence (207) 748- (207) [email protected] 3289 475-4975 3 Lydia Blume (207) 363- (207) [email protected] 9234 363-9235 4 Patricia Hymanson (207) 363- [email protected] 8353 5 Beth O'Connor (207) 698- (207) Beth.O'[email protected] 7899 289-9047 6 Jennifer Parker (207) [email protected] 475-6792 7 Robert Foley (207) 646- (207) [email protected] 2409 590-2144 8 Christopher Babbidge (207) 985- (207) [email protected] 3332 229-4064 9 H. Seavey (207) 967- (207) [email protected] 5991 590-1597 10 Wayne Parry (207) 286- [email protected] 9145 11 Ryan Fecteau (207) [email protected] 289-4478 12 Martin Grohman (207) 283- (207) [email protected] 1476 423-8260 13 George Hogan (207) [email protected] 423-4293 14 Donna Bailey (207) 284- [email protected] 9962 15 Margaret O'Neil (207) Margaret.O'[email protected] 590-1679 16 Donald Marean (207) 727- (207) [email protected] 5527 653-8927 17 Dwayne Prescott (207) 710- [email protected] 1614 18 Anne-Marie Mastraccio (207) 324- [email protected] 8692 19 Matthew Harrington (207) [email protected] 831-6746 20 Karen Gerrish (207) [email protected] 651-5452 21 Heidi Sampson (207) 324- [email protected] 0307 22 Jonathan Kinney (207) 637- [email protected] 2366 23 Lester Ordway (207) 642- [email protected] 3491 24 Mark Bryant (207) 892- [email protected] 6591 25 Patrick Corey (207) 892- (207) [email protected] 6164 749-1336 26 Maureen Terry (207) [email protected] 712-9735 27 Andrew McLean (207) 939- [email protected] 8482 28 Heather Sirocki (207) 883- (207) [email protected] 5609 730-6602 29 Karen Vachon (207) [email protected] 883-4715 30 Kimberly Monaghan (207) [email protected] 749-9443 31 Lois Reckitt (207) [email protected] 712-2474 32 Scott Hamann (207) 233- (207) [email protected] 2951 233-2951 33 Kevin Battle (207) [email protected] 831-6962 34 Drew Gattine (207) [email protected] 409-3477 35 Dillon Bates (207) [email protected] 570-1075 36 Denise Harlow (207) [email protected] 409-0870 37 Richard Farnsworth (207) 874- (207) [email protected] 6399 233-3814 38 Matthew Moonen (207) [email protected] 332-7823 39 Michael Sylvester (207) [email protected] 239-1488 40 Rachel Talbot Ross (207) 747- [email protected] 5461 41 Erik Jorgensen (207) [email protected] 939-7120 42 Benjamin Collings (207) 835- [email protected] 6001 43 Heather Sanborn (207) 358- [email protected] 8508 44 Teresa Pierce (207) 781- (207) [email protected] 7144 415-8631 45 Dale Denno (207) [email protected] 400-1123 46 Paul Chace (207) [email protected] 240-9300 47 Janice Cooper (207) 847- (207) [email protected] 3193 233-9811 48 Sara Gideon [email protected] 49 Matthea Daughtry [email protected] 50 Ralph Tucker (207) 725- [email protected] 7639 51 Joyce McCreight (207) 449- [email protected] 3293 52 Jennifer DeChant (207) 442- [email protected] 8486 53 Jeffrey Pierce (207) 737- (207) [email protected] 9051 441-3006 54 Denise Tepler (207) 729- [email protected] 4018 55 Seth Berry (207) [email protected] 522-1609 56 Gina Mason (207) 353- [email protected] 9086 57 Stephen Wood (207) [email protected] 740-3723 58 James Handy (207) 784- [email protected] 5595 59 Roger Fuller (207) 783- (818) [email protected] 9091 216-0448 60 Jared Golden [email protected] 61 Heidi Brooks (207) [email protected] 740-5229 62 Gina Melaragno (207) 740- [email protected] 8860 63 Bruce Bickford (207) [email protected] 740-0328 64 Bettyann Sheats (207) 777- (207) [email protected] 4537 740-2613 65 Ellie Espling (207) [email protected] 891-8280 66 Jessica Fay (207) [email protected] 415-4218 67 Susan Austin (207) 657- [email protected] 4100 68 Richard Cebra [email protected] 69 Phyllis Ginzler (207) 647- [email protected] 8257 70 Nathan Wadsworth (207) 838- [email protected] 7451 71 Tom Winsor (207) 527- (207) [email protected] 2233 754-3678 72 Kathleen Dillingham (207) 744- [email protected] 2153 73 Lloyd Herrick (207) 514- [email protected] 0414 74 Christina Riley (207) 897- [email protected] 2288 75 Jeffrey Timberlake (207) 225- (207) [email protected] 6016 754-6000 76 Gary Hilliard (207) [email protected] 415-8124 77 Michael Perkins (207) 716- (207) [email protected] 6968 716-6968 78 Catherine Nadeau (207) 873- (207) [email protected] 2025 557-1587 79 Timothy Theriault (207) 968- [email protected] 2641 80 Richard Bradstreet (207) [email protected] 861-1657 81 Craig Hickman (207) 377- [email protected] 3276 82 Kent Ackley (207) [email protected] 512-2524 83 Gay Grant (207) 582- (207) [email protected] 5882 215-3501 84 Charlotte Warren (207) 441- [email protected] 9116 85 Donna Doore (207) 592- [email protected] 6849 86 Matthew Pouliot (207) [email protected] 441-9418 87 Jeffery Hanley (207) 582- (207) [email protected] 1524 458-9009 88 Deborah Sanderson (207) [email protected] 376-7515 89 Stephanie Hawke (207) [email protected] 380-6803 90 Michael Devin (207) [email protected] 975-3132 91 Abden Simmons (207) 832- (207) [email protected] 6586 446-4518 92 John Spear (207) 596- (207) [email protected] 7720 596-3545 93 Pinny Beebe-Center (207) 596- [email protected] 3937 94 Owen Casás (207) Owen.Casá[email protected] 333-0067 95 Paula Sutton (207) 380 [email protected] 3406 96 Stanley Zeigler (207) [email protected] 323-6044 97 Erin Herbig [email protected] 98 James Gillway (207) 548- [email protected] 6429 99 MaryAnne Kinney (207) 568- [email protected] 7577 100 Kenneth Fredette [email protected] 101 David Haggan (207) [email protected] 944-7471 102 Stacey Guerin (207) [email protected] 249-0472 103 Roger Reed (207) 848- [email protected] 5136 104 Raymond Wallace (207) 270- [email protected] 8041 105 Joel Stetkis (207) [email protected] 399-7801 106 Scott Strom (207) [email protected] 313-3895 107 Betty Austin (207) [email protected] 431-4287 108 John Picchiotti (207) 453- (207) [email protected] 2137 692-7226 109 Thomas Longstaff (207) 872- [email protected] 6617 110 Colleen Madigan (207) 692- [email protected] 7143 111 Bradlee Farrin (207) 634- (207) [email protected] 3074 614-4123 112 Thomas Skolfield (207) 585- [email protected] 2638 113 Lance Harvell (207) [email protected] 491-8971 114 Russell Black (207) [email protected] 491-4667 115 John Madigan (207) 369- [email protected] 0303 116 Richard Pickett (207) 645- [email protected] 4893 117 Frances Head (207) [email protected] 650-1351 118 Chad Grignon (207) [email protected] 612-6499 119 Paul Stearns (207) 876- (207) [email protected] 3242 343-2615 120 Norman Higgins (207) 564- [email protected] 8214 121 Robert Duchesne (207) 827- [email protected] 3782 122 Michelle Dunphy (207) 827- (207) [email protected] 8989 745-3088 123 Ryan Tipping (207) 866- [email protected] 4333 124 Aaron Frey (207) [email protected] 249-9969 125 Victoria Kornfield (207) 947- [email protected] 7224 126 John Schneck (207) 942- [email protected] 7886 127 Barbara Cardone (207) [email protected] 356-7981 128 Garrel Craig (207) [email protected] 745-0210 129 Peter Lyford [email protected] 130 Richard Campbell (207) 745- (207) [email protected] 7748 745-7748 131 Karleton Ward (207) 843- [email protected] 7546 132 Louis Luchini (207) [email protected] 664-4699 133 Ralph Chapman (207) 326- [email protected] 0899 134 Walter Kumiega (207) [email protected] 479-5459 135 Brian Hubbell (207) 288- [email protected] 3947 136 Richard Malaby (207) 422- (207) [email protected] 3146 266-3710 137 Lawrence Lockman (207) 584- (207) [email protected] 5900 460-6518 138 Robert Alley (207) 497- (207) [email protected] 5562 263-4442 139 William Tuell (207) [email protected] 271-8521 140 Anne Perry (207) 454- (207) [email protected] 7338 214-7000 141 Beth Turner (207) 732- (207) [email protected] 4625 403-3383 142 Sheldon Hanington (207) [email protected] 403-3579 143 Stephen Stanley (207) 746- [email protected] 5371 144 Roger Sherman (207) 532- (207) [email protected] 7073 532-8711 145 Chris Johansen (207) 456- (207) [email protected] 6208 538-2562 146 Dustin White (207) [email protected] 227-8756 147 Harold Stewart (207) [email protected] 227-0569 148 David McCrea (207) [email protected] 227-4903 149 Carol McElwee (207) 498- (207) [email protected] 8605 551-7574 150 Roland Martin (207) 543- (207) [email protected] 6165 231-1358 151 John Martin (207) 444- [email protected] 5556 Henry Bear (207) [email protected] 694-4190 Matthew Dana [email protected]

Main Senate Address: 3 State House Station, Augusta ME, 04333