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132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST SPECIAL SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 1688
H.P. 1123 House of Representatives, April 17, 2025
An Act to Encourage Continuing Education Relating to Certain
Infection-associated Chronic Conditions for Physicians and Nurses
Reference to the Committee on Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services
suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative RANA of Bangor.
Cosponsored by Senator STEWART of Aroostook and
Representatives: JULIA of Waterville, MATHIESON of Kittery, ROEDER of Bangor,
Senators: BAILEY of York, INGWERSEN of York.
Page 1 - 132LR2135(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 32 MRSA §2158 is enacted to read:
3§2158. Medical education relating to infection-associated chronic conditions
4 The board shall encourage a licensee or applicant for relicensure under this chapter to
5 attend continuing education, including continuing education required for licensure of an
6 advanced practice registered nurse, relating to infection-associated chronic conditions,
7 including long COVID, chronic Lyme disease, myalgic encephalomyelitis, postural
8 orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and dysautonomia. For purposes of this section, "long
9 COVID" means a group of health problems related to and persisting or developing after an
10 initial period of COVID-19 infection that may be debilitating and may last from several
11 weeks to a period of years and "COVID-19" has the same meaning as in Title 24-A, section
12 4320-P, subsection 1, paragraph A.
13Sec. 2. 32 MRSA §2581, as amended by PL 2017, c. 189, §1, is further amended
14 by enacting at the end a new paragraph to read:
15 The board shall encourage a licensee or applicant for relicensure to attend continuing
16 education approved by the board under this section relating to infection-associated chronic
17 conditions, including long COVID, chronic Lyme disease, myalgic encephalomyelitis,
18 postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and dysautonomia. For purposes of this
19 paragraph, "long COVID" means a group of health problems related to and persisting or
20 developing after an initial period of COVID-19 infection that may be debilitating and may
21 last from several weeks to a period of years and "COVID-19" has the same meaning as in
22 Title 24-A, section 4320-P, subsection 1, paragraph A.
23Sec. 3. 32 MRSA §3280-A, sub-§5 is enacted to read:
245. Continuing medical education relating to infection-associated chronic
25conditions. The board shall encourage a licensee to attend continuing medical education
26 under subsection 2, paragraph B, relating to infection-associated chronic conditions,
27 including long COVID, chronic Lyme disease, myalgic encephalomyelitis, postural
28 orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and dysautonomia. For purposes of this subsection, "long
29 COVID" means a group of health problems related to and persisting or developing after an
30 initial period of COVID-19 infection that may be debilitating and may last from several
31 weeks to a period of years and "COVID-19" has the same meaning as in Title 24-A, section
32 4320-P, subsection 1, paragraph A.
33SUMMARY
34 This bill requires the Board of Osteopathic Licensure, the Board of Licensure in
35 Medicine and the State Board of Nursing to encourage licensees and applicants for
36 relicensure to attend continuing education relating to infection-associated chronic
37 conditions, including long COVID, chronic Lyme disease, myalgic encephalomyelitis,
38 postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and dysautonomia.
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