Labor Committee Endorses Retirement Security Legislation for Mental Health Crisis Workers

PHOTO: Riverview workers at the State House in 2016 to call on the Legislature to fix understaffing.

An overwhelming bipartisan majority on the Legislature’s Labor Committee voted 12-1 Wednesday to support a bill  that would add mental health workers at state psychiatric facilities to the same retirement plan with firefighters, law enforcement and corrections officers. It would specifically apply to mental health workers at Riverview Psychiatric Center in Augusta and Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center in Bangor. The measure is aimed at addressing staff recruitment and retention issues that have resulted in numerous injuries at the state psychiatric facilities. For over a decade, Riverview workers have been going to the State House to ask lawmakers to fix understaffing.

LD 579, sponsored by Sen. Mike Tipping, would add certain mental health workers employed on Oct. 5, 2025 or after to be added to the 1998 Special Plan for Maine Public Employees Retirement System, which allows workers to retire after 55 years of age with 25 years of creditable service. A similar bill passed the Legislature last session, but was not funded. The sole lawmaker on the panel to oppose the bill was Rep. Alicia Collins (R-Sidney).

Committee co-chair Rep. Amy Roeder (D-Bangor) noted that it was the third time she had heard the bill and saw many of the same Riverview Psychiatric Center workers tell their harrowing stories about workplace violence.

“It is traumatizing for them and I want to thank them for coming back,” said Roeder. “I want to apologize for them having to come back and tell their stories again.”