District: Auburn, Durham, Poland and New Gloucester

Legislative service: Second term in Senate, spent four prior terms in the House

Committees: Insurance and Financial Services, Marine Resources

Bill record: 11 bills, two signed, nine dead

Voting record

Budget: For

Tax reform: Against

Washington County slots at a tribal horse track: For

Stiffer seat belt law: Against

Increase term limits from 4 two-year terms to 6: Against

Lois Snowe-Mello’s committee was the one charged with the big health insurance bills this session, looking for ways to lower the cost and move toward a universal health-care system.

The Legislature took a big step this session by allowing the Dirigo Health Program to be self-administered, however many of the other health insurance bills were carried over.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to do something,” Snowe-Mello said.

Also in the Insurance and Financial Services Committee, Snowe-Mello helped look at the issues of predatory lending and Lyme disease prevention and treatment.

Two of the bills Snowe-Mello submitted passed. One creates a five-year statute of limitations for environmental violations. They other fixes a loophole in the employment laws that keeps temporary employees from being permanently hired in the same company. Temporary agencies require a substance abuse test as do many work places, Snowe-Mello said. However the old law stated that a worker could only undergo one drug test in a certain time frame, potentially preventing them from being hired full time if another test was required of them.

Snowe-Mello was also a co-sponsor on a bill to clarify that adjustments in insurance policy premiums after an insurer rerates the policy become effective on the plan’s anniversary date.