Joint Standing Committee Jurisdictions
Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
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Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources; agricultural fairs,
products and marketing; animal welfare; food safety, inspection and labeling;
dairy industry; pesticides regulation; nutrient management; farmland
preservation; Department of Conservation; state parks, historic sites, public
lands, and coastal islands registry; Maine
Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC); geological surveying and mapping; forest
management, marketing, utilization, health and fire control; the Land for
Maine's Future Program; and Baxter State Park.
Appropriations and Financial Affairs.
General Fund appropriations and general fiscal policy;
federal funds allocations; special revenue and block grant allocations; Budget
Stabilization Fund; unappropriated surplus; bond issues; collective bargaining
funding; review of revenue estimates; budgeting methodologies, general fiscal
policy; and financial evaluation of agencies of state government.
Business, Research and Economic Development.
Business regulation, including automobile and fuel
sales; professional and occupational licensing; retail pricing; franchising;
advertising; returnable containers; real estate practices; insulation; credit
law (business related); consumer protection; Maine State Housing Authority;
affordable housing; homelessness; Finance Authority of Maine (FAME); economic
planning and development agencies; venture capital and trade programs;
opportunity zones; import competition; product marketing; public services;
research and development; technology commercialization; technology transfers
(Maine Science and Technology Foundation);
tourism; and defense facility conversion.
Criminal Justice and Public Safety.
Maine Criminal Code; Maine Juvenile Code; Maine Bail
Code; criminal law and criminal procedure; sentencing; Department of Public
Safety; law enforcement; Criminal Justice Academy; victims' rights; Department
of Corrections; adult and juvenile corrections; intensive supervision;
probation and parole; county jails; community corrections; Criminal Justice
Commission; operating under the influence; operating after suspension; habitual
offenders; fire safety and arson; firearms; private investigators; security
guards; and Maine Emergency Management Agency.
Education and Cultural Affairs.
Department of Education; State Board of Education; school finance,
governance and administration; school budgets; school facilities; curriculum,
instruction and assessment; teachers and administrators; special education and
child development services; Governor Baxter School for the Deaf; career and
technical education; alternative education, school choice and home schooling;
truancy and dropouts; educational services at juvenile correctional facilities;
adult education; Maine Education Policy Research Institute; University of Maine
System; Maine Community College System; Maine Maritime Academy; postsecondary
education finance and governance; student assistance programs at Finance
Authority of Maine; and cultural affairs, including Maine Arts Commission, Maine
State Library, Maine State Museum and Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation.
Health and Human Services.
Department of Health and Human Services; Dirigo Health; Maine Health Data
Organization; health and medical data; MaineCare, Medicaid, and Medicare Part D;
children’s services; public health and disease control; tobacco addiction
prevention and control; prescription drugs; health care facilities and health
care workforce; social and rehabilitation services; state health planning;
substance abuse; mental health; developmental disabilities; public assistance;
nursing facilities and residential care; and elderly aging and long-term care.
Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife; hunting;
fishing; trapping; recreational and hunter safety; fisheries and wildlife
research; fish hatcheries; wardens; licensing; ATVs; snowmobiles; boat safety
registration; personal water craft; and white water rafting.
Insurance and Financial Services.
Banking; financial institutions; credit unions;
consumer credit; Uniform Consumer Credit Code; Bureau of Financial Institutions;
Office of Consumer Credit Regulation; Office of Securities; stocks, mutual
funds, bonds and other securities; financial services; Bureau of Insurance;
credit, automobile, life, property and casualty insurance; health insurance;
health maintenance organizations; mandated health benefits; health care reform;
Dirigo Health Agency; State Employee Health Commission and state employee group
health plan; insurance rating, regulation and practices; insurance producers;
licensing; Maine Employers Mutual Insurance Company; workers' compensation
insurance; self-insurance; and viatical and life settlement contracts.
Judiciary.
Judicial system organization and budget; criminal
procedure; civil procedure; civil actions, including torts and medical
malpractice; Maine Tort Claims Act; liability; immunity; child protection;
family law; domestic relations; child support; adoption; legal services;
attorneys; Attorney General; abortion and reproductive rights; civil rights;
human rights; Maine Human Rights Commission; protection from harassment;
protection from abuse; guardianship and conservatorship; probate law; property
law; property rights; unclaimed property; business and nonprofit organizations;
Uniform Commercial Code; Maine Indian Claims Settlement Implementing Act; Maine
Indian Tribal-State Commission; freedom of access, confidentiality and privacy
laws; and errors and inconsistencies.
Legal and Veterans Affairs.
Claims against the State; liquor laws; lottery;
gambling; games of chance (beano, fairs, raffles, machines); harness racing;
off-track betting; election laws; campaign financing; voter registration;
initiatives and referenda; governmental ethics; lobbyist registration;
landlord-tenant laws; veterans' programs; Department of Defense, Veterans and
Emergency Management Services (except the Maine Emergency Management Agency);
Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations; and Maine National Guard.
Marine Resources.
Department of Marine Resources; commercial marine
fisheries management, licensing and enforcement; processing and sale of marine
fish and shellfish; aquaculture; and anadromous fish.
Natural Resources.
Air and water quality; natural resource protection;
site location and development laws, shoreland zoning,
subdivisions, and growth management; management and disposal of solid,
hazardous, biomedical and special wastes; hydropower and dams; energy facility
siting; waste-to-energy facilities; mining; and general environmental policy,
including oversight of the Department of Environmental Protection.
State and Local Government.
State contracts and fiscal procedures; state
government organization; oversight of state officials, state employees and
property; administrative procedures; boards and commissions; notaries public;
capitol area planning; county and regional government; county budget process;
Legislature; and municipal and local government.
Taxation. Bureau
of Revenue Services; taxes; tax exemptions and credits; Maine Residents Property
Tax Program; property valuation and assessment; tax increment financing;
municipal revenue sharing; and unorganized territories and tree growth tax
issues.
Transportation.
Department of Transportation; Bureau of Motor
Vehicles; motor vehicle registration and license plates; driver licenses; Maine
Turnpike Authority; Highway Fund; transportation policy; aeronautics; highway
and bridge construction and maintenance; highway safety; waterways; railroads;
and motor vehicles.
Utilities and Energy. Energy policy, including energy resources and efficiency; electric industry, including supply, transportation and distribution; natural gas industry; telecommunications industry, including mobile, telephone, Internet and cable television services; E-9-1-1; water and sewer utilities, including district charters; Public Utilities Commission; Office of the Public Advocate; and Energy Resources Council.