Joint Standing Committee Jurisdictions


Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. .  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.

  Labor. Department of Labor; wage and hour laws; working conditions, including health and safety; workforce development; unemployment compensation; workers' compensation; labor relations; collective bargaining; retirement eligibility and benefits for state and municipal employees, including teachers; judicial and legislative retirement systems; Workers’ Compensation Board; and Maine State Retirement System

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.


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