Joint Standing Committee Descriptions
(Based on referencing activity from prior
sessions showing changes based on the Joint Rules
adopted by the 125th Legislature)
Agriculture,
Conservation and Forestry.
Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources; agricultural fairs,
products and marketing; animal control and welfare; food safety, inspection and
labeling; dairy industry; pesticides regulation; nutrient management; farmland
preservation; Department of Conservation; state parks, historic sites, public
lands, submerged 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, review of financial orders;
financial evaluation of agencies of state government; Maine Public Employees
Retirement System; retirement
eligibility and benefits for state and municipal employees, including teachers;
judicial and legislative retirement systems.
Criminal
Justice and Public Safety.
Maine Criminal Code; Maine Juvenile Code; Maine Bail Code; criminal law
and criminal procedure; sentencing; Criminal Law Advisory Commission; 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; Board of
Corrections; operating under the influence; operating after suspension; habitual
offenders; fire safety and arson; firearms; concealed firearms permits; 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; education of deaf and hard-of-hearing students; 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.
Energy,
Utilities and Technology.
Energy policy, including energy resources, efficiency and conservation;
insulation; electric industry, including supply, transmission and distribution;
natural gas industry; telecommunications industry,
including mobile, telephone, Internet, broadband and cable television services;
E-9-1-1; water and sewer utilities, including district charters; Public
Utilities Commission; Office of the Public Advocate; Governor’s Office of
Independence and Security; and Efficiency Maine Trust.
Environment
and Natural Resources.
Air and water quality; natural resource protection; site location of
development laws, shoreland zoning, subdivisions and growth management;
management and disposal of solid, hazardous, biomedical and special wastes;
hydropower and dams; waste-to-energy facilities; mining; general environmental
policy, including oversight of the Department of Environmental Protection; and
returnable containers.
Health
and Human Services.
Department of Health and Human Services; Parts of the Dirigo Health Act,
including the State Health Plan, the Maine Quality Forum and Advisory Council on
Health Systems Development; Maine Health Data Organization; health and medical
data; MaineCare, Medicaid, and Medicare Part D; children’s welfare and mental
health services; childcare; public health and disease control; tobacco addiction
prevention and control; sale of tobacco; prescription drugs; health care
facilities and health care workforce; social and rehabilitation services; state
health system planning; substance abuse; mental health; developmental and other
disabilities; poverty, homelessness and public assistance; home and
community-based long-term care; aging, elderly and disability issues; medical
use of marijuana; maternal and infant health; and nursing facilities and
residential care.
Inland
Fisheries and Wildlife.
Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife; inland fisheries and
wildlife research and management; hunting; fishing; trapping; hunter safety;
fish hatcheries; game wardens; guides; taxidermist licensing; ATVs; snowmobiles;
watercraft registration and boater safety; and white
water rafting.
Insurance
and Financial Services.
Banking; financial institutions; credit unions; consumer credit; Uniform
Consumer Credit Code; Bureau of Financial Institutions; Bureau of Consumer
Protection; mortgage lending; foreclosure prevention; 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; viatical and life settlement
contracts; and real estate practices.
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;
District Attorneys; abortion and reproductive rights; civil rights; medical
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; laws relating to Maine’s Indian Tribes, including the
Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement Act; Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission;
freedom of access, confidentiality and privacy laws; and errors and
inconsistencies.
Labor,
Commerce, Research and Economic Development.
Department of Labor; wage and hour laws; working conditions, including
health and safety; workforce development; unemployment compensation; workers'
compensation; labor relations; collective bargaining; Workers’ Compensation
Board; Maine Labor Relations Board; business regulation, including automobile
and fuel sales; professional and occupational licensing; retail pricing;
franchising; advertising; 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; research and development; technology commercialization; technology
transfers; tourism; and defense facility conversion.
Marine
Resources.
Department of Marine Resources; commercial marine fisheries management,
licensing and enforcement; marine fish species; diadromous fish, mollusks;
crustaceans; seaweed; sea urchins; sea cucumbers; processing and sale of marine
fish and shellfish; and aquaculture.
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; municipal
and local government; and public services.
Taxation.
Bureau of Revenue Services and State Property Tax Review Board; taxes;
tax exemptions and credits; Maine Residents Property Tax Program; property
valuation and assessment; tax increment financing; municipal revenue sharing;
taxation of unorganized territories; and tree
growth and other current use 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 and motor carriers.
Veterans
and Legal Affairs.
Claims against the State; liquor laws; lottery; non-profit and for-
profit gambling games of chance, beano, raffles, slot machines, gaming devices);
harness racing; off-track betting; election laws; campaign practices; campaign
financing and the Maine Clean Election Act; 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.
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