Joint Standing Committee Descriptions
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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