9 a.m.

Maine’s Workforce and Economic Future Committee; public hearing; room 211; Cross Building

L.D. 1172, “An Act To Support the Maine Downtown Center”: adds $200,000 to support for the Maine Downtown Center.

State and Local Government Committee; work sessions; room 214; Cross Building

L.D. 80, “An Act To Change the Schedule for the Beginning of the Biennial Budget Cycle”: shifts the start of the fiscal biennium for the state budget to the second regular session of the Legislature beginning July 1, 2016 making the budget beginning on July 1, 2015 a one-year budget.

L.D. 805, “An Act To Require Notice to and Input from Municipalities in Which Certain Group Homes Are Located”: requires the Department of Health and Human Services to provide the specific location and detailed information of a residential facility providing services to forensic patients to the municipality 120 days prior to the facility’s opening or to signing a contract with a community agency to provide residential services.

L.D. 855, “Resolve, To Create a Study Group To Research the Possibility of a Virtual Legislature”: emergency bill, establishes the Task Force To Study Issues Associated with Implementation of a Virtual Legislature.

L.D. 978, “An Act To Enhance Public Participation in Legislative Committee Proceedings through the Internet”: authorizes the Legislative Council to make all proceedings of the joint standing committees of the Legislature available to the public through a live video broadcast that allows for remote public participation, and records of these proceedings are permanent records.

L.D. 1021, “An Act To Establish as a Public Record the Performance Evaluation of a Municipal Employee”: removes from the list of confidential records the performance evaluation of a municipal employee.

L.D. 1084, “An Act To Amend the Androscoggin County Charter”: proposes to amend the Androscoggin County charter.

L.D. 1122, “An Act Allowing Municipalities To Enact Firearms Policies in Local Government Buildings”: provides a municipal legislative body can restrict the carrying of firearms in the municipality’s essential municipal offices and places of legislative assembly and requires those that do post in a prominent location outside the affected offices and places a notice of the existence of that restriction.

9:30 a.m.

Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee; public hearings; room 208; Cross Building

L.D. 1288, “An Act Regarding Impairment of Health of a Correctional Employee Caused by Infectious Disease”: provides that a condition of impairment of health caused by an infectious disease resulting in total or partial disability or death of an employee of a correctional facility must be presumed to have been received in the line of duty, unless the contrary is shown by competent evidence.

L.D. 1315, “An Act To Ensure the Safety of Compounded Drugs”: defines “compounding pharmacy” and describes sterile and nonsterile compounding pharmacies; to the Maine Board of Pharmacy adds a physician and advanced practice registered nurse, decreases the number of pharmacists to three and requires that one public member has education and professional experience in the field of health care safety and quality assurance; requires compounding pharmacies to obtain a license as such and to specify if they are sterile or nonsterile; includes in the Maine Board of Pharmacy responsibilities licensing out-of-state compounding pharmacies, appoint and convene advisory committees, impose a fine on compounding pharmacies that violate the Maine Pharmacy Act, participate in data reporting and license pharmacy technicians in two categories: sterile and nonsterile; allows the board consultations with the Board of Licensure in Medicine, the Board of Osteopathic Licensure and the commissioner of Health and Human Services regarding the compounding of drugs; requires the Maine Board of Pharmacy to ensure standards for purity and quality are met by compounding pharmacies; adds documentation regarding compounding to the list of items that the board may remove from a premises being inspected; requires that licensing fees for pharmacies distinguish between compounding, sterile compounding and nonsterile compounding pharmacies; adds sterile and nonsterile compounding of drugs course work for continuing education for pharmacists; requires the Department of Health and Human Services to adopt rules regarding compounding pharmacies in hospitals and nursing facilities; and requires the director of Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention to consult with the Maine Board of Pharmacy on issues related to epidemiology and public health.

L.D. 1376, “An Act To Ensure the Choice of a Pharmacy for Injured Employees under the Maine Workers’ Compensation Act of 1992”: gives an injured employee the right to choose the provider, pharmacy or pharmacist to dispense any drugs or medication prescribed to treat the injury or disease for which compensation is claimed.

L.D. 1380, “Resolve, To Establish a Consistent Workers’ Compensation Classification for Pharmacies”: requires the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, Bureau of Insurance to make the insurance rate for employees of a pharmacy located within a larger retail store is identical to the workers’ compensation insurance rate for employees of a stand-alone pharmacy.

L.D. 1381, “An Act To Promote Rural Job Creation and Workforce Development”: gives a preference in state contracting to bidders who primarily employ Maine residents and to bidders who coordinate with regional workforce development programs and who fill at least 20 percent of positions on the project with low-income or long-term unemployed people; requires that successful bidders on public building or public works contracts that is supported in whole or in part by aid granted by the State or by a municipality coordinate with regional workforce development programs and make best efforts to hire low-income and long-term unemployed people; and requires state public works programs to give hiring preference to residents of the county where the work is being performed.

Maine’s Workforce and Economic Future Committee; work session; room 211; Cross Building

L.D. 90, “An Act To Strengthen Maine’s Workforce and Economic Future”: closes the skills gap by strengthening the place-based economic engines such as downtowns, farms etc.

10 a.m.

Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee; public hearings; room 436; State House

L.D. 888, “An Act To Provide Funding to the Judicial Branch to Facilitate Reporting to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System”: adds $230,000 for the next two fiscal years to fund the cost of the court transmitting information on people involuntarily committed issued by the court to the Department of Public Safety, State Bureau of Identification information and requires the court to report that information once the funding is there to cover the costs.

L.D. 1234, “An Act To Establish the Computer Crimes Unit Fund and Authorize the Department of Public Safety To Accept Donations for the Fund”: establishes the Computer Crimes Unit Fund for the establishment, maintenance and operation of the computer crimes laboratory.

L.D. 1316, “An Act Regarding Computers Used To Commit a Crime or Facilitate the Commission of a Crime”: defines “data storage device”; requires the destruction of data stored on a computer in the possession of the state used to commit a crime; permits the release of information under certain conditions; allows the state to assume ownership under circumstances and they must permanently destroy the data; and requires that the agency with the computer in custody notify on their public website that within four months of the effective date all data and computers will be disposed of in accordance with this bill.

Environment and Natural Resources Committee; public hearings; room 216; Cross Building

L.D. 124, “An Act To Amend the Bottle Redemption Laws”: allows the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to license up to two redemption centers for a municipality with a population of no more than 5,000 upon approval by the governing body of the municipality.

L.D. 1080, “An Act To Improve Efficiency in the Collection of Beverage Containers”: requires that collections from redemption centers be made by a distributor or commingling group of distributors every 15 days with additional pickups when the center has more than 10,000 containers; establishes a process for an audit of plastic bags containing beverage containers; and clarifies that all licensed redemption centers are counted when calculating the number of centers in a community.

L.D. 1102, “An Act Regarding Reconstruction of Residential Structures on Sand Dunes”: emergency bill, provides standards for the reconstruction in a frontal sand dune of an existing residential structure whose entire footprint is in a back dune on the same lot.

L.D. 1121, “An Act To Promote the Production of Maine Beverages”: expands the exemption from the returnable beverage container laws for small brewers to all small manufacturers of beverages in the state.

Marine Resources Committee; work sessions; room 206; Cross Building

L.D. 482, “An Act To Improve the Quality of the Data Used in the Management of Maine’s Fisheries”: allows the commissioner of Marine Resources to share confidential landings data with the Department of Marine Resources, Bureau of Marine Patrol when necessary for reporting enforcement purposes; requires majority shareholders in corporate entities to identify themselves; authorizes the commissioner to suspend licenses for noncompliance with reporting requirements; prevents unlicensed crew members on lobster or crab fishing boats and scallop and sea urchin diving tenders from selling any catch and limits selling to certain licensed harvesters; expands the seaweed buyer’s license to include anyone buying seaweed for resale and removes the ability of marine worm and wholesale seafood dealers to harvest seaweed without a license; and expands the requirement to hold a retail license for the sale of all marine organisms.

L.D. 486, “An Act To Provide for the Effective Marketing and Promotion of Maine Lobster”: increases the surcharged on harvester and dealer licenses, changes the criteria for membership on the Lobster Promotion Council and requires the council to report annually to the joint standing committee, the Lobster Advisory Council and the lobster industry.

L.D. 1097, “An Act To Allow the Sale of Incidentally Caught Lobsters”: allows commercial fishing operators who take lobsters as bycatch from federal Lobster Management Area 3 to land the lobsters at a commercial exchange that auctions fish in Portland with landing limits regulated by the commissioner of Marine Resources and directs the commissioner to monitor, review and report the effect of this regulation to the joint standing committee.

Marine Resources Committee; public hearing; room 206; Cross Building

L.D. 953, “An Act To Provide for and Recognize the Right of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians To Fish for Marine Organisms”: gives the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians the right to issue certain commercial licenses and permits for the taking of marine organisms and the right of members of the band to take, possess, transport and distribute marine organisms for sustenance and ceremonial uses; limits the number of lobster and crab fishing licenses issued by the band to 25, the number of sea urchin licenses to 24, the number of scallop licenses to 10 and the number of elver licenses to 25; and increases the number of elver licenses that may be issued by the Penobscot Nation to 50 and the number that may be issued by the Aroostook Band of Micmacs to 25.

Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee; public hearings; room 437; State House

L.D. 518, “An Act To Establish Ranked-choice Voting in the State”: creates the ranked-choice voting method of determining winners in elections for U.S. senator, U.S. representative, governor, state senator and state representative that simulates what would occur if all voters participated in a series of run-off elections.

L.D. 768, “An Act To Increase Access to Voter Lists”: requires municipal registrars to make available to an elected office holder during the office holder’s term central voter registration system information concerning voters in a municipality the office holder represents in whole or in part.

L.D. 860, “An Act To Require That the Governor, Senators and Members of the House of Representatives Be Elected by the Ranked-choice Voting Method”: creates the ranked-choice voting method of determining winners in elections for governor, state senator and state representative that simulates what would occur if all voters participated in a series of run-off elections and requires that the question of electing the governor, senators and representatives in this manner go to a statewide referendum.

L.D. 1023, “An Act To Provide Transparency in Fund-raising by and Lobbying of a Governor-elect”: authorizes a governor-elect to establish a committee to raise funds for inaugural activities, appoint a treasurer to keep records and file financial disclosure statements due Feb. 15 after the governor takes office.

L.D. 1211, “An Act To Amend the Laws Concerning Absentee Ballots”: imposes the same deadline for the preparation of municipal absentee ballots as is imposed on state absentee ballots for municipal and state elections that are held on the same day.

L.D. 1219, “An Act To Establish a Run-off Process for the Election of the Governor, United States Senator or United States Representative”: requires that a successful candidate for governor, U.S. Senator or U.S. Representative receive more than 50 percent of the votes cast for the office.

L.D. 1222, “Resolve, To Create a Task Force on Maine’s Ethics and Transparency Laws”: emergency bill, establishes the Task Force To Study Maine’s Governmental Ethics and Transparency Laws.

L.D. 1306, “An Act To Enhance Voter Registration for Persons with Disabilities”: adds state agencies to the list of agencies where voter registration services must be made available.

L.D. 1358, “An Act To Amend the Election Laws To Require a Run-off Election for Governor”: requires that a successful candidate for governor receive more than 50 percent of the votes cast for the office of governor.

1 p.m.

Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee; work sessions; room 436; State House

L.D. 267, “An Act Regarding the Sale of Firearms at Gun Shows”: requires that a national instant criminal background check be performed prior to the sale or transfer of a firearm at a gun show.

L.D. 380, “An Act To Clarify the Law Concerning the Threatening Display of Dangerous Weapons”: clarifies that “display in a threatening manner” includes to display a dangerous or deadly weapon in a public place in a way that causes a reasonable person to suffer intimidation or alarm.

L.D. 997, “An Act To Establish Restrictions on Ammunition Feeding Devices”: makes the possession, transfer or importation of an ammunition feeding device, a magazine, belt, drum or other device that has a capacity of more than 10 rounds, a class D crime with some exceptions.

L.D. 1183, “An Act To Prohibit the Enforcement of Federal Law Placing Restrictions on Firearms or Ammunition”: exempts firearms and firearm accessories that are owned and kept exclusively in this state from federal regulations and prohibits the enforcement of any federal act, law, statute, rule, regulation or order that attempts to restrict or prohibit the ownership of a semi-automatic firearm or a magazine or that requires the registration of a firearm, a firearm accessory or ammunition.

L.D. 1240, “An Act To Promote the Safe Use and Sale of Firearms”: outlines the firearm safety course; prohibits a person who has been admitted to psychiatric hospital on an emergency basis; increases the fine for giving a false or fictitious name to a firearm dealer to $1,000; increases the minimum age for a concealed weapons permit to 21 years old; includes a private seller, even one at gun show, in the definition of “firearm dealer”; requires a firearm dealer to requires a firearm safety certificate, current hunting licenses or current concealed handgun permit prior to the sale; requires firearm dealers to conduct background checks except for sales between family members; and makes first offense a civil violation and second offense a criminal violation.

Environment and Natural Resources Committee; public hearings; room 216; Cross Building

L.D. 907, “An Act To Encourage Recycling”: imposes a fee of $15 per ton on the disposal of solid waste at solid waste disposal facilities and solid waste processing facilities.

L.D. 1292, “An Act To Minimize the Use of Plastic Bags”: requires retailers to charge 10 cents for a one-time use plastic bag with 2 cents going to the retailer for administrative costs and the rest are for promoting recycling efforts.

L.D. 1323, “An Act Regarding Wind Power Siting in the Unorganized Territory”: provides that before the Department of Environmental Protection may approve a proposal for a grid-scale wind energy development the Maine Land Use Planning Commission must certify that the area where the development will be located has been zoned for planned development.

L.D. 1359, “An Act To Update and Simplify Maine Gasoline Requirements”: requires beginning Jan. 1, 2014 a retailer who sells gasoline in York, Cumberland, Sagadahoc, Androscoggin, Kennebec, Knox or Lincoln County to sell only reformulated gasoline in those counties and study the use of single type gasoline throughout the state and report by Dec. 4.

L.D. 1363, “An Act To Ensure Landfill Capacity and Promote Recycling”: provides that residue and bypass must have been generated from waste that originated in the state to be considered generated in the state; allows municipalities to enact solid waste ordinances with stricter standards than the state; imposes a one-year moratorium on the issuance of expanded landfills licenses; directs the Department of Environmental Protection to study and identify best practices to reduce the amount of solid waste, increase recycling and generate revenue from recycling for municipalities.

State and Local Government Committee; public hearings; room 214; Cross Building

L.D. 1073, “An Act To Establish Minimum Fuel Economy Standards for State Vehicles”: requires that a new motor vehicle of the state must have a fuel economy standard that exceeds by at least 10 miles per gallon the corporate average fuel economy standard established by the United States Department of Transportation, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

L.D. 1254, “An Act To Increase Consumption of Maine Foods in All State Institutions”: requires that all foodstuffs 15 percent must be from Maine for the next 10 years beginning Jan. 1, 2014 and 25 percent for the next 10 years and 35 percent beginning in 2034.

L.D. 1338, “An Act To Prohibit State and Local Governments from Contracting with Corporations That Engage in Business in Known Terrorist States”: excludes any business entity or individual from doing business with the State, the University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System, the Maine Maritime Academy or a municipality if that business entity or individual does business with any company, or any subsidiary, affiliate or parent of any company, that does business with a country designated by federal law as a state sponsor of terrorism.

L.D. 1344, “An Act To Modernize the State’s Legal Notice Requirements”: requires that legal notices appearing in a newspaper also appear in any publicly accessible website that the newspaper maintains on the same date of they appear in print.

L.D. 1357, “An Act To Support Maine Businesses through State Purchasing”: requires that the state award the contract or purchase to an in-state bidder offering commodities produced or manufactured or construction and public works contracts in the state as long as the bid is within 2.5 percent of the otherwise best-value bidder.

L.D. 1378, “Resolve, Authorizing the Sale of the Guy P. Gannett House in Augusta to a Nonprofit Organization for Use as a Museum”: authorizes the commissioner of Administrative and Financial Services to sell as is at current market value 184 State St. to the Gannett House Project.

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