1 p.m.

Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee; work sessions; room 214; Cross Building

L.D. 262, “An Act To Restore to Jimmy J. Soucy the Right To Maintain Existing Structures on Property in Sinclair”: specifies permissible uses of property in Sinclair and structures on that property acquired by Jimmy J. Soucy in 2009 from the state are residential.

L.D. 368, “ An Act To Ensure the Continuation of Dairy Farming”: provides financial and technical assistance to dairy farms to adapt new techniques and utilize new technology to offset the high cost of farming overhead including the cost of feed and fuel.

L.D. 707, “An Act To Provide Assistance to Maine’s Dairy Farms”: limits hauling costs of milk by a milk transportation company for a dairy farmer to the mileage between the dairy farm and the nearest milk plant still operating in the state.

L.D. 718, “ An Act To Protect Maine Food Consumers’ Right To Know about Genetically Engineered Food and Seed Stock”: requires disclosure of genetic engineering at the point of retail sale of food and seed stock and provides that food or seed stock except in those without knowledge of the genetic engineering, animals fed genetically engineered food, a minimum content produced by genetic engineering, restaurants, alcoholic beverages or medical food.

L.D. 789, “An Act To Lessen the Impact of High Feed and Fuel Costs on Maine Dairy Farmers”: adjusts the price levels of dairy in order to account for the recent dramatic increases in feed and fuel costs.

L.D. 987, “An Act To Make Technical Changes to the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Laws”: requires that certain information in annual reports be compiled from the previous fiscal year, clarifies that the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Division of Forestry regulates water crossings and that appointments made by the boards of county commissioners will be reviewed the same as gubernatorial appointments, indicates that the terms of the Maine Land Use Planning Commission members appointed after 2013 must be staggered, updates the name of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to enable legislation of the Wells National Estuarine Research reserve Management Authority and replaces the director of the former State Planning Office with the director of the Maine Coastal Program as nonvoting members of the board of directors.

L.D. 1239, “An Act To Clarify, Streamline and Promote Fair Animal Welfare Laws”: changes the definition of kennel to create personal kennel license, commercial boarding or training kennel license and commercial breeder kennel license; defines serious bodily injury; and removes the requirement a person to obtain a vendor’s license to sell a dog or cat.

L.D. 1283, “An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Animal Trespass”: makes the third or more violation of animal trespass law a class E crime; makes the second violation fine $1,000; the third or subsequent violation fine $2,500; requires repeat violators to pay the court costs and the attorney’s fees; and authorizes forfeiture of an animal of repeat violator if it is found the public health, safety or welfare is in jeopardy because of the repeat violation.

L.D. 1285, “An Act To Allow Law Enforcement Agencies Access to Animal Licensing Information”: requires the commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to create a statewide electronic database of dog licenses by Jan. 1, 2014 accessible to all law enforcement agencies in the state for use in animal control; establishes the Animal Licensing Database Fund as a nonlapsing account within the department; and authorizes the commissioner to establish by rule fees to fund and maintain the electronic database of dog licenses.

L.D. 1307, “An Act To Establish the Livestock Damage Compensation Fund”: establishes the Livestock Damage Compensation Fund as a nonlapsing fund within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to compensate eligible farmers for damage done to livestock by coyotes and other wildlife; requires the commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to establish rules governing the fund by Dec. 1.

L.D. 1391, “ Resolve, To Provide a Pesticide Spraying Notification Process”: directs the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to establish a publicly accessible website that allows a person to place that person’s name on a registry of those who wish to be notified of pesticides application by aircraft or air-carrier equipment in a given county.

Educational and Cultural Affairs Committee; work session; room 202; Cross building

L.D. 1106, “ An Act To Develop a Grant Program To Establish a Teacher-led School Model”: provides for the creation, submission, review and approval of innovation plans to establish teacher-led schools.

Environment and Natural Resources Committee; work sessions; room 216; Cross Building

L.D. 825, “ Resolve, To Study Climate Change and Implement the Recommendations of the Department of Environmental Protection Report on Climate Change”: directs the Department of Environmental Protection to resume its study on climate change and submit a plan by Feb. 27, 2015.

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. 1181, “ An Act To Further Strengthen the Protection of Pregnant Women and Children from Toxic Chemicals”: defines “contaminant” and adds a publication of an authoritative state agency to the definition of “credible scientific evidence”; requires the commissioner of Environmental Protection to name two additional priority chemicals annually beginning Jan. 1, 2014, unless the criteria is not met; requires reporting of high concern chemicals used in children’s products; requires assessments of safer alternatives to priority chemicals in children’s products by manufacturers or distributors; repeals the exemption of food and beverage packaging not intended for children under 3 years of age; authorizes the Board of Environmental Protection to require product labeling if it cannot make the findings necessary to prohibit sale of a children’s product containing a priority chemical; requires alternatives assessments for reported uses of nonylphenol ethoxylates and requires reporting of bisphenol A use in food can packaging.

L.D. 1308, “An Act To Establish a Stewardship Program for Architectural Paint”: establishes a product stewardship program for architectural paints sold in the state where consumers are able to return their unused architectural paint.

L.D. 1335, “An Act To Implement Recommendations of the Department of Environmental Protection Concerning Product Stewardship in Maine”: establishes a framework for the implementation of product stewardship programs and repeals the requirement that retailers that sell cellular telephones accept used cellular telephones from any person.

Health and Human Services Committee; public hearings; room 209; Cross Building

L.D. 579, “Resolve, To Clarify and Improve the Eligibility Process for Services for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities or Autism”: directs the Department of Health and Human Services to undertake a process to update the criteria for eligibility for services for persons with intellectual disabilities or autism.

Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee; work sessions; room 206; Cross Building

L.D. 84, “An Act To Expand Turkey Hunting”: Eliminates turkey permit requirements, allowing the hunting of turkey with a big or small game hunting license; provides electronic or telephonic registration of turkeys and requires the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to establish spring and fall hunting seasons for all daylight hours; fall must include the month of October; bag limit of two per season, and in spring the turkeys must be male.

L.D. 143, “An Act To Allow a Hunter To Harvest a Wild Turkey of Either Sex during the Month of October without an Extra Charge for the Permit”: requires the commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to establish a wild turkey hunting season for the month of October to allow the harvest of wild turkeys of either sex open to any licensed hunter and would not require any extra permit charge and the hunter must have any harvested turkey tagged.

L.D. 200, “An Act To Expand Turkey Hunting Opportunities for Young Hunters”: requires the commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to establish a 6-day spring youth hunting season for wild turkey from Monday to Saturday in April and coincide with April vacation.

L.D. 514, “An Act To Allow Boards and Associations of Lakes and Ponds To Stock Fish”: authorizes a lake association to stock a pond subject to the association’s activities with fish when the association purchases the fish to be stocked from the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and provides the public with boat access to the pond being stocked by the association.

L.D. 545, “An Act To Enhance the Protection of Native Fish Species”: changes the crimes of illegal stocking of fish and illegal use of live bait to a class C crime; provides that a person is convicted of introducing, importing or transporting live fish without a permit will have all fishing and hunting licenses revoked and is ineligible to obtain a fishing or hunting license for a period of at least 10 years from the date of conviction; and provides that possession or transportation of live fish without authorization gives rise to a permissible inference that they do so for the purpose of illegally introducing the fish into inland waters.

L.D. 617, “An Act To Protect the State’s Native and Wild Brook Trout and Discourage Illegal Fish Introduction”: requires the commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to include in the listing of state heritage fish waters those waters that contain eastern brook trout and that have not been stocked since Jan. 1, 1988 and ensure their protection; requires the commissioner to annually inventory these waters and identify any nonnative species introduced into the waters and ensure that nonnative species are not introduced to heritage fish waters; and eliminates all closed seasons and number, amount, weight and size limits for the taking or possession of any species of fish identified as having been illegally introduced.

L.D. 679, “Resolve, Regarding the Management of Maine’s Brook Trout and Landlocked Salmon Resources”: directs the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to examine issues with respect to the current status of brook trout and landlocked salmon in the state and report their recommendations by Jan. 15, 2014.

L.D. 799, “Resolve, To Allow Use of Live Bait for Fishing in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway and Fish River Waterway”: allows the use of live bait on the Allagash Wilderness waterway and the Fish River waterway.

Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee; public hearing; room 206; Cross Building

L.D. 1399, “An Act To Provide for the Aroostook Band of Micmacs Certain Rights Regarding Hunting, Fishing and Wildlife Management”: provides the Aroostook Band of Micmacs the same authority to regulate hunting, fishing and wildlife management as that of the Passamaquoddy tribe and the Penobscot Nation.

Insurance and Financial Services Committee; public hearings; room 220; Cross Building

L.D. 1078, “Resolve, To Establish the Task Force on the Creation of a State of Maine Partnership Bank”: emergency bill,  establishes the Task Force on the Creation of a State of Maine Partnership Bank to develop a proposal to establish the State of Maine Partnership Bank, which must be specifically designed to partner with financial institutions that are headquartered in Maine or are Maine-owned, or both, in order to provide access to capital for local small businesses and family farmers.

L.D. 1410, “An Act To Update the Fair Credit Reporting Act Consistent with Federal Law”: incorporates federal fair credit reporting laws into state law while preserving enhanced protections found in current state law.

L.D. 1413, “An Act To Clarify Limitations on Homeowner’s Insurance Policies Regarding Claims on Vacant Properties”: requires an insurer, upon receiving information that a property used as a residence and insured by the insurer is vacant, to send a statement to the insured explaining the policy regarding vacant property and defining “vacant.”

L.D. 1444, “An Act Relating to Title Insurers Issuing Closing or Settlement Protection”: allows title insurers to provide protection against theft or misappropriation of settlement funds and failure to comply with written closing instructions in connection with real estate closings.

Judiciary Committee; work sessions; room 438; State House

L.D. 309, “Resolve, Directing the Attorney General To Implement a Child Identity Protection Program To Safeguard the Personal Information of Minors and Prevent Identity Theft”: directs the Attorney General to implement a child identity protection program to safeguard the personal information of minors and prevent identity theft.

L.D. 313, “An Act To Create the Maine Online Privacy Protection Act”: emergency bill, requires a publicly accessible website or online service that collects personal information from an individual consumer to post a privacy statement in a conspicuous location on its website.

L.D. 913, “An Act To Promote Excursion Passes by Amending the Law Governing Expiration Dates on Gift Obligations and Stored-value Cards Redeemable with Multiple Sellers”: emergency bill, exempt gift obligations and stored-value cards that are redeemable with multiple unaffiliated sellers from the provision that prohibits expiration dates for gift obligations and stored-value cards.

L.D. 1194, “An Act To Protect Social Media Privacy in School and the Workplace”: emergency bill, makes the Uniform Commercial Code, which establishes uniformity of business transactions across all the states, applicable to the remittance transfers that are not electronic funds transfers under the federal Electronic Fund Transfer Act.

L.D. 1377, “An Act To Protect Cellular Telephone Privacy”: prohibits a government entity from obtaining information concerning the identities of parties to a communication, the date and time of the communication or the existence, substance, purport or meaning of the communication conveyed using a cellular telephone or other electronic device without a valid warrant.

L.D. 1384, “An Act To Amend Article 9-A of the Uniform Commercial Code”: emergency bill, enacts the 2010 amendments to the Uniform Commercial Code.

1:30 p.m.

Education and Cultural Affairs Committee; work sessions; room 202; Cross Building

L.D. 868, “An Act To Expand Funding for Early Childhood Education”: amends the definitions of “elementary school” and “public preschool program” to include federally recognized Head Start agency programs.

L.D. 1093, “An Act To Clarify the Criteria of the Health Professions Loan Program as It Affects Physicians Practicing Neurology-psychiatry”: clarifies the criteria in the Health Professions Loan Program administered by the Finance Authority of Maine for designating underserved areas and populations and the criteria for designating eligibility of specialty physicians to practice in underserved areas to include neurologists-psychiatrists.

L.D. 1261, “An Act To Improve Access for Maine Students to Postsecondary Education”: provides a full tuition waiver at any campus of the Maine Community College System or the University of Maine System for Maine high school students who graduate in the top 10 percent of their graduating class and who meet financial need qualifications.

L.D. 1300, “An Act To Promote and Expand Awareness of the Educational Opportunity Tax Credit”: requires the Department of Education to notify superintendents of schools about the Job Creation Through Educational Opportunity Program annually and require the superintendents to publicize the availability of the program among parents, students and school staff; requires public postsecondary institutions to provide information about the program as part of, but not limited to, federally required entrance and exit interviews of students; and contracts with a private nonprofit corporation with expertise in the program to market the program.

L.D. 1332, “An Act To Increase the College Graduation Rate in Maine”: creates a college scholarship fund for postsecondary students who have left school after making considerable progress towards completion of their undergraduate degrees and who are unable to return without financial assistance.

Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee; public hearings; room 211; Cross Building

L.D. 1061, “An Act To Regulate Meteorological Data-gathering Towers in Maine”: requires applicants for wind energy permits to submit to the permitting municipality, the Maine Land Use Planning Commission or the Department of Environmental Protection a detailed summary of the data from each meteorological tower the applicant used in evaluating the suitability of a site for a wind energy development.

L.D. 1325, “Resolve, To Place a Temporary Suspension on Permitting of Certain Expedited Grid-scale Wind Energy Developments”: emergency bill, resolve establishes a temporary suspension on the expedited permitting of specified grid-scale wind energy developments and establishes the Panel to Review the Permitting of Expedited Wind Energy Development to review the recommendations of the report issued in March 2012 by the Governor’s Office of Energy Independence and Security.

L.D. 1375, “An Act To Enhance Maine’s Economy and Environment”: repeals the Public Utilities Commission’s authority to direct electric transmission and distribution utilities to enter into long-term contracts; establishes a property value guarantee program to ensure that a landowner whose real property is located within 8 miles of the base of a wind turbine is compensated for any reduction in property value resulting from the proximity of the wind turbine; requires sellers of residential real property to disclose to the purchasers whether the property to be sold is located within the state’s expedited wind energy development permitting area; and provides a compensation provision for landowners whose property values have diminished due to the location of wind turbines permitted before the effective date of the new program.

L.D. 1434, “An Act To Clarify the Laws Governing Noise from Wind Turbines”: requires unregulated wind energy developments that buy and sell electricity to meet the same sound level standards of regulated wind energy developments.

L.D. 1471, “An Act Authorizing the Board of Environmental Protection To Modify a License for a Wind Energy Development”: ensures that reductions in the sound level limits adopted by rule by the Department of Environmental Protection for the routine operation of wind energy developments are applied to previously approved wind energy developments.

L.D. 1472, “An Act To Provide for Economic Development with Offshore Wind Power”: adds offshore wind energy developments and associated manufacturing as a targeted technology for support from the Maine Technology Institute and as an eligible project to receive financial assistance from the Finance Authority of Maine.

Health and Human Services Committee; work sessions; room 209; Cross Building

L.D. 389, “ An Act To Bring Fairness to General Assistance Programs by Changing the Method of Municipal Reimbursement”: changes the reimbursement of general assistance to municipalities so that they receive either a 50 percent reimbursement rate from the Department of Health and Human Services or a block grant equal to $3 multiplied by the population of the municipality, whichever is the greater.

L.D. 598, “Resolve, Directing All Relevant Agencies of State Government To Work in Concert with a Plan To End and Prevent Homelessness To Ensure That Resources Are Available To End Homelessness in the State”: requires all relevant state agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Labor, the Department of Corrections, the Department of Education and the Maine State Housing Authority, to work with advocates and organizations serving the homeless population to eradicate homelessness in the State within four years.

L.D. 678, “An Act To Allow Random Drug Testing for Recipients of Certain Public Benefits”: allows the random drug testing of a person receiving MaineCare benefits, TANF program benefits or general assistance.

L.D. 892, “An Act Regarding Municipal General Assistance”: makes individuals who have reached the 60-month lifetime limit for benefits under the TANF program or who have had benefits fully terminated for noncompliance ineligible for municipal general assistance.

L.D. 967, “An Act Regarding Residency Requirements for General Assistance”: amends the municipal general assistance requirements to establish criteria to determine residency in a municipality.

L.D. 1030, “An Act To Require That Electronic Benefits Transfer System Cash Benefits Are Used for the Purpose for Which the Benefits Are Provided”: requires a recipient of benefits under the electronic benefits transfer system to retain a receipt of every cash transaction the recipient makes under the system and to provide the receipts monthly to the Department of Health and Human Services.

L.D. 1064, “Resolve, To Establish the Task Force on Independence from Public Assistance”: emergency bill, establishes the Task Force on Independence from Public Assistance and must report by Dec. 4, with its findings and recommendations and suggested legislation.

L.D. 1343, “An Act To Improve Work Readiness for Families Facing Significant Barriers to Employment”: provides that if the case manager of a participant in the ASPIRE-TANF program determines that the participant has physical or mental health impairments, learning disabilities, cognitive impairments or limitations, the case manager must explore whether the participant wishes to undergo a comprehensive screening with possible referral to alternative services, supports and benefits.

2 p.m.

Judiciary Committee; work session; room 438; State House

L.D. 872, “ An Act To Improve the Quality of Guardian ad Litem Services for the Children and Families of Maine”: restructures the current guardian ad litem program in Maine based on the findings and recommendations of the 2006 report, “Performance Audit of Guardians ad litem for Children in Child Protection Cases” submitted to the Government Oversight Committee by the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability by proposing a comprehensive program governing guardians ad litem.

3 p.m.

Health and Human Services Committee; work sessions; room 209; Cross Building

L.D. 123, “An Act To Ensure Proper Anatomical Recovery of Human Bodies and Body Parts”: enacts the Anatomical Recovery Organization Act to require a person or entity that performs anatomical recovery in this state to register as an anatomical recovery organization.

L.D. 1188, “Resolve, Directing the Department of Health and Human Services To Amend Its Rules of Reimbursement under the MaineCare Program for Audiology and Speech-language Pathology Services”: equalizes rates, eliminate a prior authorization requirement and provides for payment by the MaineCare program of the Medicare deductible for audiology services.

L.D. 1274, “An Act To Sustain Emergency Medical Services throughout the State”: increases MaineCare reimbursement rates for ambulance services to Medicare reimbursement rate levels.

L.D. 1411, “Resolve, To Require the Department of Health and Human Services To Request a Waiver To Prohibit the Use of Food Supplement Benefits for the Purchase of Taxable Food Items”: emergency, governor’s bill, requires the Department of Health and Human Services to request a waiver from the United States Department of Agriculture to allow Maine to prohibit the use of federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for the purchase of certain food items.

L.D. 1416, “An Act Regarding Responsibility of General Assistance for a Person Who Is Released from Prison”: provides that if an applicant for general assistance has been released from a correctional facility within 45 days of application, the municipality of responsibility for the first 12 months of benefits is the municipality that was on record as the residence of the applicant when the applicant was committed to the correctional facility.

L.D. 1443, “An Act To Make Convicted Drug Felons Ineligible for TANF Assistance”: repeals the prohibition against the denial of TANF benefits for a conviction of a drug-related felony, instead providing that anyone who is convicted for a drug-related felony after August 22, 1996 is ineligible for TANF benefits.
 

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