9 a.m.

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

L.D. 531, “An Act To Allow Students To Audit Classes at University of Maine System Campuses”: requires that the University of Maine System permit students to audit a class if there is space and charge a fee of $50 to $250 to do so.

L.D. 532, “An Act To Amend the Laws Governing the Maine State Library”: changes many aspects of the state library. It removes the requirement of a bookmobile, the Department of Education’s requirement of maintaining and providing a video library, a requirement to make a gift of money or books to a municipality that is establishing a free library, requirement that the state librarian distribute the histories to school, state, institutional and public libraries and authority to sell surplus books.

Maine’s Workforce and Economic Future Committee; public hearings; 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.

L.D. 516, “An Act To Create the Integrated Manufacturing Program Fund”: establishes the Integrated Manufacturing Program Fund within the Maine Community College System to support the education and training of the manufacturing workforce.

L.D. 578, “An Act To Award Academic Credit to Service Members for Military Education, Experience and Training”: requires the University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System and the Maine Maritime Academy to develop a system to give veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces academic credit for relevant experience, education and training obtained during military service and report by Dec. 1, 2014.

L.D. 737, “An Act To Promote Workforce Development and Training in the Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Energy Efficiency and Conservation Trades”: promotes collaboration between the state and a private-sector training center focusing on training workers in heating, ventilation, air conditioning and energy efficiency and conservation trades that serves more than 200 students per year.

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

L.D. 339, “An Act To Require Public Hearings by the Legislature To Be Recorded and Posted on the Internet”: requires that all joint standing committee public hearings are recorded and made accessible to the public as a written transcript, audio recording, video recording or other electronic recording on the Legislature’s website within 72 hours of a public hearing beginning Jan. 1, 2014.

 

9:30 a.m.

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

L.D. 182, “An Act To Support the Maine Lobster Industry”: adds $1 million to the Lobster Promotion Council for this fiscal year.

L.D. 469, “An Act To Allow the Commissioner of Marine Resources To Investigate Price Fixing of Lobster”: emergency bill, authorizes the commissioner of Marine Resources to investigate lobster price fixing and requires the attorney general to help at the request of the commissioner.

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. 604, “An Act Regarding Commercial Elver Fishing Licenses Issued by the Penobscot Nation”: emergency bill, increases the number of commercial licenses for the taking of elvers that the Penobscot Nation may issue in any calendar year to 48 and specifies that the Commissioner of Marine Resources and Penobscot Nation determine elver resources are sufficient to permit the issuance licensees.

 

10 a.m.

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

L.D. 647, “An Act To Establish the Mobile Crime Laboratory Fund”: establishes the Mobile Crime Laboratory Fund to establish, operate and maintain a mobile crime laboratory.

L.D. 708, “An Act To Reduce Emergency Rescue Costs”: directs the Medical Direction and Practices Board to establish a pilot project where emergency medical services personnel to identify patients that need a follow-up, but not an ambulance a free voucher to cover the round trip to and from the medical provider of the patient’s choice.

L.D. 839, “An Act To Amend the Laws Governing the Licensing of Technicians Involved in a Display of Fireworks or Special Effects”: provides for the licensing of a proximate audience technician and a flame effect technician in connection with a display of fireworks or special effects.

L.D. 840, “An Act To Amend the Law Regulating the Use of Explosives”: exempts from oversight the possession of 50 pounds or less of premixed or 5 pounds or less of mixed binary explosive target material for the purpose of sport shooting.

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

L.D. 149, “An Act To Make Gold and Silver Coins and Bars Legal Tender”: allows gold and silver in coin or bar form to be legal tender if the buyer and seller agree to the fair market value of the gold or silver; exempts gold and silver sales from sales tax.

L.D. 605, “An Act To Allow a Minor in the Police Explorer Program To Assist with Traffic Control at Civic Events”: allows minors who are volunteer participants in a career-oriented law enforcement program to perform traffic control duties at civic events after receiving the required training.

L.D. 689, “An Act To Clarify Compensation for the Panel of Mediators”: entitles mediators who travel more than 43 miles for public employee collective bargaining negotiations one-half their hourly fee for their mileage in excess of 43 miles.

L.D. 691, “An Act To Prohibit Enforcement of Federal Laws Regulating Commerce in Violation of the Constitution of the United States”: enacts the Intrastate Commerce Act to express that the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution is valid for the regulation of interstate commerce but not intrastate commerce and prohibits a federal or state official, agent or employee from enforcing a federal act, order, law, statute, rule or regulation that attempts to regulate goods grown, manufactured or made in this state or services performed in this state.

Taxation Committee; public hearings; room 127; State House

L.D. 319, “An Act To Provide Tax Fairness to Small Businesses in the State”: creates a presumption that a seller of goods or services is engaged in business in this state and therefore required to register with the state tax assessor as a retailer and collect and remit sales and use tax on purchases made by persons in the state and directs the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of Revenue Services to identify changes in the sales and use tax laws necessary to conform them to the national effort known as the “Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement” and to submit its report by Jan. 15, 2014.

L.D. 346, “An Act To Require the Collection of Sales Tax by any Business Making Sales to Persons in Maine”: creates a presumption that a seller of goods or services is engaged in business in this state and therefore required to register with the state tax assessor as a retailer and collect and remit sales and use tax on purchases made by persons in the state

L.D. 435, “Resolve, To Require the State Tax Assessor To Develop Agreements with Online Retailers for the Collection of Sales and Use Tax”: requires the state tax assessor to enter into negotiations and develop agreements with online retailers for the collection of Maine sales and use tax by those online retailers.

L.D. 719, “An Act To Ensure Access to Information in the Property Tax Abatement and Appeals Process”: provides that a property taxpayer applying for or appealing an abatement of property taxes is entitled to notice in writing stating the reason the applicant’s request was not fully granted and provides that if the decision for abatement is not made within the time period, the request is approved.

L.D. 762, “An Act To Facilitate Collection of Property Taxes on Personal Property”: requires owners of personal property subject to property tax to provide upon request of the person responsible for assessment of taxes the information necessary to establish a lien on the personal property.

Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee; work sessions; room 437; State House

L.D. 239, “An Act To Improve the Return to the State on the Sale of Spirits and To Provide a Source of Payment for Maine’s Hospitals”: emergency governor’s bill repealing the privatization of the state’s wholesale liquor business, instead allowing the commissioner of administrative and financial services to enter an agreement for wholesale liquor activities. It authorizes the state treasurer to issue liquor operation revenue bonds $187 million and establishes the Health Care Liability Retirement Fund and the Liquor Operation Revenue Fund.

L.D. 644, “An Act To Strengthen the State’s Wholesale Liquor Business”: emergency bill, requires the state to continue privatization of its wholesale liquor operations beyond its current contract, outline the details for bidders, allows the commissioner of administrative and financial services to extend the current wholesale contract if the commissioner determines a new one cannot be bid or ratified before the current contract’s expiration for $34 million.

 

10:30 a.m.

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

L.D. 413, “An Act To Expand Eligible Project Costs in Development Districts”: permits tax increment financing funds to be used to fund projects approved by more than one municipality under an interlocal agreement.

L.D. 586, “An Act To Enable Municipalities To Establish Business Development Loan Programs Using Municipally Raised or Appropriated Money”: provides that municipalities may raise or appropriate money to establish revolving loan fund programs to assist local for-profit and nonprofit enterprises in their job creation and job retention efforts.

 

1 p.m.

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

L.D. 249, “Resolve, Directing the Board of Dental Examiners To Amend Its Rules To Improve Access to Oral Health Care in Maine”: requires the Board of Dental Examiners to permit a dental student to perform limited dental service in certain settings, commensurate with the student’s level of training, under the supervision and control of a licensed dentist or a teaching school.

L.D. 445, “An Act To Improve Efficiencies in Dental Offices”: allows expanded function dental assistants to perform supra gingival scaling under the direct supervision of a dentist.

L.D. 553, “An Act To Remove the Statement of Oral Condition as a Requirement for Denturists Making Partial Dentures”: removes the requirement that a denturist first receive a written statement of oral condition or oral health certificate prior to making partial dentures.

L.D. 656, “Resolve, Requiring the Department of Economic and Community Development To Develop Incentives for Industries in the State To Increase Employment of Maine Residents”: requires the Department of Economic and Community Development to work with the Department of Labor, the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of Revenue Services and regional planning commissions to develop incentives for manufacturing, agricultural and creative industries in the state to increase their employment of Maine residents and report by Dec. 4, 2013.

L.D. 700, “An Act To Require Elevators To Be Accessible for Ambulance Stretchers”: requires beginning Jan. 1, 2018, all multi-story buildings that house private entities or nonprofit organizations that serve the public or are places of public accommodation have at least one passenger elevator with access from all levels in the building large enough for an ambulance stretcher in the full supine position.

L.D. 739, “Resolve, To Establish a Task Force To Study Economic Development in Rural Areas”: establishes a task force to study measures designed to encourage economic development and opportunity in rural areas of the state.

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

L.D. 398, “An Act To Eliminate the Constituent Services Allowance for Legislators”: eliminates the constituent services allowance for legislators.

L.D. 489, “Resolution, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine To Increase the Lengths of Terms of Members of the Legislature”: increases the length of the terms of state senators and members of the House of Representatives four years beginning in 2016.

L.D. 490, “Resolution, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine To Limit a Governor’s Pension to Governors Who Have Served 2 Full Terms”: provides that a governor or the spouse of a governor who leaves office after Jan. 1, 2012, does not qualify for a retirement allowance based on the governor’s service unless the governor served at least 2 full terms.

L.D. 740, “Resolution, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine To Require That the Attorney General Be Elected by Popular Vote”: proposes a constitutional amendment that provides for direct popular election biennially of the attorney general in the manner currently provided for senators and representatives.

L.D. 856, “Resolution, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine To Require State Officers To Be Elected by a Majority of Voters”: amends the Constitution of Maine to require that a candidate for the office of governor, state senator or state representative receive more than 50 percent of the votes cast to be elected.

 

2 p.m.

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

L.D. 168, “An Act To Establish Reasonable Restrictions on the Use of Fireworks”: restricts the sale and use of fireworks based on factors such as the fire danger level, presence of farm animals, interests of summer residents and tourists, interests of year-round residents etc.

L.D. 456, “An Act To Protect Farm Animals from Noise from the Discharge of Fireworks or Explosives”: prohibits the use of consumer fireworks or explosives, either loose or contained in a tube or other enclosure, within one mile of a field or pasture that contains livestock.

L.D. 478, “An Act To Require a Local Permit for the Use of Fireworks”: provides that a person who wishes to use consumer fireworks must obtain a permit from the same authority as those who issue open burning permits, and will be issued in the same manner as open burning permits.

L.D. 663, “An Act To Change the Time Restriction on the Use of Fireworks”: reduces the permissible hours when fireworks may be used to between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.