9 a.m.

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

L.D. 72, “An Act To Open the St. Croix River to River Herring”: emergency bill, provides that by May 1, the commissioner of Marine Resources and the commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife must ensure the fishways on the Woodland Dam and the Grand Falls Dam located on the St. Croix River are configured in a manner that allows the passage of river herring.

L.D. 584, “An Act To Provide for Passage of River Herring on the St. Croix River in Accordance with an Adaptive Management Plan”: requires that the fishway on the Grand Falls Dam allow passage of river herring in accordance with the Adaptive Management Plan.

L.D. 748, “An Act Regarding the Passage of River Herring on the St. Croix River”: emergency bill, requires the commissioner of Marine Resources and the commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to ensure by May 1 that fishways on the Woodland Dam and the Grand Falls Dam allows the unlimited passage of river herring.

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

L.D. 643, “An Act To Create a Tax Incentive Program To Improve the Maine Lobster Industry”: provides a sales tax refund and exemption, beginning July 1, 2013, to encourage capital investment in commercial lobster processing companies in the state and creates a working group that will examine broader issues and make recommendations by Jan. 15, 2014 for improving the competitiveness of commercial lobster processing companies.

State and Local Government Committee; work sessions; 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.

10 a.m.

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

L.D. 593, “An Act To Require That Carbon Monoxide Detectors Be Installed inside Educational Facilities”: requires carbon monoxide detectors or carbon monoxide detection and warning equipment to be installed in existing and future educational facilities for elementary or secondary education.

L.D. 820, “An Act Regarding Fire Escapes for Certain Buildings”: eliminates a conflict in law by repealing the provision that provides that a person, firm or organization that violates the law pertaining to the installment and maintenance of fire escapes commits a civil violation.

L.D. 883, “An Act Regarding the Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner Advisory Board”: gives the Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner Advisory Board the authority to issue certificates to persons who complete sexual assault forensic examiner training and provides that certification by the board does not constitute licensing.

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

L.D. 36, “An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Record Keeping for Pawn Transactions”: requires that pawnbrokers maintain in their records digital photographs of property pawned and digital photographs of the consumers who pawn the property.

L.D. 71, “An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Pawn Transactions”: requires that pawnbrokers maintain in their records digital photographs of property pawned and digital photographs of the consumers who pawn the property, file with law enforcement photographs of the property pawned or purchased during the previous month, requires that property be in the pawnbroker’s possession for 30 days after the expiration of the time for which it was pawned if the repurchase period is less than 30 days before they can sell or alter the property and requires that property sold to a pawnbroker with no condition of repurchase the property must be in their possession for 60 days before they can sell or alter the property.

L.D. 263, “An Act To Require Dealers of Secondhand Precious Metals To Keep Records To Aid Law Enforcement”: requires people who buy secondhand precious metals record the date, time and place of purchase, the seller’s name and address, a description of the metals, consideration paid and a signed statement of the ownership from the seller before completing the transaction, keep those records for one year and make them available to law enforcement or a prosecuting attorney.

L.D. 732, “An Act To Impose a Holding Period during Which a Dealer in Secondhand Precious Metals Must Retain Property”: requires people who buy secondhand precious metals record the date, time and place of purchase, the seller’s name and address, a description of the metals, consideration paid and a signed statement of the ownership from the seller before completing the transaction, keep those records for one year, make them available to law enforcement or a prosecuting attorney and prohibits a dealer who acquires secondhand precious metals from selling, disposing of or altering them for 10 days following the purchase.

L.D. 808, “An Act To Amend the Laws Concerning Metal Dealers”: proposes to address methods of preventing and punishing thefts of copper, especially when the illegally obtained copper is being sold by one business to another.

L.D. 809, “An Act To Create a License for Metal Dealers”: proposes to create a licensing requirement for scrap metal processors similar to that for persons operating an automobile graveyard, automobile recycling business or junkyard.

Taxation Committee; public hearings; room 127; State House

L.D. 279, “An Act To Sustain Maine’s Aviation Industry by Extending the Exemption from Sales and Use Tax for Aircraft and Parts”: permanently exempts aircraft and aircraft parts from Maine’s sales and use tax.

L.D. 728, “An Act To Amend the Laws Dealing with the Taxing of Extended Warranty Claims for Trucks”: exempts from sales tax parts used in the repair of a truck.

L.D. 734, “An Act Relating to the Sales Tax Exemption on Depreciable Equipment Used in Commercial Wood Harvesting”: provides that the sales tax exemption or refund for depreciable equipment used in commercial wood harvesting applies only when the harvesting is performed by residents of the United States or by business entities with headquarters in the United States.

L.D. 741, “An Act To Promote Fairness in the Sales Tax Exemption for Vehicles Used in Interstate Commerce”: provides a sales tax exemption for vehicles used in interstate or foreign commerce.

L.D. 916, “An Act To Promote Investment in Maine’s Communications Network and Natural Gas Network”: provides sales tax exemptions for telecommunications equipment sold to a provider of telecommunications services and natural gas heating equipment sold to a business or residential consumer.

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

L.D. 328, “An Act Relating to Radon Testing and Disclosure to Tenants”: provides that radon testing is not required, but requires the disclosure of a radon hazard to tenants and prospective tenants when a landlord is made aware of test results indicating the presence of a radon hazard and mitigation has not been performed to reduce the level of radon.

L.D. 459, “An Act To Amend the Law Concerning a Landlord’s Right To Inspect Property”: requires a tenant who is unable to provide a landlord access to the dwelling unit upon 24 hours’ notice to set up an alternative time within 72 hours when the landlord may be granted access to the dwelling unit, if the tenant fails to do so and denies the landlord access the landlord is authorized to enter the dwelling unit without consent of the tenant.

L.D. 575, “An Act To Amend the Laws Relating to Radon Testing”: allows, instead of requires, landlords and tenants to conduct radon tests on residential housing units located below the third story, if a second test reveals no radon than the positive first test does not require notice to the tenants, allows a landlord to terminate a lease following a test indicating a presence of radon instead of mitigation and requires a landlord to provide notice of a positive radon test in the common area of a building.

1 p.m.

Education and Cultural Affairs Committee; public hearings; room 202; Cross Building

L.D. 530, “An Act To Apply the Standard of Best Educational Interest to Superintendent Agreements for Transfer Students”: clarifies that two superintendents may approve a transfer from one school administrative district to another if it is in the best educational interest of the student and the commissioner may modify the transfer decision only upon a written finding that the student may not have the benefit of free public education without the transfer.

L.D. 670, “An Act To Encourage the Use of Career Interest and Aptitude Tests in Higher Education”: requires the Maine Community College System and the University of Maine System to allow a student to receive priority in course registration if the student takes and submits prior to course registration.

L.D. 791, “An Act To Increase Transparency and Improve Equity in Appeals to Superintendents’ Agreements”: requires that the commissioner of Education provide a written description on why they determined the transfer was in the best interest of the student when the superintendents did not, requires the state reimburse the receiving school administrative units costs for implementing the transfer order and provides that the decision may be appealed by both or either super superintendents to the State Board of Education.

L.D. 792, “An Act To Ensure That Essential Programs and Services Targeted Funding Follows the Secondary Student”: provides that a school administrative unit sending a secondary school student to another public school or a private school must pay to the receiving school tuition, per-pupil amounts for cocurricular and extracurricular activities and targeted funds for implementation of a standards-based system and technology resources.

L.D. 880, “An Act To Change the Process for Student Transfers from an Alternative Organizational Structure”: gives a local school committee of an alternative organizational structure the authority to approve student transfer requests.

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

L.D. 515, “An Act Regarding the Annual Service Fee for Child Support Services Provided by the Department of Health and Human Services”: requires the Department of Health and Human Services to pay the $25 annual fee for the assistance of the department in the collection of child support for certain families.

L.D. 520, “An Act To Protect Maine Consumers from Predatory Medical Pricing”: proposes to establish standardized pricing for health care procedures in order to protect Maine consumers from predatory pricing.

L.D. 539, “An Act To Ensure Parity in the Ability To Counsel Patients”: adds licensed clinical professional counselors to the list of persons who may provide counseling to a minor in connection with the minor’s decision regarding pregnancy.

L.D. 610, “Resolve, To Amend the Rule Regarding Certain Mandatory Charity Care Policies To Be Consistent with MaineCare and the Federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”: requires the Department of Health and Human Services to permit hospitals to impose the asset test for MaineCare in effect as of Jan. 1, 2013 and to establish the federal poverty limit eligibility threshold at 133 percent for individuals eligible for federal premium tax credits to purchase insurance through exchanges.

L.D. 625, “An Act To Exempt Certain Businesses from Being Considered Campgrounds”: emergency bill, exempts a commercial lot permitted by the municipality as a racetrack or for another mass public gathering purpose where any camping is incidental and the owner or renter does not charge a fee beyond the attendance fee for a person to camp overnight from licensing as a campground.

L.D. 629, “An Act To Restore Eligibility and Funding for Drug Programs for the Elderly and Disabled”: instructs the commissioner of Health and Human Services to submit an application to increase the income eligibility levels for the Medicare savings program by 10 percent contingent upon the approval of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

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

L.D. 858, “An Act To Partially Fund Tax Breaks for the Wealthy by Eliminating Certain Gubernatorial Benefits”: repeals the provision that provides the governor a retirement allowance, removes the governor’s eligibility for State Employee and Teacher Retirement Program and any state employee group health plan and authorizes the commissioner of Administrative and Financial Services to sell the Blaine House, with the proceeds to be deposited into the General Fund.

L.D. 947, “An Act To Ensure the Effectiveness of Constitutional Officers”: prohibits the secretary of state, treasurer of state and attorney general from being a candidate for federal office or governor.

Taxation Committee; public hearings; room 127; State House

L.D. 915, “An Act To Expand the Sales Tax Exemption for Certain Public Libraries To Include Sales by Those Libraries or Their Supporting Organizations”: expands the sales tax exemption for sales to a nonprofit free public lending library funded in part or wholly by the state to include sales by the library.

L.D. 979, “An Act To Exempt the Sale of the United States Flag from the Sales Tax”: exempts sales of the United States flag made entirely of cloth from sales tax.

L.D. 1007, “An Act Relating to Precious Metal Coins”: exempts from the sales tax gold and silver coins minted by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, United States Mint.

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

L.D. 659, “An Act To Reimburse Philip Wolley for Litigation Expenses Incurred in Connection with His Termination and Reinstatement as a State Employee”: adds $28,000 to reimburse Philip Wolley for litigation expenses incurred in connection with his termination and subsequent reinstatement as a state employee.

1:30 p.m.

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

L.D. 559, “An Act To Change Document Filing Fees for County Registries of Deeds”: increases the filing fee for the first page of recording an instrument at all registries of deeds by $6 and gives the county commissioner the option to raise the filing fee for the first page by a majority vote.

2:30 p.m.

Taxation Committee; work sessions; 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.