Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §1710-E, as amended by PL 2001, c. 2, §1, is further amended to read:

§1710-E. Revenue Forecasting Committee; established;

membership

There is established the Revenue Forecasting Committee, referred to in this chapter as the "committee," for the purpose of providing the Governor, the Legislature and the State Budget Officer with analyses, findings and recommendations relating to the projection of revenues for the General Fund and the Highway Fund based on economic assumptions recommended by the Consensus Economic Forecasting Commission. The committee includes the State Budget Officer, the State Tax Assessor, the State Economist, an economist on the faculty of the University of Maine System selected by the chancellor, the Director of the Office of Fiscal and Program Review and another member of the Legislature's nonpartisan staff a member of the public, appointed by the Legislative Council, who works for a private, for-profit business and is familiar with revenue estimating issues appointed by the Legislative Council. One of the 6 members must be selected by a majority vote of the committee members to serve as the chair of the committee.

SUMMARY

This bill changes the membership of the Revenue Forecasting Committee by replacing one of the Legislature's nonpartisan staff members with a public member who works for a private, for-profit business.