HP0669
LD 967		 First Regular Session - 124th Maine Legislature
 
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 LR 428
Item 1
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An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Governor's Interagency Transportation Coordinating Committee

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

Sec. 1. 23 MRSA §4209, sub-§1,  as corrected by RR 2003, c. 2, §83, is amended to read:

1. Geographic regions.   The Department of Transportation shall divide the State into a number of geographic regions for regional distribution of state-administered transportation funds. Upon designation of the geographic regions, a regional public transportation agency must be selected from each region to formulate a biennial regional operations plan. Selection of regional public transportation agencies must be by the Department of Transportation with the consent of the Department of Health and Human Services in collaboration with the committee established in subsection 1-A. The Department of Transportation shall establish a schedule for submittal of the biennial regional operations plan and shall reference these plans in its biennial transportation improvement plan submitted to the Legislature.

Sec. 2. 23 MRSA §4209, sub-§1-A  is enacted to read:

1-A.  Interagency Transportation Coordinating Committee.   The Interagency Transportation Coordinating Committee, referred to in this section as "the committee," is established to promote efficiency, cooperative effort and strategic planning for public transportation between the Department of Transportation, the Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services.
A.  The committee consists of the Commissioner of Transportation, the Commissioner of Labor and the Commissioner of Health and Human Services or the designees of the commissioners.
B.  The committee shall meet at least twice each year.
C.  The Commissioner of Transportation shall designate the chair of the committee.
D.  The committee shall designate a catchment area for MaineCare transportation providers.
E.  The committee shall submit a report on its deliberations and any recommendations by February 15th each year to the Governor and the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over public transportation matters.

Sec. 3. 23 MRSA §4209, sub-§2,  as corrected by RR 2003, c. 2, §83, is amended to read:

2. Biennial regional operations plan.   The biennial regional operations plan submitted by each regional public transportation agency must provide for the following:
A.  Maximum feasible coordination of funds among all state agencies that sponsor transportation in the region;
B.  Development and maintenance of a permanent and effective public transportation system, with particular regard to riders who are low-income , or elderly and handicapped residents or who have disabilities;
C.  Participation of private transit operators in the service, to the greatest extent possible; and
D.  Conformity with general operations requirements as may be prescribed by the commissioner . ; and
E.  Compliance with any appropriate federal regulations, including but not limited to the federally required locally coordinated plan.

In years in which no biennial plan is required, amendments to the effective operations may be submitted. Approval of each regional operations plan must be by the Department of Transportation with the consent of the Department of Health and Human Services in collaboration with the committee. Upon approval, all agencies, groups or organizations named to participate in the provision of service in accordance with a regional operations plan are eligible to receive funds administered by the Department of Transportation and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Sec. 4. 23 MRSA §4209, sub-§4,  as corrected by RR 2003, c. 2, §84, is amended to read:

4. Human services assistance; priorities.   A liaison appointed by the Department of Health and Human Services The committee shall act to coordinate purchase of service contracts and serve in an advisory capacity to the department in matters concerning public transportation. In the event that transportation funds for human services' services programs are insufficient for full implementation of the human services' services portion of an approved biennial regional operations plan, priorities established by the Department of Health and Human Services determine the priority clients that must be initially served by human services' services funds. The Department of Health and Human Services and its agents Members of the committee and their contractors shall actively engage local transportation providers in the planning of new services that are expected to have a transportation component.

The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Labor shall ensure that any new service to be provided is adequately funded to cover the costs of the transportation component of the program.

summary

This bill establishes in statute the Interagency Transportation Coordinating Committee, which provides oversight and promotes efficiency, cooperative effort and strategic planning for public transportation between the Department of Transportation, the Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services.

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