HP0889, LD 1270, item 1 , Resolve, To Realign Maine's Natural Resource Agencies

Resolve, To Realign Maine's Natural Resource Agencies

Sec. 1. Realignment of Maine's natural resource agencies. Resolved: That the commissioners of the Department of Conservation, the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources, the Department of Marine Resources and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife shall reconfigure their departments as follows.

1. Department of Public Lands and Water. The Department of Conservation must be known as the Department of Public Lands and Water and consist of the following:

A. Bureau of Parks and Lands;

B. Division of Realty;

C. Division of Submerged Lands;

D. Division of Agriculture Easements; and

E. Division of Boat Launch Programs.

2. Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Forestry. The Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources must be known as the Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Forestry and consist of the following:

A. Division of Animal Health and Industry;

B. Division of Market and Production Development;

C. Division of Plant Industry;

D. Division of Quality Assurance and Regulation;

E. Maine Forest Service;

F. Division of Aquaculture;

G. Maine Land Use Regulation Commission; and

H. Bureau of Geology and Natural Areas.

3. Department of Marine Resources. The Department of Marine Resources must consist of the following:

A. Bureau of Administration and Licensing;

B. Bureau of Community and Resource Development, including:

(1) Wetlands, permit review;

C. Bureau of Resource Management, including:

(1) Division of Biological Monitoring and Assessment;

(2) Division of Ecology;

(3) Division of Marine Education, including:

(a) Burnt Island Living Lighthouse; and

(b) Maine State Aquarium; and

(4) Division of Public Health, including:

(a) Shellfish management;

D. Bureau of Sea-run Fisheries and Habitat;

E. Bureau of Marine Patrol;

F. Bureau of Information; and

G. Bureau of Recreational Saltwater Fishing.

4. Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife must consist of the following:

A. Bureau of Administrative Services;

B. Bureau of Resource Management;

C. Bureau of Warden Service, including:

(1) Division of Motorized Recreation Programs; and

(2) Division of Landowner Relations;

D. Division of Public Information and Education; and

E. Hatcheries, which must move towards privatization; and be it further

Sec. 2. Development of plan. Resolved: That the Department of Conservation, the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources, the Department of Marine Resources and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, referred to in this section as “the departments” shall work jointly to develop a plan to reorganize the departments. Under the plan, the departments shall reconfigure their duties and, based on the reconfiguration, make appropriate department name changes as necessary; and be it further

Sec. 3. Report. Resolved: That, no later than December 1, 2009, the Department of Conservation, the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources, the Department of Marine Resources and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, referred to in this section as “the departments” shall submit a report outlining the progress on the reorganization of the departments to the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, the Joint Standing Committee on Marine Resources and the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. The departments shall submit proposed legislation to implement the plan to reorganize the departments to the Second Regular Session of the 124th Legislature no later than March 1, 2010.

SUMMARY

This resolve directs the commissioners of the Department of Conservation, the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources, the Department of Marine Resources and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to reconfigure their departments.

The bill also requires the Department of Conservation, the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources, the Department of Marine Resources and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to come up with a plan to reorganize the 4 departments. The bill requires the departments to report to the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, the Joint Standing Committee on Marine Resources and the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife by December 1, 2009 outlining the progress on the reorganization and to submit proposed legislation to the Second Regular Session of the 124th Legislature by March 1, 2010.

HP0889 LD 1270	First Regular Session - 124th Legislature - Text: MS-Word, RTF or PDF		LR 1342 Item 1
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