An Act To Restructure the State Planning Office

Sec. 1. 5 MRSA c. 311,  as amended, is repealed.

Sec. 2. Executive Department, State Planning Office to prepare plan. The Executive Department, State Planning Office shall prepare a reorganization plan for the State Planning Office in which the office is nonregulatory in nature and only performs planning services for agencies. Under the plan the State Planning Office shall consist of a director, assistant director, planning recruiter and administrative support necessary to carry out the duties of the office. The planning recruiter shall coordinate with the director and the government agency requesting or the subject of a plan to obtain staff support with the skills appropriate to develop the plan requested by the agency and who would return to the agency once the plan is complete. The plan must consist of proposed legislation to replace the provisions repealed in section 1.

Sec. 3. State Planning Office to conduct review. The State Planning Office shall review the powers and duties of the State Planning Office and the statutory provisions relating to the State Planning Office and prepare proposed legislation to transfer certain powers and duties of the State Planning Office to other agencies in anticipation of the reorganization of the State Planning Office in section 2 of this Act.

Sec. 4. Report. The State Planning Office shall submit its plan under section 2 and report under section 3 to the Joint Standing Committee on State and Local Government by December 2, 2009. The joint standing committee is authorized to introduce emergency legislation related to this plan and report to the Second Regular Session of the 124th Legislature at the time of submission of the report.

Sec. 5. Effective date. Section 1 of this Act takes effect July 1, 2010.

summary

This bill directs the Executive Department, State Planning Office to create a plan to reorganize the State Planning Office to only provide planning services to state agencies, with the agencies to provide staff support. This bill also directs the State Planning Office to study and recommend legislation to transfer certain other powers and duties of the office to other agencies in anticipation of the dissolution. The bill authorizes the Joint Standing Committee on State and Local Government to submit emergency legislation to the Second Regular Session of the 124th Legislature in anticipation of the current organization of the State Planning Office ending on July 1, 2010.