Resolve, Establishing the Commission To Study and Assess Maine's Regulatory Environment

Sec. 1. Commission established. Resolved: That the Commission To Study and Assess Maine's Regulatory Environment, referred to in this resolve as "the commission," is established; and be it further

Sec. 2. Commission membership. Resolved: That the commission consists of the following 11 members:

1. Two members of the Senate, one who is a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and one who is a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, appointed by the President of the Senate;

2. Four members of the House of Representatives, one who is a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, one who is a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology, one who is a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Marine Resources and one who is a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

3. One member who is a member of the Governor's staff, appointed by the Governor;

4. One member who is a representative of the energy industry, appointed by the President of the Senate;

5. One member who is a representative of the forestry industry, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

6. The Commissioner of Environmental Protection or the commissioner's designee; and

7. The Director of the Maine Land Use Planning Commission or the director's designee; and be it further

Sec. 3. Chairs. Resolved: That the first-named Senate member is the Senate chair and the first-named House of Representatives member is the House chair of the commission; and be it further

Sec. 4. Appointments; convening of commission. Resolved: That all appointments must be made no later than 30 days following the effective date of this resolve. The appointing authorities shall notify the Executive Director of the Legislative Council once all appointments have been completed. After appointment of all members, the chairs shall call and convene the first meeting of the commission. If 30 days or more after the effective date of this resolve a majority of but not all appointments have been made, the chairs may request authority and the Legislative Council may grant authority for the commission to meet and conduct its business; and be it further

Sec. 5. Duties. Resolved: That the commission shall review the regulatory environment in the State. As part of the review, the commission shall:

1. Quantify approval rates of large-scale development projects permitted by the State's regulatory agencies;

2. Determine how the State's regulatory approval rate compares to the regulatory approval rate of other states;

3. Review historical regulatory approval rates from previous Maine administrations;

4. Identify opportunities for improvement in the regulatory permitting process;

5. Identify regulatory trouble spots in particular industries or types of projects;

6. Identify benchmarks for regulatory approval rates to ensure the State is quantifiably business friendly; and

7. Make recommendations for improvements to the regulatory process, including identifying quantifiable metrics to improve legislative oversight of regulatory agency actions; and be it further

Sec. 6. Staff assistance. Resolved: That the Legislative Council shall provide necessary staffing services to the commission; and be it further

Sec. 7. Report. Resolved: That, no later than December 6, 2017, the commission shall submit a report that includes its findings and recommendations, including suggested legislation, to the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. The Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources may submit a bill related to the subject matter of the report to the Second Regular Session of the 128th Legislature.

summary

This resolve creates the Commission To Study and Assess Maine's Regulatory Environment. The commission is required to submit its report with its recommendations and including suggested legislation to the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources by December 6, 2017.