Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §9053-A is enacted to read:

§9053-A.__Notice to respondents

At the inception of an adjudicatory proceeding, the agency shall provide notice containing the following information to the person or persons whose legal rights, duties or privileges are at issue:

1.__Statutory basis.__The statutory basis for the proceeding;

2.__Nature of proceeding.__The nature and factual summary of the issue that is the subject of the proceeding;

3.__Rights affected.__The legal rights, duties or privileges at issue in the proceeding;

4.__Procedural summary.__A summary of the procedural steps the agency will follow throughout the course of the proceeding and the legal rights available to the respondent at each step;

5.__Sanctions available.__The sanctions or recourse available to the agency depending on the outcome of the proceeding; and

6.__Public information.__Whether or at what stage the record of the proceeding is public or confidential information.

SUMMARY

The bill requires agencies conducting adjudicatory proceedings to inform respondents of their rights and the procedures to be followed at the inception of the proceeding.