Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §1313-C is enacted to read:

§1313-C.__Coordination and record keeping of interdepartmental

efforts

1.__Coordination and record keeping of interdepartmental efforts.__The Director of the Bureau of Health shall coordinate and administer the efforts of various state agencies to respond to the presence of rabies in the State, including facilitating communication and collaborative efforts among state agencies, producing joint publications and keeping a record of the various agency efforts and the collaboration among various agencies.

2.__Report.__The Director of the Bureau of Health shall report once each biennium to the joint standing committees of the Legislature having jurisdiction over appropriations and financial affairs; agriculture, conservation and forestry matters; health and human services matters and inland fisheries and wildlife matters on the status of any collaborative effort by state agencies to respond to the presence of rabies in the State and to justify future appropriations to carry out the purpose of this section.__An agency that is involved in an effort to respond to the presence of rabies in the State shall report the nature and extent of this effort to the bureau at least once each year.

Sec. 2. State agencies directed to continue interdepartmental collaboration in response to presence of rabies in the State. The Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources, the Department of Conservation, the Department of Human Services and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife shall continue to collaborate on responding to the presence of rabies in the State including working with the Maine rabies work group and other official or unofficial groups that are responding to the presence of rabies in the State.

Sec. 3. Appropriation. The following funds are appropriated from the General Fund to carry out the purposes of this Act.

1999-00 2000-01

HUMAN SERVICES,

DEPARTMENT OF

Bureau of Health

All Other $500 $500