Sec. 3. Staggered terms. Notwithstanding the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 10, section 11, subsection 5, the appointing authorities for the original appointments of public members of the Citizen Trade Policy Commission shall designate their first appointment for a one-year term, their 2nd appointment for a 2-year term and any other appointments for a 3-year term. An initial term of one or 2 years may not be considered a full term for purposes of limiting the number of terms for which a member may serve.

Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this Act takes effect when approved.

SUMMARY

The purpose of this bill is to strengthen Maine's voice in the debate over future trade agreements and their effect on local democracy and the economy of Maine. It does so by creating the Citizen Trade Policy Commission, which will assess the legal and economic impact of trade agreements, hold public hearings throughout the State, interact with elected leaders in Maine and other states and make recommendations to the Legislature, the congressional delegation and the United States trade negotiators.