An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Government Oversight Committee To Improve the Development of a Long-range Strategic Plan for Economic Improvement in the State
Sec. 1. 10 MRSA §929-A, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 1993, c. 410, Pt. MMM, §1, is amended to read:
Sec. 2. 10 MRSA §929-A, sub-§2, ¶A, as amended by PL 2007, c. 420, §5, is further amended to read:
Sec. 3. 10 MRSA §929-B, as amended by PL 1999, c. 272, §3, is repealed.
Sec. 4. 10 MRSA §929-C, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 420, §6, is repealed.
Sec. 5. 10 MRSA §929-D is enacted to read:
§ 929-D. Powers and duties
(1) Employ a continuous process with a 5-year to 10-year planning horizon;
(2) Include consideration of:
(a) The types of industries and jobs with significant growth potential in the State;
(b) The State's evolving industrial base;
(c) The dynamic regional, national and international markets and the State's comparative, competitive and absolute advantages, including, but not limited to, the impact of tax policy, energy costs and regulation on competitiveness;
(d) Other relevant studies and evaluations in the private and public sectors regarding the long-term economic growth of the State;
(e) The quantity, quality and demographic composition of the State's workforce;
(f) Discrepancies in challenges and opportunities among different regions in the State;
(g) Opportunities and challenges for small businesses; and
(h) Optimization of the return on investment in the State;
(3) Use a public and private partnership approach that is objective and nonpartisan, with appointment of working groups and advisory committees as necessary to represent stakeholders; and
(4) Use a transparent public process that allows for public input as appropriate.
(1) Goals and objectives for the long-term economic improvement of the State that support economic opportunity and a high quality of life for all people in the State;
(2) Specific, quantifiable and measurable benchmarks against which progress toward accomplishing the goals and objectives of the plan can be measured;
(3) Strategies and actions to accomplish the benchmarks based upon the best practices in this State, other states and other countries; and
(4) Recommendations with respect to allocation of resources.
Sec. 6. 10 MRSA §929-E is enacted to read:
§ 929-E. Strategic plan implementation
Sec. 7. 10 MRSA §929-F is enacted to read:
§ 929-F. Authority to submit legislation
The joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over economic development matters may submit to the Legislature legislation it considers necessary to improve the required elements of the long-range strategic economic improvement plan as described in section 929-D, subsection 1 or the process through which it is developed, maintained or communicated.
Sec. 8. 12 MRSA §8876, last ¶, as amended by PL 1997, c. 720, §9; PL 2011, c. 657, Pt. W, §7; and PL 2013, c. 405, Pt. A, §23, is further amended to read:
The director shall coordinate the efforts of this program fully with ongoing bureau and federal forestry program planning efforts and with the efforts of the Maine Economic Growth Council to develop a long-term long-range plan for the State's economy pursuant to Title 10, section 929-B 929-D.
Sec. 9. Maine Economic Growth Council to develop review criteria. The Maine Economic Growth Council shall develop proposed review criteria for use by the joint standing committees of the Legislature when committees are considering legislative proposals that may affect the long-range strategic economic improvement plan developed by the council pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 10, section 929-D, subsection 1. The council shall report its findings and recommendations relating to the proposed review criteria to the Joint Standing Committee on Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Commerce by January 15, 2020. The committee may report out a bill to the Second Regular Session of the 129th Legislature based on the report of the council.
summary
This bill provides additional clarity, requirements and resources for the Maine Economic Growth Council's efforts to fulfill its current statutory mandate to develop, monitor and maintain a long-range strategic economic improvement plan for the State. It also includes provisions to support the State's achievement of the goals and objectives in that plan by establishing requirements for the Governor, Legislature and agencies with relevant programs and activities to consider the long-range strategic economic improvement plan and provide information to the Maine Economic Growth Council at the request of the council.