An Act To Promote Youth Involvement in County and Local Government
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 1880
Committee: State and Local Government
Sponsors: CAIN, BRYANT, CUMMINGS, MUSE, PINGREE, BARTLETT, ROTUNDO

Legislative Document 
No. 1880 
H.P. 1320 
House of Representatives, January 3, 2006 
An Act To Promote Youth Involvement in County and Local 
Government 
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
203. 
Received by the Clerk of the House on December 28,2005. Referred to the Committee on 
State and Local Government pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to Joint 
Rule 401. 
Presented by Representative CAIN of Orono. 
111~ 
/J7·711~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Cosponsored by Representatives: BRYANT of Windham, CUMMINGS of Portland, 
McFADDEN of Dennysville, MUSE of Fryeburg, PINGREE of North Haven, Senators: 
BARTLETT of Cumberland, BRYANT of Oxford, ROTUNDO of Androscoggin. 
Printed 011 rel.:Ycit'u paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec.t. 5 MRSA c. 20 is enacted to read: 
~~R_ZO 
comr.rx AHD LOCAL GOVERNMENT IBTERlfSBIP PROGRAM 
§47I. Creation 
There 
is 
established 
the 
County 
and 
Local 
Government 
Internship Program. 
administered by the Margaret 
Chase 
Smith 
Center for Public Policy within the University of Maine System 
referred to in this chapter as "the program." for attracting and 
placing qualified undergraduate 
and graduate college students 
temporarily within county and local governments. 
§472. Purposes 
The purposes of this program are: 
1. 
Selection. To attract and select college students with 
ambition and talent for temporary internships wi thin county and 
local governments; 
2. 
Place~nt. To place each program intern in a position of 
some 
responsibility 
where 
the 
intern 
can 
contribute 
ideas. 
enthusiasm and ingenuity while completing a project under the 
direction of a responsible county or local administrato~ 
3. 
Liaison. To encourage liaisons between county and local 
governments 
and 
the 
various 
institutions of 
higher 
learning 
located within the State; and 
4. 
Reconmendations. 
To 
formulate 
recommendations 
for 
improving the program and for attracting college graduates with 
outstanding potential 
into 
permanent positions 
of 
employment 
within county and local governments. 
§473. Eligibility 
To be eligible to participate in the program. a student must: 
1. 
College. 
Have completed at least 2 years of college or 
have graduated from college within the past year; and 
2. 
Residence. 
Be a state resident or attend a college in 
the State. 
§474. Duties of the Margaret Chase Smith Center for Public Policy 
.38 
.. 
The grogram is administered 
b~ the Margaret Chase Smith 
Center for Public 
Polic~ within the 
Universit~ of Maine 
S~stem 
_~md is referr_ed to in this chal2ter as "the center. " 
The center's 
duties in{.;l],!,ge the fQllowing. 
1. 
Gen~ral supervision. 
The center shall exer{.;ise general 
~J),perv,ision over the ol2eJ;"jit.ion Qf the I2rograI)1 ang shall develQI2 
and gut into effe{.;t administrative guigelines for interns and 
count~ and local government l2ersQnnel, 
form],!,late l2oli{.;ies 
ang 
establish and administer ol2erational I2rocedures. 
2. 
P:rJ)JIlOtion: 
recr.uitJDe-Pt. 
The 
center shall disseminate 
widel~ information and al2l2lication forms ang otherwise publi{.;ize 
the I2rogram to attract the attention and interest of as 
man~ 
college students as l20ssible and shall receive the completed 
gpI2JJj;at.iQ!1~.Qnlt_~~@~tJ,ldents interestced, 
as well 
as 
answering inguiries fQr further details and informatiQn. 
3. 
Participation of 
county 
and 
local 
governments. 
The 
center 
shall 
acguaint officials 
and 
administrators with 
the 
~ogram and its advantages, 
encouraging the greatest possible 
l2articil2ation b~ count~ ang lQcal government offi{.;es. 
4. 
Selection. 
Apl2li{.;ations of interested students re{.;eived 
by-~e {.;enter m],!,st be I2ro{.;essed in a{.;cQrdan{.;e with procedures to 
be established b~ the {.;enter. 
5. 
Place~t. 
The 
center 
shall 
I2lace 
students 
with 
particil2ating count~ and local government offices. 
~-.12riell.t~tJQll. The center shall arrange an orientation for 
interns 
and supervising 
count~ and local l2ersonnel 
I2rior 
to 
commencement of intern work wi thin a 
count~ Qr local government 
office ang ma~ cond],!,ct specigl programs during the internship to 
~I1sure that interns obtain a broad understgnding of 
count~ and 
local goverr~ents. 
1_. ___ 
CQQ~qip~~9n. The center shall coordinate the activities 
of the interns with the various participating 
count~ and local 
government offices to the max~mum advantage of the program. 
8. 
Annual 
report. 
The 
center 
shall 
proguce 
an 
annual 
report, which is a l2ublic document, 
b~ the end of each calendar 
~ar on the operation of the program. Copies of the report must 
be filed with the Legislature. 
§475. Conditions of employment 
~eIDPo.x:~~Y 
___ \Ul~l.<;l~_litij&c:l __ ~~rvice • 
teml2orar~, 
unclassified 
emplo~ees 
of 
Interns i3.re 
the 
count~ 
consiqereil 
and 
local 
governments. 
The employing county or local government office may 
discharge an intern for cause with one week's advance notice to 
the intern and the center. 
The center may reassign an intern or 
release the intern from the program with one week' s 
advar:lC;:~ 
notice to the intern and the office when it is considered in the 
best interest of the program. 
2. 
Salary. 
The center shall determine from time to time an 
~ropriate minimum salary for interns, which must be paid by the 
participating county and local government off ices. 
The center 
may negotiate the placement of an intern within county or local 
government and, to further the purposes of the intern program, 
may make funds from this chapter available to the intern. 
3. 
Internship training. 
Participating 
county 
or 
local 
government offices shall release intern personnel to participate 
in paid orientation or training activities planned by the center 
as part of the internship program. 
§476. Acceptance of gifts. bequests. grants. aid 
The 
cente~-In~ccept gifts, bequests and endowments for 
purposes consistent with the objectives of this chapter and may 
accept federal, private foundation and other grants and matching 
funds when determined to be in the best interests of the program. 
Sec. 
2. 
Appropriations 
and 
allocations. 
appropriations and allocations are .made. 
UNIVERSITY OF MAINE SYSTEM, 
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE 
Margaret Chase Smith Center for 
Public Policy 
The 
following 
Initiative: 
Provides funds for administrative costs of marketing 
the County and Local Government Internship Program, 
recruiting 
students, 
processing 
applications, 
planning 
and 
training 
for 
volunteers 
and 
interns 
and 
for 
general oversight of 
interns 
during the summer. 
GENERAL FURl> 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
SUMMARY 
2005-06 
$0 
$0 
2006-07 
$10,000 
$10,000 
This bill creates the County and Local Government Internship 
Program, 
administered 
by 
the 
Margaret 
Chase 
Smith 
.. 
Center for Public Policy at the University of Maine, which pairs 
college-age students with county and local governments. 
Students 
must have completed at least 2 years of college or have just 
graduated 
from 
college 
and 
must 
be 
Maine 
residents 
or 
out-of-state students attending college in the State .