An Act To Facilitate the Regionalization of Emergency Communications Dispatching Services
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 2086
Committee: Labor
Sponsors: MITCHELL, HANLEY, CARR, DRISCOLL, DUPLESSIE

Legislative Document 
No. 2086 
S.P.818 
In Senate, March 21, 2006 
An Act To Facilitate the Regionalization of Emergency 
Communications Dispatching Services 
Reference to the Committee on Labor suggested and ordered printed. 
JOY J. O'BRIEN 
Secretary of the Senate 
Presented by Senator MITCHELL of Kennebec. (GOVERNOR'S BILL) 
Cosponsored by Representative HANLEY of Gardiner and 
Representatives: CARR of Lincoln, DRISCOLL of Westbrook, DUPLESSIE of Westbrook, 
McCORMICK of West Gardiner. 
Pllnted ,)11 i"ec~deJ paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 5 MRS A §17656, sub-§2 is enacted to read: 
2. Reemployment of public safety communications dispatchers with Department 
of Public Safety. Notwithstanding subsection 1, a member of the retirement system 
whose previous membership was based upon employment as a public safety 
communications dispatcher with a participating local district and whose employment with 
the participating local district was terminated as a result of the consolidation of the 
participating local district's public safety dispatching services with the Department of 
Public Safety and who then becomes employed as a public safety communications 
dispatcher for the department may elect to include that previously earned creditable 
service with service earned as a state employee if that member: 
A. Makes a one-time, irrevocable election no later than 30 days after commencing 
employment as a public safety communications dispatcher for the Department of 
Public Safety; and 
B. Has not withdrawn accumulated contributions at any time. 
If a member makes the election provided in this subsection, the State shall make whatever 
contribution is necessary to provide the benefits under the retirement system for the 
member as though the previous employment had been as a state employee, and all funds 
in the retirement system contributed by the member's former employer on account of the 
member's previous employment must be transferred to the account of the State and must 
be used to liquidate the liability incurred by reason of the previous employment. 
Upon notification by the Department of Public Safety to the retirement system that an 
employee has made an election under this subsection, the retirement system shall 
calculate and provide to the Department of Public Safety the amount of the employer 
contribution required under this subsection. 
A member who makes the election provided in this subsection and for whom applicable 
additional employer contributions have been paid is entitled to include the creditable 
service and earnable compensation with the previous employer with the creditable service 
and earnable compensation with the State for the purposes of benefit qualification under 
section 17851 and computation of benefits under section 17852. 
SUMMARY 
This bill provides that a member of the Maine State Retirement System whose 
previous membership was based upon employment as a public safety communications 
dispatcher with a participating local district and whose employment with the participating 
local district was terminated as a result of the consolidation of the participating local 
district's public safety dispatching services with the Department of Public Safety and who 
then becomes employed as a public safety communications dispatcher for the department 
may elect to include that previously earned creditable service with service earned as a 
state employee under certain conditions. 
Page I - 122LR3194(1)-1