An Act Regarding the Appointment of the Director of Investigations in the Office of the Attorney General
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 0722
Committee: Judiciary
Sponsors: PELLETIER-SIMPSON, HOBBINS, SHERMAN
Amends: 5 MRSA §196, 5 MRSA §931

Legislative Document 
No. 722 
H.P.517 
House of Representatives, February 10,2005 
An Act Regarding the Appointment of the Director of Investigations 
in the Office of the Attorney General 
Submitted by the Department of the Attorney General pursuant to Joint Rule 204. 
Reference to the Committee on Judiciary suggested and ordered printed. 
'-7Y/~ frJ.11!P£~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative PELLETIER-SIMPSON of Auburn. 
Cosponsored by Senator HOBBINS of York and 
Representative: SHERMAN of Hodgdon. 
Printed on recyc led pnper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. I. 5 MRSA §196, as amended by PL 1989, c. 410, §14, is 
further amended to read: 
§196. Deputies and assistants; appointment and duties 
The 
Attorney 
General 
may 
appoint 
one 
or 
more 
deputy 
attorneys 
general, 
assistant 
attorneys 
general 
and 
staff 
attorneys who saa±± serve Q~Fia~ gt the pleasure of the Attorney 
General 
or 
until 
their 
successors 
are 
duly 
appointed 
and 
qualified. 
They may perform all the duties required of the 
Attorney General and s1:1ea other duties as the Attorney General 
ffiay-Qe~e~a~e delegates to them. The Attorney General may appoint 
61:1ea research assistants with 61:1ea any powers and duties as the 
Attorney General 
ffiay-~e~e~a~e delegates. Research assistants may 
perform S1:1ea duties as-~-se delegated to them by the Attorney 
General, including S1:1ea activities as-a£e authorized by Title 4, 
section 807. The Attorney General may appoint and delegate duties 
to 
a 
director 
of 
investigations. 
Notwithstanding 
any 
other 
provisions of law, the eeffi~easa~iea compensations of the director 
of investigations, research assistants, law office manager and 
deputy attorneys general 6aall--se are fixed by the Attorney 
General. 
The 
compensations 
of 
the staff attorneys, 
assistant 
attorneys general and secretary to the Attorney General saall-se 
~ fixed by the Attorney General with the approval 
of the 
Governor, but such compensations saa±± may not in the aggregate 
exceed the amount appropriated 
~aeFe£eF for those positions and 
6aal± 
!!l2.Y 
not 
result 
in 
an 
increased 
request 
to 
future 
Legislatures. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
whenever the 
written approval of the Attorney General is required by statute 
or court rule and the Attorney General either is unavailable to 
act upon the matter or has determined that it would be legally or 
ethically improper for aiffi the Attorney General to do so, the 
required approval 
may 
be given by 
a 
deputy attorney general 
specifically authorized in writing by the Attorney General to act 
on ais the Attorney General's behalf in these situations. 
Sec. 2. 5 MRSA §931, sub-§I,~, as amended by PL 1985, c. 785, 
Pt. A, §42, is further amended to read: 
I. 
Deputies, 
assistants, 
staff attorneys, research 
the Attorney General of the 
the director of investigations, 
assistants and the secretary to 
Department of Attorney General; 
Page l-LR0554(1) 
SUMMARY 
This bill allows the Attorney General to appoint a director 
of 
investigations 
to 
perform 
duties 
the 
Attorney 
General 
delegates, within the existing budget provided. 
It also deletes 
archaic language and fixes gender-specific language.