An Act To Establish a Maine Law Sunset Review Committee
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 0631
Committee: State and Local Government
Sponsors: CROSTHWAITE, DAVIS, CEBRA, JODREY, JOY, LINDELL, TRAHAN

Legislative Document 
No. 631 
H.P.464 
House of Representatives, February 8, 2005 
An Act To Establish a Maine Law Sunset Review Committee 
(EMERGENCY) 
Reference to the Committee on State and Local Government suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative CROSTHWAITE of Ellsworth. 
Cosponsored by Senator DAVIS of Piscataquis and 
Il/~ 
/J7.7J?d£~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: CEBRA of Naples, JODREY of Bethel, JOY of Crystal, LINDELL of 
Frankfort, McLEOD of Lee, TRAHAN of Waldoboro. 
Prinred on recycled paper 
Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts of the Legislature do not 
become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted 
as emergencies; and 
Whereas, it is important to commence statutory review and 
maintenance as soon as possible to provide sufficient time for 
identification of obsolete and outdated laws; and 
Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts 
create an emergency wi thin the meaning of the Constitution of 
Maine 
and 
require 
the 
following 
legislation 
as 
immediately 
necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and 
safety; now, therefore, 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 1 MRSA c. 31, as 
amended, 
is further 
amended 
by 
repealing the chapter headnote and enacting the following in its 
place: 
CHAPTER 31 
REVIEW OF STATUTORY PROVISIONS 
SUBCHAPTER 1 
SPECIFIC STATUTORY PROVISIONS 
Sec. 2. 1 MRSA c. 31, sub-c. 2 is enacted to read: 
SUBCHAPTER 2 
SUBSET REVIEW OF MAINE LAWS 
§2621. 
Statuto~ sunset review 
1. 
Committee; review. 
The joint standing or joint select 
committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over statutory 
sunset review, referred to in this subchapter as "the committee," 
shall 
conduct 
an ongoing 
review of 
the State's statutes 
to 
identify obsolete and outdated laws. 
The 
committee may meet 
during regular and special sessions of the Legislature and may 
meet, 
as authorized by the President of the Senate 
and 
the 
Speaker of the 
House 
of Representatives, 
between legislative 
sessions. 
2. 
Staff; 
assistance. 
The 
Legislative 
Council 
shall 
provide 
staffing 
assistance 
to 
the 
committee. 
Appropriate 
departments of State Government may provide necessary assistance 
Page l-LR0493(1) 
in the 
revi~~guireQ under subsection 1 
and in the report 
preparation under subsection 3. 
3. 
Report: 
legi~_~~. 
The committee shall prepare and 
submit to the Legislature, within 30 days after the convening of 
the 
second 
regular 
session 
of 
each 
Legislature, 
a 
report 
identiWll-9--the 
statutes 
J::.eviewed 
and 
the 
advisability 
of 
retaining each statute identified as potentially obsolete or 
outdated. 
The committee may submit recommended legislation to 
the second regular session of each Legislature. 
Emergency clause. 
In view of the emergency cited in the 
preamble, this Act takes effect when approved. 
SUMMARY 
This bill creates 
a 
process 
for 
a 
review of the Maine 
Revised Statutes to eliminate obsolete and outdated statutes. 
The process is based on the assignment in each Legislature of a 
joint standing or joint select committee whose duties are to 
review the Maine Revised Statutes and report at the beginning of 
the second regular session of that Legislature a summary of the 
committee's work and any recommended legislation. 
The committee 
meets during legislative sessions and may meet between sessions 
as authorized by the presiding officers. 
The Legislative Council 
provides staffing assistance. 
Other state agencies may provide 
assistance.