An Act To Provide Regional Coordination and Planning for Public Health Programs and Activities
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 1179
Committee: Health and Human Services
Sponsors: BARSTOW

Legislative Document 
No. 1179 
H.P.860 
House of Representatives, March 7, 2007 
An Act To Provide Regional Coordination and Planning for Public 
Health Programs and Activities 
Reference to the Committee on Health and Human Services suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative BARSTOW of Gorham. 
Printed on recycled paper 
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MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 30-A MRSA c. 1, sub-c. 2, art. 7 is enacted to read: 
ARTICLE 7 
PUBLIC HEALTH ACTIVITIES 
§131. Creation of regional public health coordinating councils 
1. County commissioners authorized. County commissioners may establish a 
regional public health coordinating council, referred to as "the council" in this article, 
formed within each of the following counties or groups of counties: 
A. York County: 
II 
B. Cumberland County: 
C. Aroostook County: 
D. Penobscot and Piscataquis counties: 
E. Washington and Hancock counties; 
F. Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc and Waldo counties; 
G. Androscoggin and Kennebec counties; and 
H. Franklin, Oxford and Somerset counties. 
2. 
Membership. 
County commissioners in each region may determine the 
membership of each council. Commissioners may authorize municipal officers to appoint 
members to the council. Where a municipal public health department exists within the 
region, the county or counties and that municipality may enter into an interlocal 
agreement to establish the council. Membership must be designed to reflect the health 
community within the region. 
Council membership must include a minimum of 12 
members and must include: 
A. One county commissioner from each county within the region or designee; 
B. One county sheriff from within the region or designee; 
C. One member of the county emergency management agency or designee if an 
emergency management agency exists within the region; 
D. One member who is a municipal officer or represents municipalities; 
E. Representatives of health-related organizations, including hospitals, public health 
entities, community health coalitions, health care professionals, local Department of 
Health and Human Services offices and schools within the region; and 
F. 
A designee of the Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and 
Prevention within the Department of Health and Human Services. 
• 
3. Alternative implementation. If the county commissioners in a region do not 
implement the provisions of this article prior to January 1, 2008, a caucus of municipal 
officers representing at least one-third of the municipalities within that region may act to 
implement the provisions of this article. 
If neither the county commissioners nor a 
caucus of municipal officers acts to form a council prior to March 1, 2008, then the 
Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention within the Department 
of Health and Human Services shall act to implement the provisions of this article. 
§132. Responsibilities 
The purpose of a council is to contribute to comprehensive public health in the State, 
including the state health plan pursuant to Title 2, section 103, by using the resources of 
the region. 
A council, in coordination with the Department of Health and Human 
Services, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, shall: 
1. Assessment. Conduct a public health needs assessment of the region; 
2. 
Plan. Develop a comprehensive public health plan, including needs, goals, 
strategies for improvement and performance indicators for the region; and 
3. 
Reports. 
Provide annual reports in January of each year to the county 
commissioners of the region. 
§133. Grants and funding 
Councils may enter into contracts with the State and with other public health and 
health-related organizations to provide services and programs that promote regional 
public health coordination and may seek grant funding. 
SUMMARY 
This bill authorizes county commiSSIOners to set up regional public health 
coordinating councils based on county boundaries. County commissioners may appoint 
members to the councils, or authorize municipal officers to do so, and must include 
representatives of the counties, municipalities and the local health community. If county 
commissioners do not choose to set up councils, then a caucus of municipal officers from 
at least one-third of the municipalities in a region may do so. 
If neither county 
commissioners nor municipal officers set up a council, then the Director of the Maine 
Center for Disease Control and Prevention within the Department of Health and Human 
Services shall do so. 
The councils are responsible for conducting a health needs 
assessment of the region, developing a health plan for the region and providing annual 
reports to the county commissioners. The councils are authorized to seek funding sources 
through grants and may enter into contracts with the State or health-related organizations.