An Act To Increase the Per Diem for Members of the State Board of Arbitration and Conciliation
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 1158
Committee: Labor
Sponsors: WEBSTER
Amends: 26 MRSA §931

Legislative Document 
No. 1158 
H.P.851 
House of Representatives, March 7,2007 
An Act To Increase the Per Diem for Members of the State Board of 
Arbitration and Conciliation 
Reference to the Committee on Labor suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative WEBSTER of Freeport. 
Printt:d 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. 26 MRSA §931, first ~, as amended by PL 2003, c. 670, § 1, is further 
amended to read: 
The State Board of Arbitration and Conciliation, in this subchapter called the "board," 
consists of 3 members appointed by the Governor from time to time upon the expiration 
of the terms of the several members, for terms of 3 years. One member must be an 
employer of labor or selected from some association representing employers of labor, and 
another must be an employee or selected from some bona fide trade or labor union. The 
3rd member must represent the public interests of the State and serves as chair. Vacancies 
occurring during a term must be filled for the unexpired term. Members of the board are 
entitled to receive $B- $150 a day for their services for the time actually employed in the 
discharge of their official duties. They are entitled to receive their traveling and all other 
necessary expenses. The costs for services rendered and expenses incurred by the State 
Board of Arbitration and Conciliation and any state allocation program charges must be 
shared equally by the parties to the proceedings and must be paid into a special fund 
administered by the Maine Labor Relations Board. Authorization for services rendered 
and expenditures incurred by the State Board of Arbitration and Conciliation is the 
responsibility of the Executive Director of the Maine Labor Relations Board. All costs 
must be paid from that special fund. The executive director may estimate costs upon 
receipt of a request for services and collect those costs prior to providing the services. 
The executive director shall bill or reimburse the parties, as appropriate, for any 
difference between the estimated costs that were collected and the actual costs of 
providing the services. Once one party has paid its share of the estimated cost of 
providing the service, the matter is scheduled for hearing. A party who has not paid an 
invoice for the estimated or actual cost of providing services within 60 days of the date 
the invoice was issued is, in the absence of good cause shown, liable for the amount of 
the invoice together with a penalty in the amount of 25% of the amount of the invoice. 
Any penalty amount collected pursuant to this provision remains in the special fund 
administered by the Maine Labor Relations Board and that fund does not lapse. The 
executive director is authorized to collect any sums due and payable pursuant to this 
provision through civil action. In such an action, the court shall allow litigation costs, 
including court costs and reasonable attorney's fees, to be deposited in the General Fund 
if the executive director is the prevailing party in the action. The executive director shall, 
annually, on or before July 1st, make a report of the activities of the State Board of 
Arbitration and Conciliation to the Governor. The board shall from time to time adopt 
rules of procedure as it determines necessary, including rules of procedure for 
proceedings under chapter 18. 
Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine 
technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. 
SUMMARY 
This bill increases the per diem for members of the State Board of Arbitration and 
Conciliation from $75 to $150. 
Page I -123LR1883(OI)-1