An Act To Promote Public Safety Answering Point Efficiency
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 0555
Committee: Utilities and Energy
Sponsors: FLETCHER, McCORMICK, CLEARY, COTTA, JONES, TREAT, TRINW ARD, SHERMAN
Amends: 25 MRSA §2925, 25 MRSA §2927

Legislative Document 
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No. 555 
H.P.393 
House of Representatives, Febmary 12, 2009 
An Act To Promote Public Safety Answering Point Efficiency 
Reference to the Committee on Utilities and Energy suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative FLETCHER of Winslow. 
Cosponsored by Senator McCORMICK of Kennebec and 
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MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: CLEARY of Houlton, COTTA of China, JONES of Mount Vernon, TREAT 
of Hallowell, TRINW ARD of Waterville, Senator: SHERMAN of Aroostook. 
Primed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 25 MRSA §2925, sub-§6, ~ 
is enacted to read: 
D. The council shall assist the bureau in responding to and resolving service-related 
complaints and issues regarding theE-9-1-1 system. 
Sec. 2. 25 MRSA §2927, sub-§5, as amended by PL 1997, c. 409, §1, is further 
amended to read: 
5. Legislative annual report. The bureau shall report annually, before February 1st, 
to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over utilities and 
energy matters on: 
A. 
The bureau's planned expenditures for the year and use of funds for the previous 
year; 
B. 
The statewide E-9-1-1 surcharge collected under this section~ 
c.. The bureau's recommended statewide E-9-1-1 surcharge for the corning year; 
and 
. 
D. 
The bureau's recommendations for amending existing and enacting new law to 
improve the E-9-1-1 system-;-; and 
E. The performance of each of the public safety answering points in the State during 
the previous calendar year. 
Sec. 3. Report regarding public safety answering points and E-9-1-1 
system. No later than February 1, 2010, the Public Utilities Commission, Emergency 
Services Communication Bureau shall prepare and submit to the Joint Standing 
Committee on Utilities and Energy a report on: 
1. The optimum configuration of public safety answering points in the State, taking 
into account: 
A. Total E-9-1-1 system costs, including, but not limited to, maintenance, training 
and operating expenses; 
B. Answering position units; 
C. Back-up systems for the public safety answering points; 
D. Forecasted total system costs under the optimum configuration; and 
E. Established formulas and models of optimum call-taker staffmg for public safety 
answering points, including, but not limited to, the minimum call-taker, or call 
an'swerer, staffing model presented in the 1980 report "Design and Costing of 911 
Systems - A Teclmical Manual - Final Report" commissioned by the United States 
Department of Justice; and 
2. The benefits and consequences of expanding the statewide E-9-1-1 surcharge to 
fund all E-9-1-1 system costs, including operation and maintenance expenses that are 
Page I - 124LRI083(Ol)-1 
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currently funded through county assessments and fees from the political subdivisions, and 
the proj ected increase in the E-9-1-1 surcharge required to fund all system costs. 
After receipt and review of the report required under this section, the Joint Standing 
Committee on Utilities and Energy may submit legislation relating to the report to the 
SUMMARY 
This bill requires the E-9-1-1 Council to assist the Public Utilities Commission, 
Emergency Services Communication Bureau in resolving service-related complaints 
regarding the E-9-1-1 system. It requires the bureau to include in its annual report to the 
Joint Standing Committee on Utilities and Energy infonnation regarding the perfonnance 
of each of the public safety answering points during the reporting period. The bill directs 
the bureau to prepare and submit a report to the Joint Standing Committee on Utilities 
and Energy regarding the optimum configuration of public safety answering points in the 
State and the benefits and consequences of expanding the statewide E-9-1-1 surcharge to 
fund all E-9-1-1 system costs. The bill authorizes the committee to submit legislation 
relating to the report to the Second Regular Session of the 124th Legislature.