An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Office of Program Evaluation. and Government Accountability Regarding Emergency Communications Services
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 1813
Committee: Utilities and Energy
Amends: 25 MRSA §2926, 25 MRSA §2927, 25 MRSA §1532, 25 MRSA §1535

SECOND REGULARSESSION-2010 
L-egislative Document 
No. 1813 
H.P.1297 
House of Representatives, March 9, 2010 
An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Office of 
Program Evaluation. and Government Accountability Regarding 
Emergency Communications Services 
Reported by Representative HINCK of Portland for the Government Oversight Committee 
pursuant to the Maine Revis<ed Statutes, Title 3, section 997, subsection 2. 
Reference to the Committee on Utilities and Energy suggested and ordered printed pursuant 
to Joint Rule 218; 
Pnnted Lm rt.'L·yt.:h:J rmpt.'r 
11/~ 
/J?11lt1C~{ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as fo~lows: 
. PART A 
Sec. A-I. 25 MRSA §2926, sub-§2, ~, as amended by PL 2001, c. 439, Pt. 
EEEE, §3, is further amended to read: 
. 
B. 
Development of minimlim public safety answering point requirements including 
24-hour operation;., emergency backup power; secured cgmmunication areas; separate 
administrative phone lines for' nonemergency calls; call recording and· playback 
equipment; TDD equipment, as defined in Title 35-A; section 8702, subsection 6; 
maximum call handling times; uniform standards, protocols and reference systems for 
emergency dispatching; standards for quality assurance and improvement programs; 
and minimum mandatory staff training requirements for E-9'-1.,lcall answering and 
dispatching; 
Sec. A-2. 25 MRSA §2926, sub-§2, ~, as amended by PL2001, c. 439, Pt. 
EEEE, §3, is further amended to read: 
, 
1. Procedures for collecting and administering the necessary funds for E-9-1-1; aOO-
Sec. A-3. 25 MRS A §2926, sub-§2, crrJ, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 439, Pt. 
EEEE, §4, is amended to read: 
. 
.. 
J. Standards and procedures for developing and maintaining the system databases 
and for ensuring the confidentiality of those databases pursuant to section 29297; and 
Sec. A-4. 25 MRSA §2926, sub-§2, ~ 
is enacted to read: 
. 
, 
K. Monitoring of public safety answering point compliance with standards, protocols 
and requirements established pursuant to paragraph B. 
Sec. A-S. 25 MRSA §2927, sub-§9 is enacted to read: 
9. 
Funding of public safety dispatch training costs. 
To assist public safety 
answering points in meeting the requirements of section 2926, subsection 2, paragraph B, 
the bureau shall:· 
. 
A. Fund training courses for the personnel of public safety'answering points related, 
to the adoption of fire and law enforcement dispatch standards and prGltocols.. The 
bureau shall provide each public safety answering point either a sufficient number of 
printed copies of any approved standards; protocols and reference systems or' access 
to the standards; protocols and systems in an electroniC, format; as· determined' by the 
. bureau; 
. B. 
Fund training courses for the personnel of public safety answedng points in 
approved continuing education related to established standards and protocol's, quality 
assurance practices, supervisory and management practices' and other topics 
identified by the bureau as appropriate for achieving compliance with bureau rules or 
continuing education and recertification requirements; and 
Page I - 124LR2628(O,lH 
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36. 
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. C .. Make any training courses provided under paragraphs A and B available to 
personnel of entities providing only dispatch services on a fee basis. The bureau, to 
the extent it determines sufficient funds are available in the E-9-1-1 fund, may use 
those revenues to defray the cost of these training courses for dispatch-only entities. 
.All costs incurred by the bureau under this subsection must be paid for from the E-9-1-1 . 
fund. 
PARTB 
Sec. B-1. 25 MRSA §1532, sub-§l, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 678, §2, IS 
amended to read: 
1. 
Policies, procedures and standards. 
The board shall establish policies, 
procedure? and standards for the .c.oope,r?ltive use of the depaJiment's. communication 
systems by municipal, county and state governmental entities. Policies, procedures and 
standards established pursuant to this subsection must be consistent with standards and 
protocols established by the· Public Utilities Commission, Emergency Services_ 
Conimunication Bureau pursuantto section 2926. The board may note'stablish a policy, 
procedure or standard that interferes with the ability of the Chief of the State Police to 
operate a.telecommunications system pursuant to section 1508. 
Sec. B-2. 25 MRSA §1535, as enacted by PL 2007,. c. 622, § 1, is amended to 
read:· 
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§1535. Fees for 'public safety answering point services and dispatch services 
The Public Utilities Commission may, on its OVln motion or at the request of the 
department or a political subdivision of the State, establish in an adjudicato!)' proceeding 
board shall establish the fees that must be paid by political subdivisions for public safety 
answering point services an.d dispatch services provided by the department to those 
political subdivisions, including services provided pursuant to. section 2923-A. In the 
proceeding, the commission establishing the fees~the board shall establish consider the 
revenue requirement for the department's relevant costs incurred by the department in 
providing dispatch and public safety answering point services and shall use a fee design 
for the recoVe!)' of the department's revenue requirement to ensure. the fees that 
reasonably refleet reflects those costs and the services provided. In any proceeding held 
under this section, the department and all.A1I political subdivisions that are to be provided 
public safety answering point services and dispatch services shall provide to the 
commission board all information the commission board determines necessary in order to 
establish the fees. 
Sec. B-3. Examination of methodologies. The Department of Public Safety, 
Maine Communications System Policy Board established in the Maine Revised Statutes, 
Title 25, section 1531 shall examine methodologies for recovering costs and establishing 
fees for public safety answering point services and dispatch services provided by the 
Department of Public Safety to political subdivisions pursuant to Title 25, section 1535. 
The goal of this examination is to determine which methodologies would allow adequate 
coverage of the department's costs while also resulting in fees for political subdivisions 
that are consistent with fees being charged by public safety answering points and dispatch 
centers being operated by municipal and county governments. This examination must 
include an analysis of how identified methodologies would affect the fees paid by 
political subdivisions and state agencies. The board shall submit a report on theresults of 
this examination to the JOInt standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction 
over utilities arid energy matters no later than January 31, 2011. The report shall include 
the board's' recommendations regarding changes to the methodologies and any related 
statutory -changes that may be necessary. The joint standing committee of the Legislature 
having jurisdiction over utilities and energy matters may submit a bill to implement these 
r.ecommendations. 
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SUMMARY 
This bill implements the Tecommendations for legislative action found in the report 
B 
on emergency communications in Kennebec County submitted by the Office of Program 
Evaluation and Government Accountability.. 
The goal -of the recommendations is to 
improve the consistency, efficiency and effectiveness in the provision of emergency 
cemmunications services statewide as well as to reduce disparities in fees being charged 
to political subdivisions for these services. 
. 
Part A assigns the Public Utilities Commissioll, Emergency Services Communication 
Bureau additional responsibilities related to standards and protocols for emergency 
dispatching, compliance and quality assurance practices and training for public safety . 
answering points. It also requires the bureau to make training offered to the public safety 
answering points aVl'l.ilable to entities .providing only dispatch services on a fee basis with 
an opportunity for the bureau to defray training costs for those entities if there are 
sufficient funds available in the E-9-1-1 fund to do so. 
. 
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Part B removes the requirement for the Public Utilities Commission to set rates for 
answering point and dispatch services provided by the Department of Public Safety and 
gives the Maine Communications System Policy Board. within the department 
responsibility for establishing the fees the depal1ment will charge to political 
subdivisions. It also requires the. board to examine various methodologies for setting 
those fees and to make recommendations on -any desired changes to cllrrent methodology. 
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