An Act Relating to the Calculation of Population for Purposes of the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code and Public Safety Answering Point Assessments
Maine Legislature, Session 125, LD 1697
Committee: Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development
Sponsors: RICHARDSON, RECTOR
Amends: 10 MRSA §9724, 25 MRSA §1535, 25 MRSA §2923-A

Legislative Document 
No. 1697 
H.P. 1249 
House of Representatives, December 23, 2011 
An Act Relating to the Calculation of Population for Purposes of the 
Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code and Public Safety 
Answering Point Assessments 
(EMERGENCY) 
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
203. 
Received by the Clerk of the House on December 21, 2011.  Referred to the Committee on 
Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and 
ordered printed pursuant to Joint Rule 401. 
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative RICHARDSON of Warren. 
Cosponsored by Senator: RECTOR of Knox. 
Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not 
become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and 
Whereas, beginning July 1, 2012, municipalities with more than 4,000 residents are 
required to enforce the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code; and 
Whereas, it is necessary to change the method of calculating the number of 
residents in a municipality for the purpose of enforcement before that date to avoid undue 
burdens and confusion; and 
Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within 
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.  10 MRSA §9724, sub-§1-B is enacted to read: 
1-B.  Residents.  For the purposes of subsections 1 and 1-A, "residents" does not 
include persons held at a correctional facility, as defined in Title 34-A, section 1001, 
subsection 6, within the municipality. 
Sec. 2.  25 MRSA §1535, sub-§3 is enacted to read: 
3.  Consideration of population.  If a fee established under this section for a 
political subdivision is based in whole or in part on population, the population of the 
political subdivision may not include persons held at a correctional facility, as defined in 
Title 34-A, section 1001, subsection 6, within the political subdivision. 
Sec. 3.  25 MRSA §2923-A, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 622, §2, is amended to 
read: 
§2923-A.  Requirements of municipalities 
Each municipality that does not have a public safety answering point shall contract 
with an entity that does have a public safety answering point, which may be the 
department, for receiving 9-1-1 calls and, as appropriate, directly dispatching emergency 
services or, through transfer routing or relay routing, passing 9-1-1 calls to public or 
private safety agencies that dispatch emergency services.  If a municipality without a 
public safety answering point does not enter into such an agreement, the department shall 
serve as the public safety answering point for that municipality and the municipality shall 
pay the department for the provision of those services.  Fees received by the department 
pursuant to this section must be deposited in the Consolidated Emergency 
Communications Fund established in section 1534. If a fee assessed to a municipality for 
services provided pursuant to an agreement under this section or by the department is 
based in whole or in part on population, the population of the municipality may not 
include persons held at a correctional facility, as defined in Title 34-A, section 1001, 
subsection 6, within the municipality. 
Emergency clause.  In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this 
legislation takes effect when approved. 
SUMMARY 
This bill provides that the residents of a correctional facility in a municipality are not 
included when calculating population for purposes of the Maine Uniform Building and 
Energy Code or in the assessment of public safety answering point fees.