An Act To Amend the State Government Evaluation Act
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 1140
Committee: State and Local Government
Sponsors: GRAHAM, LACHOWICZ, BOLAND, COTTA, PEASE
Amends: 3 MRSA §955, 3 MRSA §956, 3 MRSA §957

Legislative Document 
No. 1140 
H.P. 805 
House of Representatives, March 21, 2013 
An Act To Amend the State Government Evaluation Act 
Reference to the Committee on State and Local Government suggested and ordered printed. 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative GRAHAM of North Yarmouth. 
Cosponsored by Senator LACHOWICZ of Kennebec and 
Representatives: BOLAND of Sanford, COTTA of China, PEASE of Morrill. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  3 MRSA §955, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 488, §2, is amended to 
read: 
1.  Review established.  The committee of jurisdiction shall establish its agency 
review schedule in accordance with this chapter and upon approval of the necessary 
resources by the Legislative Council.  The committee of jurisdiction shall request from 
each agency and independent agency scheduled for review under section 959 a single-
page list of organizational units and programs within each organizational unit by March 
1st of the first regular session of the Legislature.  The agency or independent agency shall 
provide the list to the committee of jurisdiction by April 1st of the first regular session of 
the Legislature.  The committee of jurisdiction shall provide each an agency or 
independent agency with a written notice of its intent to review an the agency or 
independent agency by no later than May 1st of the first regular session of the 
Legislature. 
Sec. 2.  3 MRSA §956, sub-§2, ¶B, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 488, §2, is 
amended to read: 
B.  A description of each program administered by the agency or independent agency, 
including the following for each program: 
(1)  Established priorities, including the goals and objectives in meeting each 
priority; 
(2)  Performance criteria, timetables measures or other benchmarks used by the 
agency to measure its progress in achieving the goals and objectives; and 
(3)  An assessment by the agency indicating the extent to which it has met the 
goals and objectives, using the performance criteria measures.  When an agency 
has not met its goals and objectives, the agency shall identify the reasons for not 
meeting them and the corrective measures the agency has taken to meet the goals 
and objectives; 
Sec. 3.  3 MRSA §956, sub-§2, ¶D, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 488, §2, is 
repealed. 
Sec. 4.  3 MRSA §956, sub-§2, ¶F, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 488, §2, is 
repealed. 
Sec. 5.  3 MRSA §956, sub-§2, ¶M, as amended by PL 2001, c. 495, §2, is 
further amended to read: 
M.  Agency policies for collecting, managing and using personal information over the 
Internet and nonelectronically, information on the agency's implementation of 
information technologies and an evaluation of the agency's adherence to the fair 
information practice principles of notice, choice, access, integrity and enforcement; 
and 
Sec. 6.  3 MRSA §956, sub-§2, ¶N, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 495, §3, is 
amended to read: 
N.  A list of reports, applications and other similar paperwork required to be filed 
with the agency by the public.  The list must include: 
(1)  The statutory authority for each filing requirement; 
(2)  The date each filing requirement was adopted or last amended by the agency; 
(3)  The frequency that filing is required; 
(4)  The number of filings received annually for the last 2 years and the number 
anticipated to be received annually for the next 2 years; and 
(5)  A description of the actions taken or contemplated by the agency to reduce 
filing requirements and paperwork duplication.; 
Sec. 7.  3 MRSA §956, sub-§2, ¶¶O and P are enacted to read: 
O.  A list of reports required by the Legislature to be prepared or submitted by the 
agency or independent agency; and 
P.  A copy of the single-page list of organizational units and programs within each 
organizational unit required pursuant to section 955, subsection 1, placed at the front 
of the report. 
Sec. 8.  3 MRSA §957, as amended by PL 2001, c. 495, §4, is repealed and the 
following enacted in its place: 
§957.  Committee analysis and recommendations; authority 
For each agency or independent agency or a component part of each agency or 
independent agency subject to review pursuant to section 952, the committee of 
jurisdiction may conduct an analysis and evaluation that may include, but need not be 
limited to, an evaluation of the program evaluation report submitted pursuant to section 
956, subsection 1, including: 
1.  Statutory authority.  The extent to which the agency or independent agency 
operates in accordance with its statutory authority; 
2.  Goals and objectives.  The degree of success in meeting the agency's or 
independent agency's goals and objectives for each program, including population served; 
3.  Statutory and administrative mandates.  The degree of success achieved by the 
agency or independent agency in meeting its statutory and administrative mandates; and 
4.  Filing requirements.  The extent to which the agency or independent agency has 
increased or reduced filing requirements and paperwork duplication burdens on the 
public. 
In consultation with the Legislative Council, the committee of jurisdiction shall select 
agencies or independent agencies for review either in accordance with the scheduling 
guidelines provided in this chapter or at any time determined necessary by the committee. 
SUMMARY 
The State Government Evaluation Act requires each agency and independent agency 
to prepare and submit to the Legislature, through the relevant joint standing committee of 
the Legislature, a program evaluation report.  This bill requires the joint standing 
committees to request from each agency or independent agency under their jurisdiction a 
single-page list of organizational units and programs in each organizational unit for that 
report by March 1st of the first regular session of the Legislature.  The bill also requires 
that an agency or independent agency provide the list to the committee by April 1st of the 
agency to include in the program evaluation report a list of all reports required by the 
Legislature and a copy of the single-page list. 
The bill also eliminates the requirement that an agency or independent agency 
include in the program evaluation report information about being in compliance with 
federal and state health and safety laws and a summary of rules adopted.