An Act To Address Recommendations from the Report by the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability Regarding the Public Utilities Commission
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 1816
Committee: Energy, Utilities and Technology
Amends: 35-A MRSA §1701, 35-A MRSA §1702

Legislative Document 
No. 1816 
H.P. 1303 
House of Representatives, March 12, 2014 
An Act To Address Recommendations from the Report by the Office 
of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability Regarding 
the Public Utilities Commission 
Reported by Representative KRUGER of Thomaston for the Government Oversight 
Committee pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 3, section 997, subsection 2. 
Reference to the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology suggested and ordered 
printed pursuant to Joint Rule 218. 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  35-A MRSA §1701, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 141, Pt. A, §6, is 
amended to read: 
2.  Staff of the Public Advocate.  The staff of the Public Advocate shall consist 
consists of such other personnel, including staff attorneys, as the Public Advocate 
determines necessary to represent and advise the using and consuming public, as required 
by subsection section 1702.  All such personnel shall be are appointed, supervised and 
directed by the Public Advocate.  The Public Advocate is not subject to the supervision, 
direction or control of the chairman chair or members of the commission. 
Sec. 2.  35-A MRSA §1701, sub-§3, ¶¶E and F, as enacted by PL 1999, c. 259, 
§4, are amended to read: 
E.  Business Services Manager, salary range 26; and 
F.  Special Assistant to the Public Advocate, salary range 20.; and 
Sec. 3.  35-A MRSA §1701, sub-§3, ¶G is enacted to read: 
G.  Consumer Advisor, salary range 25. 
This paragraph is repealed June 30, 2015. 
Sec. 4.  35-A MRSA §1702, sub-§11 is enacted to read: 
11.  Advice to using and consuming public.  The Public Advocate may advise a 
member of the using and consuming public regarding participation in proceedings before 
the commission. 
Sec. 5.  Report.  By February 1, 2015, the Public Advocate shall submit a report to 
the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over energy and 
utilities matters regarding the performance, duties and funding of the consumer advisor 
under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 35-A, section 1701, subsection 3, paragraph G.  
The joint standing committee may submit a bill related to the subject matter of the report 
to the First Regular Session of the 127th Legislature. 
SUMMARY 
This bill creates a temporary consumer advisor position in the Office of the Public 
Advocate to advise citizens participating in proceedings before the Public Utilities 
Commission.  The position is established to address a recommendation in the Office of 
Program Evaluation and Government Accountability's 2013 report on the Public Utilities 
Commission that the Public Utilities Commission and the Public Advocate explore ways 
to facilitate consumers' ability to effectively represent themselves in adjudicatory 
proceedings before the Public Utilities Commission.  This bill also requires the Public 
Advocate to report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction 
over energy and utilities matters on the performance, duties and funding of the consumer 
advisor.