An Act To Establish the Commission on Promoting Manufacturing in Maine
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 1836
Committee: Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development
Sponsors: JACKSON, HERBIG, ALFOND, CRAVEN, DUTREMBLE, GERZOFSKY, GRATWICK, HASKELL, JOHNSON, LACHOWICZ, MILLETT, PATRICK, TUTTLE, BERRY, EVES, THERIAULT
Amends: 5 MRSA §12004-I, 10 MRSA §396

Legislative Document 
No. 1836 
S.P. 739 
In Senate, March 20, 2014 
An Act To Establish the Commission on Promoting Manufacturing 
in Maine 
(AFTER DEADLINE) 
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
205. 
Reference to the Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development 
suggested and ordered printed. 
DAREK M. GRANT 
Secretary of the Senate 
Presented by Senator JACKSON of Aroostook. 
Cosponsored by Representative HERBIG of Belfast and 
Senators: President ALFOND of Cumberland, CRAVEN of Androscoggin, DUTREMBLE of 
York, GERZOFSKY of Cumberland, GRATWICK of Penobscot, HASKELL of Cumberland, 
JOHNSON of Lincoln, LACHOWICZ of Kennebec, MILLETT of Cumberland, PATRICK of 
Oxford, TUTTLE of York, Representatives: BERRY of Bowdoinham, Speaker EVES of North 
Berwick, McCABE of Skowhegan, THERIAULT of Madawaska. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  5 MRSA §12004-I, sub-§67-A is enacted to read: 
67-A.   
Sec. 2.  10 MRSA c. 15 is enacted to read: 
CHAPTER 15 
COMMISSION ON PROMOTING MANUFACTURING IN MAINE 
§396.  Commission established 
The Commission on Promoting Manufacturing in Maine, as established in Title 5, 
section 12004-I, subsection 67-A and referred to in this section as "the commission," is 
established to develop a plan to promote manufacturing in the State. 
1.  Membership.  The commission consists of the following 15 members: 
A.  Three Senators, 2 of whom must be members representing the party holding the 
largest number of seats in the Legislature, appointed by the President of the Senate; 
B.  Three members of the House of Representatives, one of whom must be a member 
representing the party holding the 2nd largest number of seats in the Legislature, 
appointed by the Speaker of the House; 
C.  The President of the Maine Community College System or the president's 
designee; 
D.  The Commissioner of Labor or the commissioner's designee;  
E.  The Commissioner of Economic and Community Development or the 
commissioner's designee; 
F.  The Commissioner of Education or the commissioner's designee; 
G.  The director of an apprenticeship program in manufacturing, appointed by the 
President of the Senate; 
H.  Two members representing manufacturing businesses in the State, one appointed 
by the President of the Senate and one appointed by the Speaker of the House; and 
I.  Two members representing organized labor in the State, one appointed by the 
President of the Senate and one appointed by the Speaker of the House. 
2.  Terms; vacancies; limits.  Except for Legislators and commissioners and the 
President of the Maine Community College System, who serve terms coincident with 
Manufacturing 
Commission on 
Promoting 
Manufacturing in 
Maine 
Legislative Per Diem 
and Expenses for 
Legislators and 
Expenses Only for 
Other Members 
MRSA §396
their elective or appointed terms, members of the commission are appointed for 3-year 
terms.  A vacancy must be filled by the same appointing authority that made the original 
appointment.  Appointed members may not serve more than 2 terms.  Members may 
continue to serve until their replacements are designated.  A member may designate an 
alternate to serve on a temporary basis. 
3.  Chair; officers; rules.  The first-named Senate member and the first-named 
House of Representatives member are cochairs of the commission.  The commission shall 
appoint other officers as necessary and make rules for orderly procedure. 
4.  Compensation.  Legislators who are members of the commission are entitled to 
receive the legislative per diem and expenses as defined in Title 3, section 2 for their 
attendance to their duties under this chapter.  Other members are entitled to receive 
reimbursement of necessary expenses if they are not otherwise reimbursed by their 
employers or others whom they represent. 
5.  Staff.  The Legislature, through the commission, shall contract for staff support 
for the commission, which, to the extent funding permits, must be year-round staff 
support.  In the event funding does not permit adequate staff support, the commission 
may request staff support from the Legislative Council, except that Legislative Council 
staff support is not authorized when the Legislature is in regular or special session. 
6.  Powers and duties.  The commission: 
A.  Shall meet at least twice annually; 
B.  Shall establish a plan to promote the State as a more desirable place in which to 
develop manufacturing businesses, to provide education and training to prepare 
workers for new manufacturing and to make manufacturing in the State more 
promotable; 
C.  Shall hear public testimony and recommendations from the people of the State 
and qualified experts when appropriate at no fewer than 2 locations throughout the 
State each year on the actual and potential social, environmental, economic and legal 
impacts of manufacturing on the State; 
D.  Shall every 2 years conduct an assessment of the impacts of manufacturing on 
working conditions and the business environment.  The assessment must be 
submitted and made available to the public as provided for in paragraph E; 
E.  Shall maintain active communications with and submit an annual report to the 
Governor, the Legislature, municipalities, the State's congressional delegation and the 
National Conference of State Legislatures or its successor organization.  The 
commission shall make the report easily accessible to the public by way of a publicly 
accessible site on the Internet maintained by the State.  The report must contain 
information acquired pursuant to activities under paragraph C and must contain 
information acquired pursuant to activities under paragraph D; 
F.  Shall maintain active communications with any entity the commission determines 
appropriate regarding ongoing developments in promoting, encouraging and 
developing new manufacturing in the State; 
G.  May recommend or submit legislation to the Legislature; and 
H.  May examine any aspects of promoting manufacturing that the members of the 
commission consider appropriate. 
7.  Accounting; outside funding.  All funds appropriated, allocated or otherwise 
provided to the commission must be deposited in an account separate from all other funds 
of the Legislature and are nonlapsing.  Funds in the account may be used only for the 
purposes of the commission.  The commission may seek and accept outside funding to 
fulfill commission duties.  Prompt notice of solicitation and acceptance of funds must be 
sent to the Legislative Council.  All funds accepted must be forwarded to the Executive 
Director of the Legislative Council, along with an accounting that includes the amount 
received, the date that amount was received, from whom that amount was received, the 
purpose of the donation and any limitation on use of the funds.  The executive director 
shall administer all funds received in accordance with this section.  At the beginning of 
each fiscal year, and at any other time at the request of the cochairs of the commission, 
the executive director shall provide to the commission an accounting of all funds 
available to the commission, including funds available for staff support. 
8.  Evaluation.  By December 31, 2019, the commission shall conduct an evaluation 
of its activities and recommend to the Legislature whether to continue, alter or cease the 
commission's activities. 
Sec. 3.  Staggered terms.  Notwithstanding the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 10, 
section 396, subsection 2, the original member of the Commission on Promoting 
Manufacturing in Maine representing a manufacturing business appointed by the 
President of the Senate must be appointed for a one-year term and the original member 
representing organized labor appointed by the Speaker of the House must be appointed 
for a one-year term.  An initial term of one year may not be considered a full term for 
purposes of limiting the number of terms for which a member may serve. 
SUMMARY 
This bill establishes the Commission on Promoting Manufacturing in Maine.  The 
commission is charged with establishing a plan to promote Maine as a more desirable 
place in which to develop manufacturing businesses, to provide education and training to 
prepare workers for new manufacturing and to make manufacturing in Maine more 
promotable.