An Act Regarding Financial Orders Requested by the Attorney General (AFTER DEADLINE)
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 1876
Committee: Judiciary
Sponsors: FREY, HILL, GATTINE, LUCHINI, MOONEN, SAVIELLO
Amends: 5 MRSA §196

Legislative Document
No. 1876
H.P. 1308
House of Representatives, March 22, 2018
An Act Regarding Financial Orders Requested by the Attorney 
General
(AFTER DEADLINE)
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
205.
Reference to the Committee on Judiciary suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative FREY of Bangor.
Cosponsored by Senator HILL of York and
Representatives: GATTINE of Westbrook, LUCHINI of Ellsworth, McLEAN of Gorham, 
MOONEN of Portland, Senator: SAVIELLO of Franklin.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  5 MRSA §196, first ¶, as amended by PL 2017, c. 284, Pt. DDD, §1, is 
further amended to read:
The Attorney General may appoint one or more deputy attorneys general, assistant 
attorneys general and staff attorneys who serve at the pleasure of the Attorney General or 
until their successors are duly appointed and qualified.  They may perform all the duties 
required of the Attorney General and other duties the Attorney General delegates to them. 
The Attorney General may appoint research assistants with any powers and duties the 
Attorney General delegates. Research assistants may perform duties delegated to them by 
the Attorney General, including activities authorized by Title 4, section 807.  
Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, the compensations of research assistants, 
law office manager and deputy attorneys general are fixed by the Attorney General.  The 
compensation of the Deputy Chief Medical Examiner is fixed by the Attorney General in 
consultation with the Chief Medical Examiner and with the approval of the Governor.  
The compensations of the staff attorneys, assistant attorneys general and secretary to the 
Attorney General are fixed by the Attorney General with the approval of the Governor, 
but such by financial order.  If the Governor disapproves or takes no action on a financial 
order within 30 days of submission of the financial order request to the State Budget 
Officer, that financial order is deemed approved as long as the position is established and 
the compensations may do not in the aggregate exceed the amount appropriated for those 
positions and may do not result in an increased request to future Legislatures.  The 
Governor may not impose upon the Attorney General any precondition on the submission 
of a financial order request or the filling of any position that does not require a financial 
order.
SUMMARY
This bill provides that, if the Governor disapproves or takes no action within 30 days 
of submission of a financial order request by the Attorney General regarding the 
compensation of staff attorneys, assistant attorneys general and the secretary to the 
Attorney General, the financial order is deemed approved as long as the positions are 
established and the compensations do not in the aggregate exceed the amount 
appropriated for the positions and do not result in an increased request to future 
Legislatures.  It also provides that the Governor may not impose upon the Attorney 
General any precondition on the submission of a financial order request or the filling of 
any position that does not require a financial order.