Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 0717

WHEREAS, the members of the Task Force on Maine's 21st Century Economy and 
Workforce worked together in a nonpartisan manner, with input from the State's businesses, 
education 
community 
and 
workforce 
and 
policy 
experts, 
to 
develop 
unanimous 
recommendations for targeted investments in places where workforce barriers were identified in 
order to provide some immediate alleviation of workforce shortages in priority sectors; and 
WHEREAS, the Task Force on Maine’s 21st Century Economy and Workforce focused 
most of its recommendations on the health care sector, while there are other priority sectors in 
the State, such as retail trade, professional and business services and the hospitality industry; and 
WHEREAS, the Task Force on Maine’s 21st Century Economy and Workforce 
recommended that the task force be authorized to continue its important work in order to develop 
additional recommendations to address workforce issues in these additional priority sectors; now, 
therefore, be it 
Thursday, March 22, 2018 
ORDERED, the House concurring, that the Task Force on Maine's 21st Century Economy 
and Workforce, established by Joint Order 2017, S.P. 294, referred to in this order as "the task 
force," is reestablished and authorized to continue its work as follows. 
1. Appointments; composition. Notwithstanding Joint Rule 353, the task force consists of 
members appointed as follows: 
A.  Two members of the Senate, appointed by the President of the Senate, including one 
member of the party holding the largest and one member of the party holding the 2nd 
largest number of seats in the Senate; 
B.  Two members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the 
House of Representatives, including one member of the party holding the largest and one 
member of the party holding the 2nd largest number of seats in the House of 
Representatives; 
C.  One member representing the interests of the Maine Community College System, 
appointed by the President of the Senate; 
D.  One member representing the interests of the University of Maine System, appointed 
by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; 
E.  One member representing the interests of apprenticeship programs in the State, 
appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; 
F.  One member representing the interests of providers and teachers of adult education in 
the State, appointed by the President of the Senate; 
G.  One member representing the interests of retail trade, professional and business 
services or the hospitality industry, appointed by the Speaker of the House of 
Representatives; 
H.  One member representing the statewide interests of the business community, 
appointed by the President of the Senate; 
I.  One member representing the interests of a Maine business that employs more than 
1,000 workers, appointed by the President of the Senate; and 
J.  One member representing the interests of a Maine business that employs fewer than 
1,000 workers, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall invite to 
participate as members of the task force the Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's 
designee, and the Commissioner of Labor, or the commissioner's designee. 
2.  Chairs. The first-named Senator is the Senate chair of the task force and the first-named 
member of the House of Representatives is the House chair of the task force.  The chairs may 
invite the participation of interested parties and stakeholders who represent the interests of those 
sectors of industry that have experienced significant workforce shortages and who are not task 
force members. 
3.  Appointments; convening. All appointments must be made no later than 15 days 
following passage of this order. The appointing authorities shall notify the Executive Director of 
the Legislative Council once all appointments have been made. When the appointment of all 
members has been completed, the chairs of the task force may call and convene the first meeting 
of the task force. If 15 days or more after the passage of this order a majority of but not all 
appointments have been made, the chairs may request authority and the Legislative Council may 
grant authority for the task force to meet and conduct its business. 
Thursday, March 22, 2018 
4. Duties. The task force shall develop strategies to make targeted and strategic investments 
in the State's workforce and businesses; to expand partnerships among the State's workers, 
educators and businesses to specifically address workforce needs and worker training; to develop 
strategies for attracting, retaining and training Maine workers in sectors of industry most acutely 
affected by workforce shortages, as identified in priority order by the Maine Department of 
Labor, including retail trade, professional and business services and the hospitality industry; and 
to help improve the ability of small businesses to innovate and expand. 
5. Compensation. The legislative members of the task force are entitled to receive the 
legislative per diem, as defined in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 3, section 2, and 
reimbursement for travel and other necessary expenses related to their attendance at authorized 
meetings of the task force. Public members not otherwise compensated by their employers or 
other entities that they represent are entitled to receive reimbursement of necessary expenses and, 
upon a demonstration of financial hardship, a per diem equal to the legislative per diem for their 
attendance at authorized meetings of the task force. 
6. Quorum. A quorum is a majority of the members of the task force, including those 
members invited to participate who have accepted the invitation to participate. 
7. Staffing. The Legislative Council shall contract for necessary staff support for the task 
force during the legislative session and may contract for such staff support for a longer period to 
the extent needed and if sufficient funding is available. At the request of the task force, the 
Legislative Council may provide drafting assistance to the task force during the legislative 
session and other staffing support to the task force when the Legislature is not in session. 
8. Reports.  No later than November 7, 2018, the task force shall submit a final report that 
includes its findings and recommendations, including suggested legislation, to the Second 
Regular Session of the 128th Legislature. 
_________________________________ 
An Expression of Legislative Sentiment recognizing: