An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Right To Know Advisory Committee
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 2102
Committee: Judiciary
Amends: 1 MRSA §411, 1 MRSA §412

Legislative Document
No. 2102
H.P. 1497
House of Representatives, February 11, 2020
An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Right To Know 
Advisory Committee
Reported by Representative BAILEY of Saco for the Joint Standing Committee on 
Judiciary pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 1, section 411, subsection 6, paragraph 
G.
Reference to the Committee on Judiciary suggested and ordered printed pursuant to Joint 
Rule 218.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  1 MRSA §411, sub-§2, ¶M, as amended by PL 2015, c. 250, Pt. A, §1, is 
further amended to read:
M.  The Attorney General or the Attorney General's designee; and
Sec. 2.  1 MRSA §411, sub-§2, ¶N, as enacted by PL 2015, c. 250, Pt. A, §2, is 
amended to read:
N.  One member with broad experience in and understanding of issues and costs in  
multiple areas of information technology, including practical applications concerning 
creation, storage, retrieval and accessibility of electronic records; use of 
communication technologies to support meetings, including teleconferencing and 
Internet-based conferencing; databases for records management and reporting; and 
information technology system development and support, appointed by the 
Governor.; and
Sec. 3.  1 MRSA §411, sub-§2, ¶O is enacted to read:
O.  One representative having legal or professional expertise in the field of data and 
personal privacy, appointed by the Governor.
Sec. 4.  1 MRSA §412, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2019, c. 300, §1, is further 
amended to read:
1.  Training required.  A public access officer and an official subject to this section 
shall complete a course of training on the requirements of this chapter relating to public 
records and proceedings.  The official or public access officer shall complete the training 
not later than the 120th day after the date the official takes the oath of office to assume 
assumes the person's duties as an official or the person is designated as a public access 
officer pursuant to section 413, subsection 1.
Sec. 5.  1 MRSA §412, sub-§4, ¶F, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 576, §2, is 
amended to read:
F.  Municipal officers,; municipal clerks, treasurers, managers or administrators, 
assessors, code enforcement officers and deputies for those positions; and planning 
board members and budget committee members of municipal governments;
Sec. 6.  1 MRSA §412, sub-§4, ¶G, as amended by PL 2011, c. 662, §7, is further 
amended to read:
G.  Officials Superintendents, assistant superintendents and school board members of 
school administrative units; and
SUMMARY
This bill implements the statutory recommendations of the Right To Know Advisory 
Committee as included in Appendix F in the Fourteenth Annual Report of the Right to 
Know Advisory Committee.
This bill adds a member to the Right To Know Advisory Committee who has legal or 
professional expertise in the field of data and personal privacy, to be appointed by the 
Governor.
This bill makes the following changes to the requirements for freedom of access 
training.
1.  It clarifies that an official must complete training within 120 days of assuming the 
duties of the position.
2.  It expands the municipal officials required to complete training to include code 
enforcement officers, town and city managers and administrators and planning board 
members and clarifies that deputies of municipal clerks, treasurers, managers or 
administrators, assessors and code enforcement officers must also complete training.
3.  It clarifies that school superintendents, assistant superintendents and school board 
members are required to complete training.