An Act To Change the Composition of the Maine Land Use Planning Commission
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 0568
Committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Sponsors: DUNPHY, HICKMAN, MARTIN, O'NEIL, SKOLFIELD, STANLEY, BLACK, DILL
Amends: 12 MRSA §683-A

Legislative Document
No. 568
H.P. 412
House of Representatives, February 5, 2019
An Act To Change the Composition of the Maine Land Use 
Planning Commission
Reference to the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry suggested and 
ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative DUNPHY of Old Town.
Cosponsored by Representatives: HICKMAN of Winthrop, MARTIN of Sinclair, McCREA of 
Fort Fairfield, O'NEIL of Saco, SKOLFIELD of Weld, STANLEY of Medway, Senators: 
BLACK of Franklin, DILL of Penobscot.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  12 MRSA §683-A, sub-§§1 and 2, as amended by PL 2013, c. 256, §3, 
are further amended to read:
1.  Appointment by the Governor.  Except as provided in subsection 2, the 
Governor shall appoint one member 3 members to the commission.  In selecting an 
appointee, the Governor shall actively seek and give consideration to persons residing in 
or near the unorganized and deorganized areas of the State and to persons residing on 
unorganized coastal islands.  An appointee under this subsection must be familiar with 
the needs and issues affecting the commission's jurisdiction and must:
A.  Reside in the commission's jurisdiction;
B.  Work in the commission's jurisdiction;
C.  Be a former resident or be retired after having worked for a minimum of 5 years 
within the commission's jurisdiction; or
D.  Have expertise in commerce and industry, fisheries and wildlife, forestry or 
conservation issues as they relate to the commission's jurisdiction.
2.  Appointment of members representing a county. One member must be 
appointed by each of the  8  6 counties with the most acreage in the unorganized or 
deorganized areas subject to the jurisdiction of the commission.  The board of county 
commissioners for each of the counties shall appoint by majority vote a resident of that 
county to serve as a member of the commission.  A county commissioner who is a 
candidate for appointment to serve on the commission may not vote on that appointment.  
In making the appointment, the board of county commissioners shall actively seek and 
give consideration to persons residing in or near the unorganized or deorganized areas 
within the county.  The board of county commissioners shall advertise the position in the 
same manner as the county advertises personnel positions.  The board of county 
commissioners shall accept written or electronic applications from candidates, conduct 
interviews with candidates as determined by the board and select from among those 
candidates an appointee.
An appointee under this subsection must have expertise in commerce and industry, 
fisheries and wildlife, forestry or conservation issues as they relate to the commission's 
jurisdiction and must:
A.  Reside in the commission's jurisdiction;
B.  Work in the commission's jurisdiction; or
C.  Be a former resident or be retired after having worked for a minimum of 5 years 
within the commission's jurisdiction.
If a board of county commissioners fails to appoint a member to the commission under 
this subsection within 90 business days of a vacancy on the commission to be filled by 
that county, the Governor shall appoint a resident of that county meeting the criteria in 
subsection 1 to fill the vacancy. 
For any county appointee, the board of county commissioners shall provide to the 
President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives the name and 
address of the appointee, together with information concerning that person's background 
and qualifications, in the same manner required of the Governor for nominations made 
pursuant to Title 3, section 154.  A board of county commissioners has the same authority 
as the Governor, pursuant to Title 3, section 154, to withdraw the name of an appointee at 
any time before the Senate votes.  The provisions of Title 3, sections 155 to 158 apply to 
the process of legislative review and confirmation of all county appointees to the 
commission.
Sec. 2.  Transition.  Notwithstanding the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12, section 
683-A, subsection 1 or 2, a member of the Maine Land Use Planning Commission 
serving the commission on the effective date of this Act may serve the remainder of that 
member's term.
SUMMARY
This bill amends the laws governing the composition of the Maine Land Use 
Planning Commission to increase the number of members appointed by the Governor 
from one to 3 and to decrease the number of members appointed by the counties from 8 
to 6.