An Act Regarding the Reapportionment of the Knox County Budget Committee Districts (AFTER DEADLINE)
Maine Legislature, Session 130, LD 2005
Committee: State and Local Government
Sponsors: DUNPHY
Amends: 30-A MRSA §757

Legislative Document
No. 2005
H.P. 1491
House of Representatives, March 2, 2022
An Act Regarding the Reapportionment of the Knox County Budget 
Committee Districts
(AFTER DEADLINE)
(EMERGENCY)
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
205.
Received by the Clerk of the House on February 28, 2022.  Referred to the Committee on 
State and Local Government pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to Joint 
Rule 401.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative DUNPHY of Old Town.
Emergency preamble.  Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not 
become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and
Whereas, the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 30-A, section 757 requires the Knox 
County Commissioners to prepare a redistricting plan for Knox County budget committee 
seats by June 1, 2021 and submit that plan to the Secretary of State; and
Whereas, upon receipt of the redistricting plan, the Secretary of State is required to 
submit the plan to the Legislature for "review and enactment"; and
Whereas, although the Knox County Commissioners determined that no changes in 
the budget committee districts were necessary, this legislation is needed to provide clarity 
in time for the elections of budget committee members this year; and 
Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within 
the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as 
immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, 
therefore,
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  30-A MRSA §757, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2013, c. 481, §1, is further 
amended to read:
1.  Redistricting process.  The county commissioners shall review the districts 
established in subsection 2 and, if changes are necessary, prepare a redistricting plan for 
county budget committee seats by June 1, 2021 2031 and every 10 years thereafter.  The 
county commissioners shall submit the any redistricting plan to the Secretary of State 
within 5 days of adoption.  The If redistricting is required, the Secretary of State shall 
immediately transmit the redistricting plan to the Legislature for review and enactment.
Sec. 2. Knox County budget committee districts.  Notwithstanding that 
provision of the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 30-A, section 757, subsection 1 that requires 
a redistricting plan to be prepared in 2021 by the Knox County Commissioners and 
reviewed and enacted by the Legislature, the Knox County budget committee districts 
specified in Title 30-A, section 757, subsection 2 remain the same until a redistricting plan 
is submitted to the Secretary of State by the Knox County Commissioners in 2031 or later 
and that plan is subsequently reviewed and enacted by the Legislature. 
Sec. 3.  Application. This Act is not intended to affect the terms of the Knox County 
budget committee members in office on the effective date of this Act.
Emergency clause.  In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation 
takes effect when approved.
SUMMARY
Under current law, beginning in June 2021, the Knox County Commissioners are 
required to prepare a redistricting plan for the Knox County budget committee districts and 
submit that plan to the Secretary of State, who is required to submit it to the Legislature for 
review and enactment.  In 2021, the Knox County Commissioners determined that the 
budget committee districts in place did not need to be adjusted, so no new plan for 
redistricting was capable of being enacted by the Legislature, as required by the law.
To overcome this issue and avoid it in the future, this bill:
1. Allows the Knox County Commissioners, beginning in June 2031, to determine 
whether changes to the budget committee districts are needed and, only if changes are 
necessary, submit a redistricting plan to the Secretary of State, who must submit the plan 
to the Legislature for review and enactment; and
2.  Declares that, for purposes of the 2021 redistricting of the Knox County budget 
committee districts, the districts established currently in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 
30-A, section 757, subsection 2 remain the districts until the Knox County Commissioners 
submit a redistricting plan to the Secretary of State and that plan is subsequently reviewed 
and enacted by the Legislature.  This bill also explicitly states that it is not intended to affect 
the terms of the budget committee members in office on the effective date of the legislation.