An Act to Create the Rural Prosperity Council
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1927
Committee: Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business
Sponsors: PLUECKER
Amends: 5 MRSA §3109, 5 MRSA §12004-I

Legislative Document
No. 1927
H.P. 1232
House of Representatives, May 11, 2023
An Act to Create the Rural Prosperity Council
Reference to the Committee on Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and 
Business suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative PLUECKER of Warren.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  5 MRSA §3109 is enacted to read:
§3109.  Rural Prosperity Council
The Rural Prosperity Council, referred to in this section as "the council," is established 
as an advisory council within the office to address the social, economic and community 
well-being and resilience of rural areas in the State by addressing unique structural 
challenges experienced by rural communities, including but not limited to housing, 
education, health care, small business development and job creation.
1. Membership.  The council consists of 10 members appointed as follows:
A. The director or the director's designee;
B. The Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry or the commissioner's 
designee;
C. One member appointed by the federally recognized Indian nations, tribes or bands 
in the State; and
D. The following 7 members appointed by the Governor and subject to review by the 
joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over agriculture, 
conservation and forestry matters and confirmation by the Legislature:
(1) One member with expertise in rural development;
(2) One member with experience in running a rural business;
(3) One member with experience with rural education;
(4) One member with experience in rural health care;
(5) One member with experience with rural infrastructure;
(6) One member with experience with conservation; and
(7) One member with experience with a nongovernmental organization working in 
rural communities.
2.  Terms of office.  Appointed members of the council serve 5-year terms and may be 
reappointed. A vacancy for an unexpired term must be filled in accordance with subsection 
1. A member may serve until a replacement is appointed and qualified.
3.  Chair; vice-chair.  The council shall annually elect a chair and a vice-chair from 
among its members.
4.  Quorum.  Six voting members of the council constitute a quorum.
5.  Affirmative vote.  An affirmative vote of a majority of the voting members is 
required for any action taken by the council.
6.  Meetings.  The council shall meet at the call of the chair. Meetings may be cancelled 
or postponed at the discretion of the chair. All meetings of the council are public 
proceedings within the meaning of Title 1, chapter 13, subchapter 1.
7. Duties.  The council shall make recommendations to the office on coordinating state 
policy, including taxation and rules affecting rural areas, to improve economic 
opportunities and the quality of life in rural areas in the State in order to:
A. Ensure coordination among agencies, units of local government, nonprofit 
organizations and other stakeholders, as appropriate, in addressing the needs of rural 
areas of the State;
B. Coordinate and improve community-level outcomes and return on investment of tax 
dollars relating to the needs of rural areas in the State with stakeholders based in rural 
communities, including but not limited to:
(1) Agricultural organizations;
(2) Small businesses;
(3) Education and training institutions;
(4) Health care providers;
(5) Telecommunications service providers;
(6) Electric service providers;
(7) Transportation providers;
(8) Research and land-grant institutions;
(9) Law enforcement agencies and the Department of Corrections;
(10) State and local governments;
(11) Federally recognized Indian nations, tribes or bands in the State; and
(12) Nongovernmental organizations;
C. Coordinate efforts directed toward the growth and development of rural geographic 
regions that encompass metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas;
D. Identify and facilitate rural economic opportunities associated with energy 
transitions, outdoor recreation and other conservation-related activities;
E. Identify common economic and social challenges faced by rural communities that 
could be overcome through better coordination of existing state and nonstate resources;
F. Convene public hearings on the state of rural areas in the State and the action plan 
developed by the council in accordance with subsection 9, paragraph B;
G. Identify tax policies that could be changed to reduce their impact on rural 
communities;
H. Develop plans and strategies to address the needs of rural areas in the State;
I. Coordinate with relevant federal and state agencies and funding programs to leverage 
public funds, including federal funds, to address the needs identified by the council; 
and
J. Make recommendations to the office and the Legislature to improve the quality of 
life in rural areas in the State.
8. Metrics; analysis. The office shall measure the effect of identified policies on rural 
areas in the State.  For this purpose, the office shall:
A. Develop a comprehensive set of metrics relating to a rural area, including but not 
limited to:
(1) Employment;
(2) Inequality;
(3) Economic competitiveness;
(4) Inflation or deflation;
(5) Housing availability and costs;
(6) Access to health care or telehealth;
(7) The rate of small business start-ups;
(8) Educational attainment;
(9) Workforce participation; and
(10) Other metrics, as determined appropriate by the director; and
B. Develop an analysis of taxation in rural areas in the State and measure its impact 
using the metrics described in paragraph A.
9. Report.  Beginning January 1, 2024 and every 2 years thereafter, the council shall 
develop and submit a report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having 
jurisdiction over agriculture, conservation and forestry matters and the joint standing 
committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over appropriations and financial affairs 
in accordance with this subsection.  The report must include:
A. A plan to improve the metrics described in subsection 8, paragraph A with 
demographic breakdowns by race, age and geographic region; and
B. A rural prosperity action plan, referred to in this section as "the action plan," that 
describes the actions to be carried out by the office and state agencies for the purposes 
of addressing the social, economic and community well-being and resilience of rural 
areas in the State by addressing unique structural challenges experienced by rural 
communities.  In developing the action plan, the council shall identify regulatory and 
policy changes that could be made by the State that would improve the metrics 
described in subsection 8, paragraph A, including changes that would:
(1) Remove barriers to economic prosperity and quality of life in rural areas in the 
State;
(2) Strengthen and expand educational opportunities for students in rural 
communities, particularly in agricultural education, science, technology, 
engineering and mathematics;
(3) Empower local agencies and federally recognized Indian nations, tribes or 
bands in the State that implement rural economic development, agricultural and 
environmental programs to modify those programs to account for relevant regional 
circumstances;
(4) Recognize the unique circumstances of small businesses that serve rural 
communities and the unique business structures and regional diversity of farms and 
ranches;
(5) Ensure access to a reliable workforce and increase employment opportunities 
in rural-focused businesses, including agriculture;
(6) Promote the preservation of family farms as they are passed from generation to 
generation;
(7) Encourage the production, export and use of domestically produced agricultural 
products;
(8) Further the energy security of the State in the rural landscape without 
jeopardizing food production and land-based economic production;
(9) Address barriers to access to resources on public land for rural communities 
that rely on timber harvests, recreation and other multiple uses;
(10) Identify and facilitate rural economic opportunities associated with energy 
development, outdoor recreation and other conservation-related activities; and
(11) Coordinate and improve the effectiveness of state engagement with rural 
stakeholders, including agricultural organizations, small businesses, education and 
training institutions, health care providers, telecommunications service providers, 
research and land-grant institutions, law enforcement agencies, state and local 
governments, federally recognized nations, tribes or bands in the State and 
nongovernmental organizations, regarding the needs of rural areas in the State.
The council shall make the report required under this subsection publicly available.  The 
joint standing committees receiving the report may report out legislation relating to the 
action plan.
10. Public outreach.  The council shall annually hold public meetings in a rural 
community for the purpose of soliciting:
A. Feedback from the public, units of local government, federally recognized Indian 
nations, tribes or bands in the State, businesses and workers on concerns relating to the 
social, economic and community well-being and resilience of rural areas; and
B. Recommendations on actions state agencies may consider to support the economic 
development of rural communities.
11.  Staff assistance. The office shall provide staff assistance to the council.
Sec. 2.  5 MRSA §12004-I, sub-§6-K is enacted to read:
6-K.   
Economic 
Development 
Rural Prosperity Council 
Not Authorized 
MRSA 
§3109 
Sec. 3. Staggered terms. Notwithstanding the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, 
section 3109, subsection 2, of the members initially appointed to the Rural Prosperity 
Council, 3 members must be appointed to serve initial terms of 3 years, 3 members must 
be appointed to serve initial terms of 4 years and 2 members must be appointed to serve 
initial terms of 5 years.
SUMMARY
This bill establishes the Rural Prosperity Council as an advisory council within the 
Office of Policy Innovation and the Future to address the social, economic and community 
well-being and resilience of rural areas in the State by addressing unique structural 
challenges experienced by rural communities, including but not limited to housing, 
education, health care, small business development and job creation.