An Act to Provide Authorization to Aroostook County to Use the Statewide Radio and Network System (AFTER DEADLINE)
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1889
Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Sponsors: JACKSON, THERIAULT, STEWART, ALBERT, BABIN, GUERRETTE
Amends: 5 MRSA §1520

Legislative Document
No. 1889
S.P. 764
In Senate, May 4, 2023
An Act to Provide Authorization to Aroostook County to Use the 
Statewide Radio and Network System
(AFTER DEADLINE)
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
205.
Reference to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety suggested and ordered 
printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by President JACKSON of Aroostook.
Cosponsored by Representative THERIAULT of Fort Kent and
Senator: STEWART of Aroostook, Representatives: ALBERT of Madawaska, BABIN of Fort 
Fairfield, GUERRETTE of Caribou.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  5 MRSA §1520, as amended by PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. PP, §1, is further 
amended to read:
§1520.  Statewide Radio and Network System Reserve Fund
1.  Fund established.  The Statewide Radio and Network System Reserve Fund, 
referred to in this section as "the "fund," is established as an internal service fund in the 
Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Office of Information Technology, 
referred to in this section as "the "office," for the purposes of managing the fund and 
acquiring, expanding, upgrading and replacing a statewide radio and network system for 
use by state agencies and Aroostook County.  The office may charge a fee to agencies using 
the statewide radio and network system and Aroostook County in accordance with an 
established rate structure.  Revenues derived from operations must be used to pay the costs 
of the lease-purchase to acquire a system, expand, upgrade and replace the system, and to 
manage the fund.
A.  The office shall work closely with all state departments and agencies and Aroostook 
County to identify radio and network requirements for the statewide system to ensure 
that agency and county program requirements are met to the maximum extent possible.  
The office shall:
(1)  Ensure that the annual costs of the lease or lease-purchase are paid in a timely 
manner and that the financial affairs of the fund are properly managed;
(2)  Maintain records of radio and network system requirements for all state 
agencies using the system and Aroostook County and make this information 
available to state agencies and Aroostook County;
(3)  Require state agencies to become part of the statewide radio and network 
system when replacing their current systems or purchasing new systems;
(4)  Acquire, expand, upgrade or replace the statewide radio and network system 
in accordance with an established replacement plan; and
(5)  Transfer radio equipment and network infrastructure into the fund from state 
agencies using the system and Aroostook County, purchase, lease, lease-purchase 
or enter into other financing agreements, in accordance with section 1587, for the 
acquisition, expansion, upgrade or replacement of the system or any of its 
components in accordance with paragraph B when it can be demonstrated that any 
such action or agreement provides a clear cost or program advantage to the State.
B.  The Chief Information Officer, in conjunction with the state agencies using the 
statewide radio and network system and Aroostook County, operating as a board that 
may be referred to as "the Statewide Radio Network Board," shall establish the 
following:
(1)  Standards for statewide radio and network system operations;
(2)  Specifications for systems and components to be acquired by the State; and
(3)  Standards for the exemption or waiver of state agencies from the requirements 
of this section.
By January 15, 2002, standards must be developed for statewide radio and network 
system usage by all state agencies not exempted under subparagraph (3).
C.  The office shall establish, through the Department of Administrative and Financial 
Services, Office of the State Controller, the Statewide Radio and Network System 
Reserve Fund account.  The funds deposited in the account may include, but are not 
limited to, appropriations made to the account, funds transferred to the account from 
within the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, funds received from 
state departments and agencies using the services provided by the office and Aroostook 
County, earnings by the fund from the Treasurer of State's pool and proceeds from the 
sale of system assets under the administrative control of the fund by the state surplus 
property program in the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau 
of General Services in accordance with paragraph B and other provisions of law.
D.  The fund may levy charges according to a rate schedule recommended by the Chief 
Information Officer and approved by the Commissioner of Administrative and 
Financial Services against all state departments and agencies using the services of the 
statewide radio and network system and Aroostook County.
E.  Service charges for the statewide radio and network system must be calculated to 
provide for system acquisition costs, expansion costs, upgrade costs, necessary capital 
investment and fund management costs, replacement costs and sufficient working 
capital for the fund.
F.  Each state department or agency using the services of the statewide radio and 
network system and Aroostook County must budget adequate funds to pay for costs 
described in paragraph E.
Sec. 2.  Office of Information Technology to authorize Aroostook County 
to use statewide radio and network system. The Department of Administrative and 
Financial Services, Office of Information Technology shall authorize Aroostook County to 
use the statewide radio and network system under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, 
section 1520.
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Office of 
Information Technology to authorize Aroostook County to use the statewide radio and 
network system and amends the provisions of law governing the Statewide Radio and 
Network System Reserve Fund to include Aroostook County.