An Act Regardmg Regional Law Libraries
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 0468
Committee Amendment CA_A_H193 (House)
Amends: 4 MRSA §193-A, 4 MRSA §196, 4 MRSA §197

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to HP 285, L D 468, "An Act Regardmg 
Regional Law Libraries" 
Amend the bill by stnkmg out all of section 3 and msertmg the followmg 
'Sec. 3. 4 MRSA §193-A is enacted to read 
§193-A. Regional law libraries 
The Admmistratlve Office of the Courts shall allocate and disburse to a law library 
located m a courthouse m Portland and to a law library located m a courthouse m Bangor 
funds, man amount determmed by the State Court Admmistrator, that the law libranes may 
use for operatmg expenses, mcludmg but not limited to the expenses of legal resources, 
library equipment and supplies, and to fund all or a portion of the costs of any necessary 
personnel Both law hbranes must receive the same amount of funds, which may be 
disbursed biannually or more often, as the Admmistrative Office of the Courts determmes 
The law libranes m Portland and Bangor must make their resources available to the 
public m accordance with the libraries' local operatmg pohc1es established under section 
If a law library is no longer m operation, the State Court Admmistrator may, after 
providmg notice and an opportumty to be heard, withhold the funds that the law library 
would have otherwise received. A decision to withhold funds from one law library m 
accordance with this section does not affect the other law library's receipt of funds under 
this section' 
Amend the bill by stnkmg out all of section 5 and msertmg the followmg 
'Sec. 5. 4 MRSA §196, as amended by PL 2013, c 533, §5, 1s further amended to 
read 
§196. Duties, eeunty eemmittee Boards of directors 
The CoHBty La:w LibFa-ty Committee A board of directors of each law library that 
receives funds pursuant to section 193-A shall establish local operatmg policies, such as, 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
ROS 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" J+, to HP 285, L D 468 
but not Inmted to, public hours, circulation policies and photoeopy prwdeges patron 
conduct, fees and computer use policies Each emmty eomm1ttee sha.]l OJi:ero:1:se superv1s1on 
board has sole discretion over the expenditures of private and nonstate funds, melad1ag 
endewmen-ts, and may ase these fends to apgrade I-ts eoan-ty la?N harary ::gaeh eeanty 
eommlt:1:ee shall determme spaee req:a1Fements 
The board of drrectors of a county bar association may serve as the board of d1rectors 
of a law hbrary if the law hbrary has no dedicated board of drrectors ' 
Amend the bill by strikmg out all of section 6 and msertmg the followmg 
'Sec. 6. 4 MRSA §197, as amended by PL 2013, c 533, §6, is further amended to 
read 
§197. Duties of treasurer and elm secretary 
The treasurer of each Coant)' Law Ltaraij' Committee law library that receives funds 
pursuant to section 193-A, under the direction of the County La:Vr Liaraey Comml-ttee law 
library's board of directors under sectton 196, shall apply all prPlate and nonstat:e moneys 
state funds received, aad all bequests aaa gifts, to form and operate a for the operation of 
the law hbrary The ~ 
secretary of the law library shall keep an exact record of all the 
proceedmgs of the oommlt:1:ee board of directors accordmg to the law library's bylaws 
The treasurer shall, annually, before the last Wednesday m July, deposit m the office 
of the State Court Admm1strator a statement of the funds received and expended by the 
tfeasaFer law library durmg the precedmg fiscal year ' 
Amend the bill m section 7 m paragraph A m the first lme (page 2, lme 7 m L D ) by 
stnkmg out the followmg "room 
and msertmg the followmg 'roem space' 
Amend the bill by relettenng or renumbermg any nonconsecutive Part letter or section 
number to read consecutively 
SUMMARY 
This amendment, which 1s the mmonty report of the committee 
Clarifies that the law hbranes m Portland and Bangor must be located m a 
courthouse, 
Clarrfies that the resources of the law libraries must be made available to the pub he 
0 
m accordance with the libraries' operatmg pohc1es, 
Requires the State Court Adm1mstrator to provide notice and an opportumty to be 
heard before w1thholdmg funds from a law library that the State Court Admm1strator 
believes is no longer m operation, and 
Requires the treasurer of the board of directors of each law library to apply all state 
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funds to the operation of the law library and gives the board sole discretion over the 
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expenditure of private and nonstate funds 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT