Resolve, to Establish
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1649
Committee Amendment CA_A_S368 (Senate)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" /t-u to S.P. 657, L.D. 1649, "Resolve, to Establish 
the Blue Ribbon Commission to Study the Operntions of the Legislature" 
Amend the resolve by striking out the title and substituting the following: 
'Resolve, to Establish the Commission to Study and Recommend Solutions for 
Modernizing and Improving the Effectiveness of the Legislatul'e' 
Amend the resolve by striking out everything after the title and inserting the following: 
1Sec. 1. Commission established, Resolved: That the Commission to Study and 
Recommend Solutions for Modemizing and Improving the Effectiveness of the 
Legislature, referred to in this resolve as "the commission,° is established. 
Sec. 2. Commission membership. Resolved: That, notwithstanding Joint Rule 
353, the commission consists of 10 members as follows: 
l. Four members who are current 01· former members of the Senate, appointed by the 
President of the Senate, 2 of whom are from the party holding the la1·gest number of seats 
in the Legislature and 2 of whom are from the patty holding the 2nd largest number of seats 
in the Legislature; and 
2. Five members who are current or fol'mer members of the House of Representatives, 
appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, 2 of whom are from the party 
holding the largest number of seats in the Legislature, 2 of whom are from the party holding 
the 2nd largest numbe1· of seats in the Legislaturn and one without a party affiliation; and 
3. One member who is a current or former tribal representative, appointed by the 
President of the Senate, based on the joint recommendation of the tribal governments of 
the Mi'kmaq Nation, the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the Passamaquoddy Tribe at 
Motahkomikuk, the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik and the Penobscot Nation. If the 
tribal govemments do not make a unanimous joint recommendation, the President of the 
Senate shall appoint a current or former tribal representative, 
Page I • 132LR1690(02) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMlTfBE AMENDMENT" A,.:• to S.P. 657, L.D. 1649 C 5 .. J C"3j 
Sec. 3, Chairs. Resolved: That the first-appointed Senate member is the Senate 
chair and the first-appointed House of Representatives member is the House chair of the 
commission. 
Sec. 4. Working groups. Resolved~ That, notwithstanding Joint Rule 353, the 
commission is suppo11ed by the following working groups. 
1. The nonpa11isan staff working group is established to work in coordination with the 
commission to identify, study and report to the commission relevant findings and 
recommendations regarding best practices and ideas on modernizing and improving the 
efficiency and effectiveness of the Legislatul'e. The nonpa11isan staff working group 
consists of the following members: 
A. The Executive Director of the Legislative Council or the executive director's 
designee; 
B, The Director of the Office of Policy and Legal Analysis or the director's designee; 
C. The Director of the Office of Fiscal and Program Review or the director's designee; 
D. The Director of the Office of Progrnm Evaluation and Government Accountability 
or the director's designee; 
E. The Clerk of the House of Representatives; and 
F. The Secretary of the Senate. 
2. The public citizen working group is established to work in coordination with the 
commission to gather input from the general public. The public citizen wo1·king group 
consists of up to 8 members, 4 of whom are appointed by the Pl'esident of the Senate, with 
of those appointments based on the recommendation of the Senate Minority Leader, and 
of whom are appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, with 2 of those 
appointments based on the recommendation of the House Minority Leader. The members 
appointed to the public citizen working gl'Oup must reflect the geographic, demographic 
and occupational diversity of the State and must have knowledge and expe11ise in public 
policy, government relations, legal scholarship, political science, civic engagement, 
municipal government, private business and organized labo1·. In carrying out its duties, the 
public citizen working group shall: 
A. Convene at least 5 public meetings in diverse locations across the State; 
B. Solicit and receive testimony from the general public regarding experiences, ideas 
and expectations for a modem, efficient and effective Legislature; and 
C. Submit a summary report of findings and recommendations to the commission. 
Sec. 5. 
Appointments and convening of commission. Resolved: 
That, 
notwithstanding Joint Rule 353, all appointments to the commission and working g1·oups 
must be made no later than 30 days following the effective date of this resolve. The 
appointing authorities shall notify the Executive Director of the Legislative Council once 
all appointments have been completed. After appointment of all membel's, the chairs shall 
call and convene the first meeting of the commission. If30 days 01· more after the effective 
date of this resolve a majority of but not all appointments to the commission have been 
made, the chairs may call and convene the first meeting of the commission and begin to 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" /J, "to S.P, 657, L.D. 1649 (S~ '1' 8\ 
conduct its business, The commission shall meet at least monthly and shall allow fot• 
remote participation by residents of the State. 
Sec. 6. Duties, Resolved: That the commission and working groups shall study the 
existing structure and operations of the Legislature for the purpose of determining the 
adequacy and effectiveness of the structme and operations and to identify changes to 
modernize the Legislature in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness; provide better 
information to inform decisions; help prioritize legislative activity; develop; implement and 
coordinate a strategic plan; and reinforce political trust and support in the Legislature. In 
its work, the commission may consider, but is not limited to: 
l. Improving efficiencies through technology; 
2. Increasing transparency in the Legislature; 
3. Improving physical access; evaluating remote access; and updating facilities for 
Legislators and legislative staff who have child1·e11 to bring them to work; 
4. Evaluating the overnll structure of the Legislature, including the size of the 
Legislature, the benefit of a professional legislatme versus a citizen legislature, the benefit 
of a year-round legislature vei·sus a part-time legislatu1·e and the benefit of a unicamel'al 
legislatu1·e versus a bicameral legislatUl'e; 
5, Evaluating the number of terms and the frequency of elections for members of the 
Legislature; 
6. Evaluating the training and education of Legislators and legislative staff, including 
the use of policy 1·esearch and data in the legislative process; 
7. Exploring changes to the legislative staffing strnctme) including increasing partisan 
and nonpartisan staffing; 
8. Exploring the reorganization of the legislative calendar; 
,9, Evaluating the process for allowing the introduction of bills) both before and aftel' 
cloture, including limiting the number of bills in a legislative session and in a legislative 
biennium; 
I 0. Evaluating the requirements for drafting legislation; evaluating the use of concept 
draft legislation; and explol'ing the prioritization of legislation; 
11. Evaluating the structure of joint standing committees of the Legislature; evaluating 
the committee appointment process; evaluating meetings of the joint standing committees 
of the Legislature; and evaluating the responsibilities and jurisdiction of joint standing 
committees) including prncedures for public hearings and work sessions, scheduling public 
hearings and work sessions and the rules fo1· testimony; 
12. Evaluating the process for forming and approving the state budget, including 
participation in budget hearings and work sessions; 
13. Evaluating the legislative confirmation process fo1· gubematorial appointments; and 
14. Exploring the adoption of a legislative strategic plan, including the inclusion of 
economic impact statements on legislation. 
Sec. 7. Staff assistance. Resolved: That, notwithstanding Joint Rule 353, the 
Legislative Council shall provide necessary staffing services to support both the 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" jt "to S.P. 657, L.D. 1649 (5 ,.) Cf') 
commission and the working groups, except that Legislative Council staff support is not 
authorized when the Legislature is in regular or special session. 
Sec. 8. Report. Resolved: That, no late1· than December 3, 2025, the commission 
shall submit a report that includes its findings and a survey of possible solutions for 
modernizing and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the Legislatme, including 
suggested legislation, for presentation to the Second Regular Session of the 132nd 
Legislature.' 
Amend the resolve by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or 
section number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment replaces the resolve and changes the title. It establishes a commission 
to study and recommend solutions for modemizing and improving the effectiveness of the 
Legislature. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUffiED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 06/02/25 LRL 
LD 1649 
LR 1690(02) 
Resolve, to Establish the Blue Ribbon Commission to Study the Operations of the Legislature 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment ''/r't 5 .-'3cf) 
Committee: State and Local Government 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Legislative Cost/Study 
Legislative Cost/Study 
The general operating expenses of this study are projected to be $14,860 in fiscal year 2025-26. The Legislature1s 
proposed budget for the 2026-2027 biennium includes $22,196 in each of fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27 for the 
costs of legislative studies, as Well as $8,265 in projected balances from fiscal year 2024-25 and $33,073 of balances 
carried over from prior years for this purpose. Whether these amounts are sufficient to fund all studies will depend on 
the number of studies authorized by the Legislative Council and the Legislature. The additional costs of providing 
staffing assistance to the study during the interim can be absorbed utilizing existing budgeted staff resources. 
LRl690(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of l