An Act to Establish a Special Committee to Review Routine
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1372
Committee: Re
Sponsors: SOBOLESKI, MARTIN
Amends: 5 MRSA §11117

Legislative Document
No. 1372
H.P. 895
House of Representatives, April 1, 2025
An Act to Establish a Special Committee to Review Routine 
Technical Rules
Received by the Clerk of the House on March 28, 2025.  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 SOBOLESKI of Phillips.
Cosponsored by Senator MARTIN of Oxford and
Representatives: DRINKWATER of Milford, FREDERICKS of Sanford, LAVIGNE of 
Berwick, PERKINS of Dover-Foxcroft, SMITH of Palermo, THORNE of Carmel, Senator: 
BRADSTREET of Kennebec.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  5 MRSA §11117 is enacted to read:
§11117.  Special Committee on Regulatory Review
1.  Review of routine technical rules.  Notwithstanding any provision of chapter 375 
to the contrary, routine technical rules as described in section 8071, subsection 2 proposed 
for adoption or amendment under chapter 375, subchapter 2-A are subject to review by the 
Special Committee on Regulatory Review, established in this section for the purpose of 
reviewing routine technical rules, referred to in this section as "the committee."
2. Committee membership; chairs.  The committee consists of 6 members of the 
Senate and 6 members of the House of Representatives, and the membership must be 
evenly divided between each of the 2 parties holding the largest number of seats in each 
chamber.  The appointment of members and the selection of chairs are established by joint 
rule of the Legislature.
3. Annual report.  Beginning in 2028, the committee shall submit a report to the 
Legislature listing the routine technical rules as described in section 8071, subsection 2, 
sorted by agency, that were reviewed in the preceding calendar year and the action taken 
by the committee on each reviewed rule.  The report may also include the following:
A.  Recommended legislation proposing changes to the process for the adoption of 
routine technical rules; and
B. Recommendations for more effective collaboration among the Legislature, the 
executive branch and the judicial branch with regard to adoption, enforcement and 
adjudication of routine technical rules.
Sec. 2. Committee to adopt review procedure, recommend legislation.  The 
Special Committee on Regulatory Review, referred to in this section as "the committee" 
and established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 11117, shall establish a 
process for the committee to review routine technical rules as described in Title 5, section 
8071, subsection 2 proposed for adoption or amendment pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, 
subchapter 2-A.  At a minimum, the process must allow for the committee to review 
proposed routine technical rules for necessity, efficiency and a benefit of the rule to the 
public and for the committee to approve that a rule be adopted with or without change or 
to reject adoption of the rule.  No later than February 1, 2026, the committee shall submit 
legislation to the Second Regular Session of the 132nd Legislature proposing to amend 
Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A as necessary to conform the statutory authority for the 
adoption of routine technical rules with the review process established by the committee 
pursuant to this section and to incorporate that review process into law.
SUMMARY
This bill establishes the Special Committee on Regulatory Review to review routine 
technical rules.  The committee consists of 6 members of the Senate and 6 members of the 
House of Representatives, evenly divided between each of the 2 parties holding the largest 
number of seats in each chamber.  The appointment of members and the selection of chairs 
are established by joint rule of the Legislature.  The committee is directed to establish a 
process for reviewing routine technical rules for necessity, efficiency and the benefit of the 
rule to the public.  The process must allow the committee to approve the rule with or 
without changes or reject adoption of the rule.  The committee is required to submit 
legislation proposing to amend the statutory authority for the adoption of routine technical 
rules to conform to the review process established by the committee.