Page 1 - 131LR1088(03) STATE OF MAINE _____ IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-THREE _____ H.P. 187 - L.D. 289 An Act to Amend the Laws Governing the Advisory Committee on the Fund to Address PFAS Contamination Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §12004-I, sub-§2-I, amended to read: 2-I. Agriculture Advisory Committee on the Fund To Address PFAS Contamination Expenses and Legislative Per Diem and Expenses for Legislators/Expenses Only for Other Members 7 MRSA §320‑L Sec. 2. 7 MRSA §320-L, first ¶, amended to read: The Advisory Committee on the Fund To Address PFAS Contamination is established pursuant to Title 5, section 12004‑I, subsection 2‑I to make recommendations to the department regarding administration of the fund and to report to the Legislature. In order to develop recommendations for the department, the advisory committee may form working groups that include and seek input from subject matter experts from the public and private sectors to deliberate issues relating to the purposes of the fund as described in section 320‑K, subsection 4, including, but not limited to, health monitoring, short-term financial aid for farmers, research priorities, solar siting, long-term environmental monitoring and land acquisition. Sec. 3. 7 MRSA §320-L, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 2021, c. 635, Pt. XX, §2, is amended by amending the first blocked paragraph to read: The 7 members of the public appointed by the commissioner serve on the advisory committee for terms of 3 years. Members may be appointed for consecutive terms. Members who are Legislators are appointed for the duration of the legislative terms of APPROVED JUNE 16, 2023 BY GOVERNOR CHAPTER 212 PUBLIC LAW Page 2 - 131LR1088(03) office for which they were appointed, except that at the end of the term, members who are Legislators continue to serve until a successor is appointed. Sec. 4. 7 MRSA §320-L, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2021, c. 635, Pt. XX, §2, is amended to read: 3. Reports Proceedings of the advisory committee. The advisory committee shall hold at least 2 public hearings annually to seek input from the public on efforts to meet the purposes of the fund. All proceedings of the advisory committee are public proceedings within the meaning of Title 1, chapter 13, subchapter 1. Notwithstanding Title 1, section 403, subsection 6, all records of proceedings of the advisory committee are public and subject to the requirements of Title 1, section 403, subsection 2. The advisory committee shall report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over agricultural matters and the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over environmental matters annually, beginning March 1, 2023, on the input from subject matter experts under subsection 1 and members of the public on issues relating to the purposes and the use of the fund. The joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over agricultural matters and the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over environmental matters may report out legislation related to each annual report to the Legislature in the session when the report is received. Sec. 5. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made. AGRICULTURE, CONSERVATION AND FORESTRY, DEPARTMENT OF DACF Administration 0401 Initiative: Provides allocations to reimburse expenses of advisory committee members. OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS 2023-24 2024-25Personal Services $2,310 $2,310 ____________________ OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS TOTAL $2,310 $2,310