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STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
_____
H.P. 556 - L.D. 870
An Act Regarding the Membership of the Maine Land Use Planning
Commission
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §683-A, first ¶, as amended by PL 2013, c. 256, §3, is further
amended to read:
The Maine Land Use Planning Commission, as established by Title 5, section 12004‑D,
subsection 1‑A to carry out the purposes stated in section 681, is created within the
Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and in this chapter called "the
commission." The commission is charged with implementing this chapter. The
commission consists of 9 11 members, appointed in accordance with subsections 1 1-A and
2. All appointments under this section are subject to review by the joint standing committee
of the Legislature having jurisdiction over conservation matters and to confirmation by the
Senate.
Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §683-A, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2013, c. 256, §3, is repealed.
Sec. 3. 12 MRSA §683-A, sub-§1-A is enacted to read:
1-A. Appointments by Governor. Except as provided in subsection 2, the Governor
shall appoint 2 members to the commission as follows:
A. One appointee who resides or works in the commission's jurisdiction, is a former
resident of the commission's jurisdiction or has significant professional experience
working within the commission's jurisdiction and who has expertise in one or more of
the areas of forestry, land use planning, conservation, fisheries, wildlife, outdoor
recreation and natural resources-related businesses that operate in the commission's
jurisdiction; and
B. One appointee who is a member of a federally recognized Indian nation, tribe or
band in this State based on the joint recommendation of the federally recognized Indian
nations, tribes and bands in the State.
Sec. 4. 12 MRSA §683-A, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2013, c. 256, §3, is further
amended to read:
LAW WITHOUT
GOVERNOR'S
SIGNATURE
JANUARY 11, 2026
CHAPTER
534
PUBLIC LAW
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2. Appointment of members representing a county. One member must be
appointed by each of the 8 counties with the most acreage in the unorganized or
deorganized areas subject to the jurisdiction of the commission. The board of county
commissioners for each of the counties shall appoint by majority vote a resident of that
county to serve as a member of the commission. A county commissioner who is a candidate
for appointment to serve on the commission may not vote on that appointment. In making
the appointment, the board of county commissioners shall actively seek and give
consideration to persons residing in or near the unorganized or deorganized areas within
the county. The At least 3 months before the end of a term for a commissioner appointed
by a board of county commissioners, the director of the commission shall provide that
board of county commissioners with general information about the commission's
jurisdiction, the roles and responsibilities of a member of the commission and other
materials that the board of county commissioners may share with interested applicants.
Each board of county commissioners shall advertise the position for at least 30 days and in
the same manner as the county advertises personnel positions. The board of county
commissioners shall accept written or electronic applications from candidates, conduct
interviews with candidates as determined by the board, evaluate candidates based on
required qualifications and select from among those candidates an appointee.
An appointee under this subsection must have expertise in commerce and industry, fisheries
and wildlife, forestry or, conservation issues as they relate to the commission's jurisdiction
and must:, fisheries, wildlife, land use planning, outdoor recreation or natural resources-
based businesses that operate in the commission's jurisdiction and must reside or work in
the commission's jurisdiction, be a former resident of the commission's jurisdiction or have
significant professional experience working within the commission's jurisdiction.
A. Reside in the commission's jurisdiction;
B. Work in the commission's jurisdiction; or
C. Be a former resident or be retired after having worked for a minimum of 5 years
within the commission's jurisdiction.
If a board of county commissioners fails to appoint a member to the commission under this
subsection within 90 business days of a vacancy on the commission to be filled by that
county, the Governor shall appoint a resident of that county meeting the criteria in
subsection 1 1-A to fill the vacancy.
For any county appointee, the board of county commissioners shall provide to the Office
of the Governor, the President of the Senate and, the Speaker of the House of
Representatives and the director of the commission the name and address of the appointee,
together with information concerning that person's background and qualifications, in the
same manner required of the Governor for nominations made pursuant to Title 3, section
154. A board of county commissioners has the same authority as the Governor, pursuant
to Title 3, section 154, to withdraw the name of an appointee at any time before the Senate
votes. The provisions of Title 3, sections 155 to 158 apply to the process of legislative
review and confirmation of all county appointees to the commission.
Sec. 5. 12 MRSA §683-A, sub-§2-A is enacted to read:
2-A. Legislative appointment. The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the
House shall jointly appoint one at-large member to the commission who has a scientific or
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technical background in one or more of the areas of forestry, land use planning,
conservation, fisheries, wildlife, outdoor recreation and natural resource-based businesses
that operate in the commission's jurisdiction and through life or work experience
demonstrates knowledge of issues important to the commission's jurisdiction.
Sec. 6. 12 MRSA §683-A, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2013, c. 256, §3, is further
amended to read:
4. Terms. All members are appointed to 4-year terms and may not serve more than 2
consecutive terms. Any member who has not been reappointed by the Governor or a board
of county commissioners prior to the expiration of that member's term may not continue to
serve on the commission, unless the Governor notifies the Legislature in writing prior to
the expiration of that member's term that extension of that member's term is required to
ensure fair consideration of specific major applications pending before the commission.
That member's term ends upon final commission decisions on the specific applications
identified in the Governor's communication. Any member reappointed by the Governor or
a board of county commissioners prior to the expiration of that member's term continues to
serve on the commission until the appointment is acted upon by the Legislature. Once a
member of the commission has been appointed by the Governor or a board of county
commissioners, a vacancy of that seat must be filled by the same appointing authority as
provided in this section. A vacancy during an unexpired term is filled only for the unexpired
portion of the term.
Sec. 7. 12 MRSA §684, first ¶, as amended by PL 2011, c. 682, §8, is further
amended to read:
The commission shall elect annually, from its own membership, a chair, vice-chair and
such other officers it considers necessary. Meetings are held at the call of the chair or at the
call of more than 1/2 of the membership. Meetings must be held at a location within the
jurisdiction of the commission or another convenient location approved by the chair. The
commission, acting in accordance with the procedures set forth in Title 5, chapter 375,
subchapter 2 2-A, may adopt whatever rules it considers necessary for the conduct of its
business. The commission shall keep minutes of all proceedings, which are a public record
available and on file in the office of the commission. Members of the commission are
compensated as provided in Title 5, chapter 379. Commission members must receive an
orientation and annual continuing education on this chapter, commission rules and planning
and regulatory processes. A quorum of the commission for the transaction of business is 5
members. No action may be taken by the commission unless upon approval by a vote of 5
members a simple majority of commission members.
Sec. 8. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and
allocations are made.
AGRICULTURE, CONSERVATION AND FORESTRY, DEPARTMENT OF
Maine Land Use Planning Commission Z236
Initiative: Provides one-time funding for laptops and other technology items for 2
additional board members.
GENERAL FUND 2025-26 2026-27
All Other $6,850 $0
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GENERAL FUND TOTAL $6,850 $0
Maine Land Use Planning Commission Z236
Initiative: Provides funding for associated administrative overhead for additional board
members.
GENERAL FUND 2025-26 2026-27
All Other $9,960 $9,960
__________ __________
GENERAL FUND TOTAL $9,960 $9,960
Maine Land Use Planning Commission Z236
Initiative: Provides funding for per diem expenses of additional board members.
GENERAL FUND 2025-26 2026-27
Personal Services $990 $990
__________ __________
GENERAL FUND TOTAL $990 $990
AGRICULTURE, CONSERVATION AND
FORESTRY, DEPARTMENT OF
DEPARTMENT TOTALS 2025-26 2026-27
GENERAL FUND $17,800 $10,950
__________ __________
DEPARTMENT TOTAL - ALL FUNDS $17,800 $10,950