Public Input for Rules
Notices are published each Wednesday to alert the public regarding state agency rulemaking. You may obtain a copy of any rule by notifying the agency contact person. You may also comment on the rule, and/or attend the public hearing. If no hearing is scheduled, you may request one - the agency may then schedule a hearing, and must do so if 5 or more persons request it. If you are disabled or need special services to attend a hearing, please notify the agency contact person at least 7 days prior to it. Petitions: you can petition an agency to adopt, amend, or repeal any rule; the agency must provide you with petition forms, and must respond to your petition within 60 days. The agency must enter rulemaking if the petition is signed by 150 or more registered voters, and may begin rulemaking if there are fewer. You can also petition the Legislature to review a rule; the Executive Director of the Legislative Council (115 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333, phone (207) 287-1615) will provide you with the necessary petition forms. The appropriate legislative committee will review a rule upon receipt of a petition from 100 or more registered voters, or from "...any person who may be directly, substantially and adversely affected by the application of a rule..." (Title 5 §11112). WorldWide Web: Copies of the weekly notices and the full texts of adopted rule chapters may be found on the internet at: http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/rules. There is also a list of rule-making liaisons (http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/rules/liaisons.html), who are single points of contact for each agency.
PROPOSALS
AGENCY: 17-229 - Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT)
CHAPTER NUMBER AND TITLE: Ch. 210, Utility Accommodation Rules
PROPOSED RULE NUMBER: 2018-P184
BRIEF SUMMARY: Revisions to clarify existing rules to address the permitting and physical location of facilities for the 5G wireless deployment currently underway in the State of Maine including technical revisions for utility accommodation such as material types, offsets in state and state-aid highway rights-of-way, dual pole lines, and permitting of pole locations.
PUBLIC HEARING: none
COMMENT DEADLINE: September 28, 2018
CONTACT PERSON FOR THIS FILING: Michael Moreau, MaineDOT, 16 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333. Telephone: (207) 624-3365. Email: Michael.Moreau@Maine.gov .
CONTACT PERSON FOR SMALL BUSINESS IMPACT STATEMENT: Jennifer M. Smith (Jennifer.M.Smith@Maine.gov) and Toni Kemmerle (Toni.Kemmerle@Maine.gov).
FINANCIAL IMPACT ON MUNICIPALITIES OR COUNTIES: N/A
AGENCY: 65-407 - Public Utilities Commission (PUC)
CHAPTER NUMBER AND TITLE: Ch. 288, Maine Universal Service Fund
PROPOSED RULE NUMBER: 2018-P185
BRIEF SUMMARY: The Public Utilities Commission initiates a rulemaking to amend Ch. 288, Maine Universal Service Fund (MUSF) of the Commission's rules. The proposed amendments will make the rule compatible with the current statute, will provide stability for the amounts contributed to the Fund, and will integrate the collection of the MUSF with that of the MTEAF, which itself was recently amended in Docket No. 2017-00283 to adopt a new contribution methodology.
PUBLIC HEARING: September 17, 2018 - 1:30 p.m., Public Utilities Commission, 101 Second Street, Hallowell, Maine
COMMENT DEADLINE: October 5, 2018. Initial Comments regarding the proposed amendments may be filed using the Commission's Case Management System no later than Monday, September 10, 2018. Written comments on the proposed Rule may be filed using the Commission's Case Management System no later than Friday, October 5, 2018. All comments will appear in the Case Management System, which is accessible from the Commission's web site. Commenters should refer to Docket Number 2018-00200 when submitting comments.
CONTACT PERSON FOR THIS FILING / SMALL BUSINESS IMPACT INFORMATION: Jordan McColman, PUC, 18State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333. Telephone: (207) 287-3831. Email: Jordan.D.McColman@Maine.gov .
FINANCIAL IMPACT ON MUNICIPALITIES OR COUNTIES: Minimal
AGENCY: 29-250 - Department of the Secretary of State (SOS), Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions - Division of Elections
CHAPTER NUMBERS AND TITLES:
Ch. 502, Rules Governing the Conduct and Procedures for Election Recounts in Election Contests Determined by Plurality
Ch. 535, Rules Governing the Administration of Elections Determined by Ranked-Choice Voting
Ch. 536, Rules Establishing the Procedures for Requesting and Conducting Recounts of Elections Determined by Ranked-Choice Voting
PROPOSED RULE NUMBERS: 2018-P186, P187, P188
BRIEF SUMMARY:
Ch. 502: This rule sets forth the procedures for the conduct of recounts of state elections by the Secretary of State, including the collection, security and handling of ballots, scheduling the recounts, personnel, instructions, supervision, disputed ballots and final sign-off at the conclusion of the recount, in an election contest determined by plurality. The rule establishes procedures for conducting a recount in stages when a recount is requested for a statewide referendum or statewide or multicounty office.
Ch. 535: This rule sets forth the procedures for the administration of elections determined by ranked-choice voting, including the collection, security and handling of ballots and memory devices between the municipal offices and the central counting facility; aggregating and counting the cast vote records; administering the rounds of ranked-choice counting until only two candidates remain, and the candidate with the most votes in the final round is declared the winner; and reporting the results.
Ch. 536: This rule sets forth the procedures for requesting and conducting recounts of elections that are determined by the process of ranked-choice voting, including the collection, security and handling of ballots, scheduling and staging the recounts, personnel, instructions, supervision, sorting and counting of first-choice votes and subsequent rankings, handling of disputed and challenged ballots, and final sign-off at the conclusion of the recount.
PUBLIC HEARING: September 17, 2018 - 1 p.m., Room 400 - Burton Cross Building, 111 Sewall Street, Augusta
COMMENT DEADLINE: September 27, 2018
CONTACT PERSON FOR THIS FILING / SMALL BUSINESS IMPACT INFORMATION: Melissa K. Packard, Director of Elections, 101 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0101. Telephone: (207) 624-7650. Fax: (207) 287-5428. Email: Melissa.Packard@Maine.gov .
FINANCIAL IMPACT ON MUNICIPALITIES OR COUNTIES: N/A
ADOPTIONS
Pursuant to Ch. 380 of the Public Laws of 2011, notice of the adoption of rules will no longer be published in the newspaper rulemaking notices; our Wednesday web notices will continue to carry them, however. Information on rules adopted through the Maine Administrative Procedure Act as well as the full text of adopted rules is available on the internet at http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/rules .
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