RULEMAKING

ublic Input for Proposed 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 (Title 5 §8055). 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). World?Wide 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 rulemaking liaisons (http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/rules/liaisons.html), who are single points of contact for each agency. PROPOSALS AGENCY: 03-201 - Department of Corrections (DOC) CHAPTER NUMBER AND TITLE: Ch. 15, Batterer Intervention Program Certification PROPOSED RULE NUMBER: 2017-P116 BRIEF SUMMARY: Repeal and replacement of rule Ch. 15, Batterer Intervention Program Certification, is sought to include recommendations resulting from a review of the Batterer Intervention Program Certification standards that the Maine Department of Corrections staff conducted in consultation with the Maine Commission on Domestic and Sexual Abuse. PUBLIC HEARING: October 5, 2017 - 10:00 a.m., Maine Department of Corrections, 25 Tyson Drive (Tyson Building) - 3rd Floor, Augusta, ME in the MDOC Board Room COMMENT DEADLINE: October 15, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. CONTACT PERSON FOR THIS FILING / SMALL BUSINESS IMPACT STATEMENT / DOC RULEMAKING LIAISON: Mary Lucia, Department of Correction, 111 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333. Telephone: (207) 287-4681. (TTY) Maine Relay 711. Fax: (207) 287-4370. Email: Mary.A.Lucia@Maine.gov . FINANCIAL IMPACT ON MUNICIPALITIES OR COUNTIES: None AGENCY: 94-457 - Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) PROPOSED RULE NUMBER: 2017-P117 CHAPTER NUMBER AND TITLE: Ch. 1, Bylaws and Administration of the Finance Authority of Maine BRIEF SUMMARY: The amendment amends the Gift Policy portion of the Authority's Code of Ethics, to clarify that compensation for services rendered by an employee or board member may be accepted without violation of the policy, provided however that such compensation will likely form the basis of a conflict of interest. PUBLIC HEARING: None scheduled. One would be scheduled at the request of 5 or more persons. COMMENT DEADLINE: October 13, 2017 CONTACT PERSON FOR THIS FILING / SMALL BUSINESS IMPACT INFORMATION / FAME RULEMAKING LIAISON: Christopher H. Roney, Finance Authority of Maine, 5 Community Drive, Augusta, ME 04332. Telephone: (207) 620-3520. Email: croney@famemaine.com . IMPACT ON MUNICIPALITIES OR COUNTIES: The proposed rule amendment will not impose any costs on municipalities or counties. AGENCY: 13-188 - Department of Marine Resources (DMR) CHAPTER NUMBER AND TITLE: Ch. 10, Clams and Quahogs: 10.05, Taking of Quahogs in the Sub-tidal Waters of New Meadows Lakes, Brunswick and West Bath PROPOSED RULE NUMBER: 2017-P118 BRIEF SUMMARY: This proposed rule would establish weekend closed periods and a seasonal closed period for the taking of quahogs in the New Meadows Lakes. Harvesters would be prohibited from fishing or taking quahogs in the New Meadows Lakes during weekends, and winter months from sunset on December 31 through sunrise on April 1. The winter closed period sunsets April 1, 2019. Recent surveys of the New Meadows Lakes conducted by the Maine Department of Marine Resources indicate a decline in the quahog population. These particular effort control measures were proposed at meetings with industry members held in the spring of 2017, and are intended to reduce fishing pressure on the quahog resource, and to minimize the mortality associated with winter fishing. PUBLIC HEARING: October 4, 2017, 6 p.m., Bath Parks and Recreation Center, Bath, ME. Hearing facilities: If you require accommodations due to disability, please contact Amanda Beckwith, at (207) 287-7578. COMMENT DEADLINE: October 16, 2017 CONTACT PERSON FOR THIS FILING / SMALL BUSINESS INFORMATION: Amanda Ellis (telephone: 207-624-6573). Mail Written Comments to: Department of Marine Resources, attn. Rulemaking, 21 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0021. Fax: (207) 624-6024. TTY: (207) 624-6500 (Deaf/Hard of Hearing). Email: dmr.rulemaking@maine.gov . DMR Rulemaking Website: http://www.maine.gov/dmr/laws-regulations/proposed-rulemaking.html . FINANCIAL IMPACT ON MUNICIPALITIES OR COUNTIES: none AGENCY: 13-188 - Department of Marine Resources (DMR) CHAPTER NUMBER AND TITLE: Ch. 115, Vibrio parahaemolyticus Control Plan PROPOSED RULE NUMBER: 2017-P119 BRIEF SUMMARY: This proposed rule incorporates the New Meadows River, north of Bath/State Rd in Brunswick and West Bath, into the existing Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp) control plan. The addition of the New Meadows River is intended to reduce the likelihood that American and European oysters (Crassostrea virginica and Ostrea edulis) and hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria) harvested from the New Meadows River will cause Vp infections in consumers. Independent, biological sampling of hard clams (quahogs) in the New Meadows River has shown positive results for total Vp, so the organism is known to be present in the growing area. The Maine Department of Marine Resources recognizes that the New Meadows River has the environmental characteristics (primarily water and air temperature and salinity) that potentially pose a threat to public health with regard to Vp infections. Research indicates that the most reliable way to minimize potential Vp illnesses is to utilize time and temperature controls. PUBLIC HEARING: October 4, 2017, 5 p.m., Bath Parks and Recreation Center, Bath ME. Hearing facilities: If you require accommodations due to disability, please contact Amanda Beckwith, at (207) 287-7578. COMMENT DEADLINE: October 16, 2017 CONTACT PERSON FOR THIS FILING / SMALL BUSINESS INFORMATION: Amanda Ellis (telephone: 207-624-6573). Mail Written Comments to: Department of Marine Resources, attn. Rulemaking, 21 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0021. Fax: (207) 624-6024. TTY: (207) 624-6500 (Deaf/Hard of Hearing). Email: dmr.rulemaking@maine.gov . DMR Rulemaking Website: http://www.maine.gov/dmr/laws-regulations/proposed-rulemaking.html . FINANCIAL IMPACT ON MUNICIPALITIES OR COUNTIES: none 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 .