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An Act To Promote Public Safety Answering Point Efficiency
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  25 MRSA §2925, sub-§6, ¶D  is enacted to read:
 
D.  The council shall assist the bureau in responding to and resolving service-related complaints and issues regarding the E-9-1-1 system.
Sec. 2. 25 MRSA §2927, sub-§5, as amended by PL 1997, c. 409, §1, is further amended to read:
 
5. Legislative annual report. The bureau shall report annually, before February 1st, to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over utilities and energy matters on:
 
A.  The bureau's planned expenditures for the year and use of funds for the previous year;
 
B.  The statewide E-9-1-1 surcharge collected under this section;
 
C.  The bureau's recommended statewide E-9-1-1 surcharge for the coming year; and
 
D.  The bureau's recommendations for amending existing and enacting new law to improve the E-9-1-1 system.; and
 
E.  The performance of each of the public safety answering points in the State during the previous calendar year.
Sec. 3. Report regarding public safety answering points and E-9-1-1 system. No later than February 1, 2010, the Public Utilities Commission, Emergency Services Communication Bureau shall prepare and submit to the Joint Standing Committee on Utilities and Energy a report on:
1. The optimum configuration of public safety answering points in the State, taking into account:
A. Total E-9-1-1 system costs, including, but not limited to, maintenance, training and operating expenses;
B. Answering position units;
C. Back-up systems for the public safety answering points;
D. Forecasted total system costs under the optimum configuration; and
E. Established formulas and models of optimum call-taker staffing for public safety answering points, including, but not limited to, the minimum call-taker, or call answerer, staffing model presented in the 1980 report "Design and Costing of 911 Systems - A Technical Manual - Final Report" commissioned by the United States Department of Justice; and
2. The benefits and consequences of expanding the statewide E-9-1-1 surcharge to fund all E-9-1-1 system costs, including operation and maintenance expenses that are currently funded through county assessments and fees from the political subdivisions, and the projected increase in the E-9-1-1 surcharge required to fund all system costs.
 
After receipt and review of the report required under this section, the Joint Standing Committee on Utilities and Energy may submit legislation relating to the report to the Second Regular Session of the 124th Legislature.
 
SUMMARY
This bill requires the E-9-1-1 Council to assist the Public Utilities Commission, Emergency Services Communication Bureau in resolving service-related complaints regarding the E-9-1-1 system. It requires the bureau to include in its annual report to the Joint Standing Committee on Utilities and Energy information regarding the performance of each of the public safety answering points during the reporting period. The bill directs the bureau to prepare and submit a report to the Joint Standing Committee on Utilities and Energy regarding the optimum configuration of public safety answering points in the State and the benefits and consequences of expanding the statewide E-9-1-1 surcharge to fund all E-9-1-1 system costs. The bill authorizes the committee to submit legislation relating to the report to the Second Regular Session of the 124th Legislature.