PLEASE NOTE: Legislative Information cannot perform research, provide legal advice, or interpret Maine law. For legal assistance, please contact a qualified attorney.
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following:
‘Resolve, To Study State and Federal Laws Regarding Online Privacy and Data Security To Develop Ways To Further Protect Consumers from Identity Theft and Fraud’
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the title and before the summary and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1 Task force established. Resolved: That the Task Force To Study State and Federal Laws Regarding Online Privacy and Data Security To Develop Ways To Further Protect Consumers from Identity Theft and Fraud, referred to in this resolve as "the task force," is established; and be it further
Sec. 2 Task force membership. Resolved: That the task force consists of 13 members appointed as follows:
1. Three members of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate, including members from each of the 2 parties holding the largest number of seats in the Legislature;
2. Four members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House, including members from each of the 2 parties holding the largest number of seats in the Legislature;
3. Two members appointed by the President of the Senate, one who represents online retailers and one who represents the information technology industry;
4. Two members appointed by the Speaker of the House, one who represents an international privacy association with expertise in privacy and data security and one who represents financial institutions or credit unions; and
5. Two members appointed by the Governor, one who represents consumer protection advocates and one who represents an organization whose mission is to protect the United States Constitution and the privacy of citizens; and be it further
Sec. 3 Chairs. Resolved: That the first-named Senate member is the Senate chair and the first-named House of Representatives member is the House chair of the task force; and be it further
Sec. 4 Appointments; convening of task force. Resolved: That all appointments must be made no later than 30 days following the effective date of this resolve. The appointing authorities shall notify the Executive Director of the Legislative Council once all appointments have been completed. After appointment of all members, the chairs shall call and convene the first meeting of the task force. If 30 days or more after the effective date of this resolve a majority of but not all appointments have been made, the chairs may convene the task force to meet and conduct its business; and be it further
Sec. 5 Duties. Resolved: That the task force shall:
1. Study state and federal laws regarding online privacy and data security;
2. Review best practices from other states to protect consumers against online identity theft;
3. Identify and analyze best practices from other states for data security; and
4. Identify policy options for the State to consider to protect consumers from identity theft and fraud when making purchases online; and be it further
Sec. 6 Meetings. Resolved: That meetings of the task force must be conducted in public in accordance with the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 1, chapter 13. The task force shall provide notice of its meetings to the Joint Standing Committee on Insurance and Financial Services; and be it further
Sec. 7 Staff assistance. Resolved: That the Legislative Council shall provide necessary staffing services to the task force. Upon request, the Department of the Attorney General, the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation and the Department of Administrative and Financial Services shall provide information and assistance to the task force; and be it further
Sec. 8 Report. Resolved: That, no later than December 2, 2015, the task force shall submit a report that includes its findings and recommendations, including suggested legislation, for presentation to the Second Regular Session of the 127th Legislature; and be it further
Sec. 9 Funding. Resolved: That the task force may seek funding contributions to fund the costs of the study. All funding is subject to approval by the Legislative Council in accordance with its policies.’
 
SUMMARY
This amendment is the majority report of the committee. This amendment replaces the bill and changes it into a resolve. The amendment establishes a task force to study state and federal laws regarding online privacy and data security. The task force is composed of 13 members, including 7 Legislators and 6 representatives of privacy and data security associations, consumer protection advocates, financial institutions, online retailers, technology companies and an organization whose mission is to protect the United States Constitution and the privacy of citizens. The amendment requires the task force to identify policy options for the State to consider to protect consumers from identity theft and fraud when making purchases online. The amendment requires the task force to report back to the Legislature before the Second Regular Session of the 127th Legislature.