PLEASE NOTE: Legislative Information cannot perform research, provide legal advice, or interpret Maine law. For legal assistance, please contact a qualified attorney.
An Act To Provide Wage Parity for Certain State Law Enforcement Personnel
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 36 MRSA §1817, sub-§7, as enacted by IB 2015, c. 5, §3, is amended to read:
 
7. Application of tax revenues.   All sales tax revenue collected pursuant to this section must be deposited in the General Fund. Sales tax revenue derived from the sale of retail marijuana and retail marijuana products may not be used to directly fund any new state programs except that this revenue may be appropriated to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy for the purpose of training law enforcement personnel on retail marijuana and retail marijuana products laws and rules and, beginning July 1, 2018, to fund any increase in salary schedules implemented in fiscal year 2017-18 for Adult Probation Officer and Juvenile Community Corrections Officer positions in the Department of Corrections. Funds appropriated to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy pursuant to this subsection may be used only for the actual costs incurred to provide the necessary education and training of law enforcement personnel.
Sec. 2. Adjustment of salary schedules for certain law enforcement position classifications in fiscal year 2017-18. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, effective at the beginning of the pay period commencing closest to the effective date of this section, the salary schedules for the positions specified in this section in the Department of Corrections; the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry; Baxter State Park Authority; the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, Maine Military Authority; the Office of the Attorney General; and the Office of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor Vehicles that are included in the law enforcement bargaining unit or the supervisory services bargaining unit must be adjusted upward by 15%:
1. Department of Corrections. All positions in the Department of Corrections classified as Adult Probation Officer, Juvenile Community Corrections Officer or Correctional Investigator;
2. Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. All positions in the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry classified as Regional Ranger, District Ranger, Forest Ranger II, Forest Fire Prevention Specialist, Ranger Pilot or Ranger Pilot Supervisor;
3. Baxter State Park Authority. All positions in the Baxter State Park Authority classified as Baxter Park Ranger Supervisor;
4. Maine Military Authority. All positions in the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, Maine Military Authority that are classified as Military Security Police Officer;
5. Office of the Attorney General. All positions in the Office of the Attorney General that are classified as Attorney General Investigator; and
6. Bureau of Motor Vehicles. All positions in the Office of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor Vehicles that are classified as Motor Vehicle Detective or Senior Motor Vehicle Detective.
Sec. 3. Funding. The increases authorized by section 2 are to be funded from the General Fund, except that beginning with fiscal year 2018-19, notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the cost of the increase for the Adult Probation Officer and Juvenile Community Corrections Officer positions in the Department of Corrections is to be offset using revenue from the tax imposed on the sale of marijuana pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 36, section 1817.
 
SUMMARY
This bill provides for a 15% upward adjustment of salary schedules in fiscal year 2017-18 for certain law enforcement positions in the Department of Corrections; the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry; Baxter State Park Authority; the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, Maine Military Authority; the Office of the Attorney General; and the Office of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The bill requires that, beginning in fiscal year 2018-19, revenue from a sales tax imposed on the retail sale of recreational marijuana is to be used to offset the cost of the salary increase for Adult Probation Officer and Juvenile Community Corrections Officer positions in the Department of Corrections.