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Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following:
‘An Act To Require State Government Departments That Affect Health and Safety To Report on Staff Vacancies’
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1.  5 MRSA §1583-D  is enacted to read:
§ 1583-D. Staff vacancies; report
On or before September 1st of each even-numbered year, the Department of Corrections, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Public Safety shall each submit a report on authorized staff positions and vacancies to the Legislature in accordance with this section. Each department’s report must include, but is not limited to, the total number of authorized positions in the department and the number of vacant positions, each measured as of June 30th of the reporting year, and the vacancy rate, calculated as the number of vacant positions divided by the number of authorized positions. If the calculated vacancy rate for the department is equal to or greater than 0.25, the report must include a written justification for the vacancy for each vacant position.
 
1.  Department of Corrections; Department of Public Safety.     The Department of Corrections and the Department of Public Safety each shall submit the report required by this section to the joint standing committees of the Legislature having jurisdiction over appropriations and financial affairs and over criminal justice and public safety matters.
 
2.  Department of Health and Human Services.    The Department of Health and Human Services shall submit the report required by this section to the joint standing committees of the Legislature having jurisdiction over appropriations and financial affairs and over health and human services matters.’
 
SUMMARY
This amendment, which is the majority report of the committee, replaces the bill, which is a concept draft. The amendment requires the Department of Corrections, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Public Safety each to submit a report on authorized staff positions and vacancies on or before September 1st of each even-numbered year. The report must include, but is not limited to, the total number of authorized positions in the department and the number of vacant positions, each measured as of June 30th of the reporting year, and the vacancy rate, calculated as the number of vacant positions divided by the number of authorized positions. If the calculated vacancy rate for the department is equal to or greater than 0.25, the report must include a written justification for the vacancy for each vacant position. Each department is required to submit its report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over appropriations and financial affairs and the appropriate joint standing committee of oversight.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)