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:
‘An Act To Establish the Passenger Rail Advisory Council’
Amend the bill by striking out all of sections 1 and 2 and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1.  5 MRSA §12004-I, sub-§82-B  is enacted to read:
 
82-B.   
Sec. 2.  23 MRSA §75  is enacted to read:
§ 75. Passenger Rail Advisory Council
 
1.  Advisory council established.     The Passenger Rail Advisory Council, referred to in this section as "the advisory council," is established in accordance with Title 5, section 12004-I, subsection 82-B to provide a public forum for input on passenger rail planning and provide the public with updates on the operational, capital and financial structure of passenger rail operations in the State.
 
2.  Membership.     The advisory council consists of the following members:
 
A.  Two members of the Senate, one of whom is a member of the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over transportation matters, appointed by the President of the Senate;
 
B.  Two members of the House of Representatives, one of whom is a member of the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over transportation matters, appointed by the Speaker of the House;
 
C.  Four members representing regional planning agencies, appointed by the Commissioner of Transportation;
 
D.  Three members representing railroad industry interests, appointed by the Commissioner of Transportation; and
 
E.  One member representing passenger rail operators, appointed by the Commissioner of Transportation.
 
The executive director of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority or the executive director's designee and the following commissioners serve as ex officio members: the Commissioner of Transportation or the commissioner's designee; the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development or the commissioner's designee; and the Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry or the commissioner's designee.
 
3.  Meetings; chair.     The advisory council may meet up to 4 times a year. The Commissioner of Transportation shall serve as chair of the advisory council and shall call the first meeting of the advisory council.
 
4.  Staff.    The Commissioner of Transportation shall provide staff and resources to the advisory council within the department's existing resources.’
 
SUMMARY
This amendment places the Passenger Rail Advisory Council, established in the bill, in a different section of the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 23; provides more detail about membership, staff and number of meetings; and removes freight rail operations from the council's oversight.
Unlike the bill, the amendment requires no changes in the annual reporting by the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority to the Legislative Council or to the Commissioner of Transportation.