Section 10985 - Advisory committeeThe Advisory Committee on Family Development Accounts, established in Title 5, section 12004-I, subsection 18-F, is referred to in this section as "the committee." [2019, c. 239, §4(NEW).]
1.Committee membership. The committee consists of 10 members as follows: A. Four members appointed by the Governor, including one representative of the Maine State Housing Authority, one representative of the Department of Health and Human Services and 2 representatives of financial institutions participating in the program; [2019, c. 239, §4(NEW).]B. Three members appointed by the President of the Senate, including one representative of a statewide community development foundation, one person who is an account holder or is eligible to be an account holder or is a program graduate and one representative of a financial institution participating in the program; and [2019, c. 239, §4(NEW).]C. Three members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, including one person who is an account holder or is eligible to be an account holder or is a program graduate, one representative of a contributor of matching funds to the program and one representative of a financial institution participating in the program. [2019, c. 239, §4(NEW).] Members from state departments serve at the pleasure of their appointing authorities. All other members serve 3-year terms and may continue to serve beyond their terms until their successors are appointed. If a vacancy occurs before a term has expired, the vacancy must be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term by the authority who made the original appointment. If a member is absent for 2 consecutive meetings and has not been excused by the chair from either meeting, the committee may remove the member by majority vote.
[2019, c. 239, §4(NEW).]
2.Chair. The committee shall elect a chair from its members. [2019, c. 239, §4(NEW).]
3.Duties; report. The committee shall meet at least 2 times per year to study and evaluate the effectiveness of family development accounts in this State and other states; make recommendations with respect to changes in law, rule or policy that will enhance the ability of account holders to improve their economic security; and advise the university, relevant state agencies, community development organizations and the Legislature as to its findings. The committee shall provide a comprehensive report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over business and economic development matters and the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters by March 1st of each year. [2019, c. 239, §4(NEW).]
4.Freedom of access; confidential information. Meetings of the committee are public meetings and records and papers of the committee are public records for the purposes of the freedom of access laws in Title 1, chapter 13, subchapter 1, except that information obtained about account holders and their families that is confidential under state or federal law, rule or regulation is confidential and may not be disclosed. [2019, c. 239, §4(NEW).]
5.Staffing. The university shall provide staffing to the committee and may, within existing resources, obtain technical assistance from appropriate sources with expertise in asset development for low-income households. [2019, c. 239, §4(NEW).]
6.Voluntary service. Members of the committee serve without compensation or reimbursement for expenses, except that members representing account holders may be reimbursed for expenses. [2019, c. 239, §4(NEW).]
Added by 2019, c. 239,§ 4, eff. 9/19/2019.