Maine § 203-C. - Maine Recovery Council

§ 203-C.. Maine Recovery Council

1.  Definitions.  As used in this section, unless the context indicates otherwise, the following terms have the following meanings.

A. "Approved uses" means the substance use disorder abatement purposes defined as "Approved Uses" in the Memoranda of Understanding.   [PL 2023, c. 412, Pt. HHHH, §2 (AMD).]

B. "Maine Recovery Fund" means the fund described by the Memoranda of Understanding.   [PL 2023, c. 412, Pt. HHHH, §2 (AMD).]

C. "Memoranda of Understanding" means the 2 agreements entitled "Maine State‑Subdivision Memorandum of Understanding and Agreement Regarding Use of Settlement Funds," dated and signed on January 26, 2022, and "Maine State‑Subdivision Memorandum of Understanding and Agreement Regarding Use of Settlement Funds‑2023," dated and signed on May 2, 2023, including subsequent amendments and Schedule A, Core Strategies and Schedule B, Approved Uses.   [PL 2023, c. 412, Pt. HHHH, §2 (AMD).]

2.  Maine Recovery Council established.  The Maine Recovery Council, as established in section 12004‑I, subsection 94 and referred to in this section as "the council," shall direct the disbursement of funds within the Maine Recovery Fund for approved uses.

3.  Membership.  The council is composed of the 11 members identified by the Memoranda of Understanding and of 4 additional voting members as follows:

A. One member who is a medical professional with direct experience providing medication-assisted treatment, appointed by the President of the Senate;   [PL 2021, c. 661, §3 (NEW).]

B. One member representing reentry services for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals and their families, appointed by the President of the Senate;   [PL 2021, c. 661, §3 (NEW).]

C. One member representing a nonprofit community-based provider of mental health treatment, appointed by the Speaker of the House; and   [PL 2021, c. 661, §3 (NEW).]

D. One member representing the harm reduction community, appointed by the Speaker of the House.   [PL 2021, c. 661, §3 (NEW).]

In making these appointments, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House shall endeavor to select individuals that reflect the racial, ethnic, gender and indigenous diversity of the State.  

4.  Vacancy.  In the event of a vacancy in the council membership, the vacancy must be filled in the manner of the original appointment for the remainder of the term. For the purposes of reappointment, any partial term filled after a vacancy must be considered a full term.

5.  Report.  The Attorney General shall, by February 1st of each year, submit a report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters describing the activities of the council and the status of the Maine Recovery Fund and listing information on disbursements from the fund and information related to the outcomes of funded activities.