Maine § 83. - Powers and duties of Maine State Museum Commission

§ 83.. Powers and duties of Maine State Museum Commission

The general powers and duties of the commission are:   [PL 1965, c. 502, §1 (NEW).]

1.  Administration.  To administer this chapter. In administering its provisions, the commission may formulate policies and exercise general supervision;

2.  Prescribe duties of Museum Director.  To prescribe the duties of the Museum Director;

3.  Delegate powers.  To delegate powers to the Museum Director necessary for the administration of this chapter;

4.  Recommendations.  To make recommendations to the Maine State Cultural Affairs Council for such legislation as may be necessary to improve the functioning of the Maine State Museum;

5.  Establish fees.  To establish fees for admission to the Maine State Museum and miscellaneous services. All revenues derived from these fees must be credited as undedicated revenue to the General Fund through June 30, 2014. Beginning July 1, 2014, all revenues derived from these fees must be credited as dedicated revenue to the Maine State Museum - Operating Fund, Other Special Revenue Funds account to be used to support the operations of the Maine State Museum. Notwithstanding this subsection, the commission shall enter into a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management for the issuance of a free admission pass to the Maine State Museum to each veteran who is determined by the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management to meet the criteria established in Title 37‑B, section 8‑A; and

6.  Designate a private support organization.  To designate a nonprofit organization as the private support organization for the Maine State Museum. The designated organization must be incorporated as a nonprofit corporation under the laws of the State, and its sole purpose, as reflected in its bylaws, must be to organize and foster support for the Maine State Museum and the museum’s programs.

The commission shall delegate authority to the Museum Director to permit, without charge and within the museum’s financial means, the appropriate use of fixed property, equipment and facilities of the museum by the private support organization. Such use must be directly in keeping with the approved purposes of the private support organization and must comply with all appropriate state policies and procedures.  

The commission’s chair, or the chair’s designee, and the Museum Director, or the director’s designee, must be made nonvoting ex officio members of the private support organization’s board of directors. Other members of the commission may serve in a nonvoting capacity on the board of the private support organization if such service is agreed to by the commission and private support organization's board of directors.  

Subject to the approval of the commission, the Museum Director shall negotiate an annual memorandum of understanding between the museum and the private support organization that outlines a plan of work identifying priority projects of mutual benefit and cooperation.