Me legislators hold hearing & worksession on bill to revamp state laws on archives & records-keeping. Vote OTP.

A bill changing  the state of Maine's archives and records management laws had both its public hearing and worksession  on May 8, 2017, and was then reported out with an Ought To Pass

The bill is  LD 1567 "An Act To Amend the Archives and Records Management Law"

Listen to LD1567's public hearing & worksession. 16min 22sec (mp3)

Submitted testimony:

Matthew Dunlap testimony, Secretary of State,
Roger Katz, Maine State Legislature

Official summary of the changes the bill brings to state and local records management
"This bill makes the following changes to the archives and records management laws:

1. Adds language to specify that it is the policy of the State to ensure that nonpermanent records are preserved for the time required by an approved records retention schedule;

2. Adds language to include the advice from the Archives Advisory Board in the State Archivist's consideration of what constitutes an archival record, to change the definition of state agency or agency to include all government agencies that transmit records to the Maine State Archives and to change the definition of electronic records;

3. Adds language to specify the 2nd organizational unit within the Maine State Archives is records management and adds language to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 94 that was stricken from Title 5, section 95 regarding powers and duties of the State Archivist;

4. Changes the laws governing the State Archivist to reflect the 2 organizational units of the Maine State Archives: archives services and records management. It adds language to strengthen the records management practices for all state and local government agencies by using 4 criteria in the development of a guiding records retention schedule: administrative use, legal requirements, fiscal and audit requirements and historical and research value;

5. Specifies when local government records may be destroyed;

6. Repeals and replaces the laws governing the Archives Advisory Board to change the expertise required of members, to provide that members are appointed by the Secretary of State and to provide 3-year terms for members; and

7. Removes the requirement that the Maine Historical Records Advisory Board report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education and cultural affairs but retains the requirement that the board report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over state and local government matters, which is the committee of oversight for the Maine State Archives. It also removes a reference to funding a full-time position that was eliminated in Public Law 2015, 

End of summary