This bill establishes a civil rights unit within the Office of the Attorney General. The unit will receive and investigate complaints related to possible violations of the Maine Civil Rights Act, initiate civil actions under the Maine Civil Rights Act, coordinate with other individuals and entities dedicated to advancing civil rights, engage in public education and outreach on civil rights issues related to hate and bias to advance civil rights and provide recommendations on how to ensure protections of civil rights. The bill requires that all law enforcement agencies, municipal governments and state departments and agencies and any other divisions of State Government fully cooperate with the unit, make written reports of
42 civil rights violations and provide file information as requested for the purpose of the unit's
43 official duties. The bill grants the Office of the Attorney General the authority to adopt
44 rules governing the unit. Finally, the bill requires that all civil rights officers as defined in
45 the Maine Civil Rights Act must fully cooperate with the unit as directed by this bill and
46 undergo ongoing enhanced civil rights training provided by the Maine Criminal Justice
47 Academy as determined by the Office of the Attorney General. The bill also creates within the Office of the Attorney General the Civil Rights Review Panel, which is separate from the civil rights unit. The panel must be composed of 13 members from various disciplines to be appointed by the Attorney General, the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House as described in the bill. The bill requires the panel to examine complaints received by the civil rights unit and use the data collected to inform policy recommendations to the Legislature. The civil rights unit must provide the panel with a copy of the unit's annual report before the unit submits the report to the Legislature. Under the bill, the panel must issue its own separate report summarizing the results of the panel's investigations, its policy recommendations and any comments or criticisms the panel may have concerning the unit's report. The bill requires that both the panel and the unit submit their reports to the Legislature no later than January 15th annually.