Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

                                                               LAW WITHOUT
                                                                GOVERNOR'S              CHAPTER
                                                                SIGNATURE
                                                                                             101
                                                                JUNE 22, 2025           RESOLVES
                                 STATE OF MAINE
                                         _____
                          IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
                       TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
                                         _____
                                 S.P. 592 - L.D. 1451
Resolve, Directing the Department of Transportation to Establish the Maine
           Coordinating Working Group on Access and Mobility
  Sec. 1. Establish Maine Coordinating Working Group on Access and
Mobility. Resolved: That the Department of Transportation shall establish the Maine
Coordinating Working Group on Access and Mobility, referred to in this resolve as "the
working group."
    Sec. 2. Members; selection of chair and vice-chair. Resolved: That the
working group is composed of the following members:
    1. The Commissioner of Transportation or the commissioner's designee;
    2. The Commissioner of Health and Human Services or the commissioner's designee;
    3. The Commissioner of Education or the commissioner's designee;
    4. The Commissioner of Labor or the commissioner's designee;
   5. One member from the Maine Office of Community Affairs, appointed by the
Commissioner of Transportation in consultation with the Commissioner of Health and
Human Services;
    6. One member who is a representative of a statewide organization advocating for older
adults, appointed by the Commissioner of Transportation in consultation with the
Commissioner of Health and Human Services and the Moving Maine Network, the Maine
Transit Association and the Maine Council on Aging;
    7. One member who is a representative of an organization representing persons with
disabilities, appointed by the Commissioner of Transportation in consultation with the
Commissioner of Health and Human Services and the Moving Maine Network, the Maine
Transit Association and the Maine Council on Aging;
    8. One member who is a representative of a statewide nonprofit organization
advocating on behalf of persons with low incomes, appointed by the Commissioner of
Transportation in consultation with the Commissioner of Health and Human Services and
the Moving Maine Network, the Maine Transit Association and the Maine Council on
Aging;
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    9. One member who is a representative from a statewide association of public transit
providers, appointed by the Commissioner of Transportation in consultation with the
Commissioner of Health and Human Services and the Moving Maine Network, the Maine
Transit Association and the Maine Council on Aging;
    10. One member with lived experience with the Department of Health and Human
Services' nonemergency transportation program, appointed by the Commissioner of
Transportation in consultation with the Commissioner of Health and Human Services and
the Moving Maine Network, the Maine Transit Association and the Maine Council on
Aging;
    11. One member who is a representative of a statewide coalition focused on expanding
transportation access, appointed by the Commissioner of Transportation in consultation
with the Commissioner of Health and Human Services and the Moving Maine Network,
the Maine Transit Association and the Maine Council on Aging; and
   12. One member who is a representative of a youth-led organization, appointed by the
Commissioner of Transportation in consultation with the Commissioner of Health and
Human Services and the Moving Maine Network, the Maine Transit Association and the
Maine Council on Aging.
    The working group shall select a chair and vice-chair from among its members.
    Sec. 3. Duties; implementation plan. Resolved: That the working group shall
develop an implementation plan that includes a timeline, a budget and a staffing plan and
a detailed work plan to:
     1. Establish a mobility management approach among state agencies to increase
efficiency, accessibility and sustainability of transportation across the State. The working
group shall examine the creation of mobility management hubs and improving
transportation for populations experiencing transportation insecurity. For the purposes of
this resolve, the following terms have the following meanings.
    A. "Mobility management" means a collaborative approach for managing and
    delivering coordinated transportation services to persons, especially nondrivers,
    including older adults, persons with disabilities and persons with low incomes, and that
    focuses on meeting persons' needs through a wide range of transportation options and
    service providers and focuses on coordinating these services and providers to achieve
    a more efficient transportation service delivery system.
    B. "Mobility management hub" means a program that provides capacity for
    coordination between multiple community providers and organizations to support
    persons in accessing transportation supports and services and is designed to be
    welcoming and accessible to persons of all mobility needs.
    C. "Populations experiencing transportation insecurity" means groups facing financial,
    systemic and relational barriers that contribute to the barriers to accessing needed
    services or destinations comfortably, conveniently and affordably;
    2. Build interagency coordination between the Department of Transportation, the
Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, the Department
of Labor and other state agencies as determined relevant to increase efficiency and
coordination of transportation funding; and
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     3. Use federal guidance and models from other jurisdictions to remove barriers to and
to develop methods of cost sharing between federal and state programs to improve access
to transportation across the State.
    Sec. 4. Development of implementation plan. Resolved: That the Department
of Transportation and the working group, in developing the implementation plan under
section 3, shall:
    1. Review best practices in other states and jurisdictions, such as the 2023 "Would a
System of Regional Mobility Managers Benefit Massachusetts?" study from the
Massachusetts Department of Transportation;
   2. Use the United States Department of Transportation, Federal Transit
Administration's 2023-2026 Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility Strategic Plan
and the Department of Transportation's Maine Strategic Transit Plan 2025 to identify
mobility management efforts to meet the needs in the State;
   3. Identify the regional structure and services that would be offered under a mobility
management program;
    4. Determine the level of funding needed to sustainably operate a mobility management
program; and
    5. Identify additional funding mechanisms, including, but not limited to, the United
States Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration formula grants under
49 United States Code, Sections 5310 and 5311.
    The Department of Transportation may organize members of the working group into
subgroups and hire consultants for the development of the implementation plan under
section 3.
     Sec. 5. Report. Resolved: That the Department of Transportation, on behalf of the
working group, shall submit a report with the implementation plan developed under section
3, including any necessary legislation and estimated appropriations, to the Joint Standing
Committee on Transportation by February 1, 2026. The committee may report out
legislation based on the report to the Second Regular Session of the 132nd Legislature.
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