APPROVED CHAPTER
JUNE 10, 2021 4
BY GOVERNOR P & S LAW
STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-ONE
_____
H.P. 329 - L.D. 453
An Act To Establish a Permanent Appointment of a Member of the
Wabanaki Tribes to the Board of Trustees of the University of Maine System
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. P&SL 1865, c. 532, §4, sub-§2, as amended by PL 1983, c. 799, §4, is
further amended to read:
2. Members appointed by the Governor. Fourteen members shall must be appointed
for 5-year terms by the Governor, subject to review by the joint standing committee of the
Legislature having jurisdiction over education matters and confirmation by the Legislature.
Each term shall expire expires on May 26th of the appropriate year, except that the retiring
member shall serve serves until a successor is appointed by the Governor and confirmed
by the Legislature. No A person accepting such an appointment under this subsection may
not be a member of the State Board of Education. In making appointments, the Governor
shall strive to achieve a membership which that is representative of the population of this
State. In so far as feasible when selecting qualified nominees to the board, the Governor
shall consider affirmative action criteria, professional education and experience and an
equitable geographical representation among the members. At least one member appointed
by the Governor must be a member of a federally recognized Indian nation, tribe or band
in the State. The appointment of the member of a federally recognized Indian nation, tribe
or band in the State must be based on the joint recommendation of the tribal governments
of the Aroostook Band of Micmacs, the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the
Passamaquoddy Tribe at Motahkomikuk, the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik and the
Penobscot Nation. If the tribal governments do not make a unanimous joint
recommendation, the Governor shall appoint a member of a federally recognized Indian
nation, tribe or band in the State and rotate the appointment among members of each
federally recognized Indian nation, tribe or band in the State. Trustees may serve a
maximum of 2 terms, except that an individual appointed to fill an unexpired term of 3
years or less is eligible for appointment to 2 full terms. Vacancies shall must be filled by
the Governor, subject to review by the joint standing committee of the Legislature having
jurisdiction over education matters and confirmation by the Legislature, for the unexpired
balance of the term. In order to restore and maintain rotation of terms of office of trustees,
an incumbent trustee who was appointed for a term of 5 years at a time subsequent to the
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expiration of the term of his that trustee's predecessor in office shall be is deemed to have
commenced his that trustee's 5-year term upon the date of the expiration of the term of
office of his that trustee's predecessor rather than from the date of his that trustee's
appointment and qualification. Trustees shall serve without compensation, but may be
reimbursed for travel and other expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties.
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