Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1. 5 MRSA c. 153, sub-c. 3 is enacted to read:
SUBCHAPTER 3
MAINE BUY AMERICA ACT
This Act may be known and cited as "the Maine Buy America Act."
As used in this subchapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings.
The Department of Administrative and Financial Services shall adopt routine technical rules as described in chapter 375, subchapter 2-A to implement this subchapter.
Sec. 2. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.
ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF
Purchases - Division of 0007
Initiative: Provides funds for 2 Management Analyst I positions and related costs to comply with the Maine Buy America Act.
GENERAL FUND |
2013-14 |
2014-15 |
POSITIONS - LEGISLATIVE COUNT
|
2.000 |
2.000 |
Personal Services
|
$105,370 |
$168,219 |
All Other
|
$5,366 |
$8,049 |
|
|
|
GENERAL FUND TOTAL |
$110,736 |
$176,268 |
Sec. 3. Effective date. This Act takes effect June 1, 2014.’
SUMMARY
This amendment, which is the minority report of the Joint Standing Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development, establishes the Maine Buy America Act and requires that all contracts for the construction, reconstruction, alteration, repair, improvement or maintenance of a public building or public work made by a state agency, board, commission or institution contain a provision that the manufactured goods, including iron and steel, used or supplied in the performance of the contract or any subcontract under the contract must be manufactured in the United States. This requirement does not apply to municipalities or school administrative units.
This amendment requires that, in the case of a manufactured good other than an iron or steel product, all of the manufacturing processes take place in the United States.
Under the amendment, a public agency may apply to the Governor or the Governor's designee for a waiver of the requirement if the executive head of the public agency finds that the application of the requirement would be inconsistent with the public interest, that the necessary manufactured goods are not produced in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available quantities and of a satisfactory quality or that inclusion of manufactured goods made in the United States will increase the cost of the overall project contract by an unreasonable amount. The Department of Administrative and Financial Services must develop rules regarding the Act, including rules to guide the waiver process and the process for public review and comment regarding requests for a waiver.
The amendment requires that if the Department of Administrative and Financial Services has reason to believe that any person, business or other entity has intentionally made fraudulent representations about the domestic content of a manufactured good or has intentionally violated any provision of the legislation, the department must, after a hearing, debar that person, business or other entity from contracts or subcontracts with the State for 2 years.
The amendment provides that the provisions of this legislation will be applied only if they are consistent with the State's obligations under any applicable international agreements pertaining to government procurement.
The amendment also adds an appropriations and allocations section.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)