An Act To Update and Clarify Laws Relating to Maine's Community Colleges
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §6552, sub-§1, as amended by PL 1989, c. 414, §13, is further amended to read:
1. Prohibition. A person may not possess a firearm on public school property or discharge a firearm within 500 feet of school property. For purposes of this subsection, public school property includes property of a community college that adopts a policy imposing such a prohibition.
Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §12706, sub-§11, as amended by PL 1991, c. 376, §36, is further amended to read:
11. Personnel policies. To develop and adopt personnel policies and procedures for the system. The board of trustees, subject to applicable collective bargaining agreements, shall determine the qualifications, duties and compensation of its employees and shall allocate and transfer personnel within the system as necessary to fulfill the purposes of this chapter. The board of trustees shall appoint the president of the system and the presidents of the colleges. The provisions of the Civil Service Law, as defined by Title 5, section 7039, do not apply to the system , except that the same protections for personnel records provided in Title 5, section 7070 to state employees apply to the personnel records of system employees;
Sec. 3. 20-A MRSA §12706, sub-§13, as amended by PL 1995, c. 96, §1, is further amended to read:
13. Property management. To acquire by purchase, gift, lease or rent any property, lands, buildings, structures, facilities or equipment necessary to fulfill the purposes of this chapter. The board of trustees shall manage, rent, lease, sell and dispose of property, including lands, buildings, structures, equipment and facilities , and license dormitory rooms for occupancy by students. The purchase and installation of faucets, shower heads, toilets and urinals is subject to Title 5, section 1762-A. If the board of trustees proposes to sell or permanently transfer any interest in real estate, the transaction must be approved by the Legislature before the interest is transferred. Any revenues derived from these uses are to be credited to a separate fund to be used for the purposes of this chapter. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the board of trustees may grant or otherwise transfer utility easements without legislative approval;
Sec. 4. 20-A MRSA §12712, sub-§7, ¶A, as amended by PL 1991, c. 376, §41, is further amended to read:
A. Each president may make rules for the control, movement and parking of vehicles within the limits of the property owned by or under the control of the college. These rules may include special provisions for employees of the system and college students. A president's rule has the same force and effect as a municipal ordinance. District courts may impose governing penalties and fines, not to exceed $10 and a college may impose appropriate discipline, for each violation of these rules.
Sec. 5. 27 MRSA §121, as amended by PL 1997, c. 146, §1 and as affected by §2, is further amended to read:
Records maintained by any public municipal library, the Maine State Library, the Law and Legislative Reference Library and libraries of the University of Maine System , Maine Community College System and the Maine Maritime Academy that contain information relating to the identity of a library patron relative to the patron's use of books or other materials at the library are confidential. Those records may only be released with the express written permission of the patron involved or as the result of a court order.
summary
This bill updates and clarifies several laws governing Maine's community colleges. It requires the Board of Trustees of the Maine Community College System to license dormitory rooms for occupancy by students. It updates the language regarding traffic violations on campus. It clarifies that the Maine Community College System personnel records are entitled to the same protections as the personnel records of state employees. It enables the community colleges to enhance public safety by specifying the colleges' ability to control firearm possession on their campuses. Finally, it gives community college library patrons the same rights regarding confidentiality as patrons of the University of Maine System, Maine Maritime Academy and municipal libraries.