The director shall exercise the powers of the office and is responsible for the execution of the duties of the office. [PL 2023, c. 643, Pt. DD, §2 (NEW).] 1. Duties of director. The director shall: A. Appoint and remove office staff and prescribe staff duties as necessary to implement the duties of the office, including: (1) Hiring professional staff that have education, training and experience in the fields of planning and development, local and regional government, climate science and resilience, housing, building codes and general policy making; and (2) Employing additional staff as necessary to support the work of the office; [PL 2023, c. 643, Pt. DD, §2 (NEW).] B. Supervise and administer the affairs of the office and advise the Governor and other officials of State Government on matters of communication and partnerships between the State, municipalities, tribal governments and regional councils in this State; [PL 2023, c. 643, Pt. DD, §2 (NEW).] C. At the request of the Governor, act for the State in the initiation of or participation in any multigovernmental agency program related to the purposes of the office; [PL 2023, c. 643, Pt. DD, §2 (NEW).] D. At the request of the Governor, prepare and submit a budget for the office; and [PL 2023, c. 643, Pt. DD, §2 (NEW).] E. At the request of the Governor, report on the activities of the office and, after consultation with and approval by the Governor, submit recommendations for legislative action as are determined necessary to further the purposes of this chapter. [PL 2023, c. 643, Pt. DD, §2 (NEW).] [PL 2023, c. 643, Pt. DD, §2 (NEW).] 2. Duties of office. Under the supervision of the director, the office shall: A. Provide technical assistance and resources to municipalities, tribal governments and regional councils on issues related to planning, climate resilience and development; [PL 2023, c. 643, Pt. DD, §2 (NEW).] B. Collect and collate data and statistics relating to the issues described in paragraph A and provide them to municipalities, tribal governments and regional councils; [PL 2023, c. 643, Pt. DD, §2 (NEW).] C. Assist municipalities, tribal governments and regional councils, as well as the State, in applying for, using and leveraging federal funding resources on issues of importance to communities and the State; [PL 2023, c. 643, Pt. DD, §2 (NEW).] D. Make grants from money appropriated to the office by the Legislature and any funds received by the office for the purposes of the office, including federal funding or private funds; solicit applications for grants; and make grant awards to eligible communities and to service provider organizations as determined by the office, including establishing eligibility requirements and other criteria to consider in awarding grants; [PL 2023, c. 643, Pt. DD, §2 (NEW).] E. Administer contracts with regional councils and regional planning and development districts to provide technical assistance and resources to municipalities and tribal governments on issues related to planning, climate resilience and development, including but not limited to land use planning, planning for housing and other residential development, climate resilience planning and related infrastructure planning, building codes and other forms of local development assistance to support state, regional and local goals; and [PL 2023, c. 643, Pt. DD, §2 (NEW).] F. Consult with and provide ongoing coordination with state agencies on programs and issues related to planning technical assistance and funding to communities in this State, including but not limited to the Department of Transportation; Department of Environmental Protection; Department of Marine Resources; Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife; Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry; Department of Economic and Community Development; Department of Health and Human Services; Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, Maine Emergency Management Agency; Department of Public Safety; Maine State Housing Authority; Governor's Energy Office; Efficiency Maine Trust; the Maine Historic Preservation Commission; and the Maine Redevelopment Land Bank Authority. [PL 2023, c. 643, Pt. DD, §2 (NEW).] The office may adopt rules as necessary for the proper administration and enforcement of this chapter, pursuant to the Maine Administrative Procedure Act. Unless otherwise specified, rules adopted pursuant to this chapter are routine technical rules as defined in chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. [PL 2025, c. 388, Pt. D, §8 (AMD).]
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