An Act To Reform The Process By Which A Person May Petition An Agency To Adopt Or Modify Rules Under The Maine Administrative Procedure Act

LD 1131 changes the signature requirement for citizens to trigger agency rulemaking in Maine. Instead of needing 150 signatures, a petition now requires at least 1% of the votes cast for Governor in the previous gubernatorial election. If met, agencies must begin rulemaking within 60 days. This affects anyone seeking to change agency rules, making the process more responsive to broader public input, and specifies that rules adopted this way are "major substantive rules" subject to legislative review.