Committee approves multiple supplemental budget items for public safety agencies

The committee held a consolidated supplemental‑budget work session covering four agencies under its jurisdiction: the Maine Fire Protection Services Commission, Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), the Department of Corrections (DOC), and the Department of Public Safety (DPS).

Members voted on a set of parts by show of hands or roll call. The committee approved the Fire Protection Services Commission part UU as a non‑lapsing carryover. The committee approved additional MEMA funding to align state match obligations for federal Stafford Act projects. DOC initiatives approved included increased insurance allocations, expanded agricultural program funding, and a $166,000 appropriation to support transitional housing for formerly incarcerated people (noted to provide six months of rent‑free occupancy and re‑entry services).

On DPS items, members discussed transferring four Capitol Police officer positions and one sergeant into the general fund (to replace prior DHHS‑sourced funding tied to Riverview Psychiatric Center operations). A DPS representative explained that positions had rotated across assignments and that a portion of prior funding had been a disproportionate share allocation for Riverview. The committee also approved a package of capital and equipment language parts (part PPP) that included modernization projects, software contracts, and acquisition of some less‑lethal launchers; members debated the less‑lethal launcher purchase but the package passed.

The committee recorded its approvals in the work‑session minutes and asked staff to draft memos for the supplemental appropriation and related follow‑ups.

Next steps: Chairs will draft the report and memos for AFA and the committee will continue to monitor implementation and any follow‑up data or fiscal clarifications requested during the work session.