§173. Duties of commissioner

1.  Study; plan; arrange cooperation.  When sufficient money for such purposes is available in the fund, the commissioner, in cooperation with appropriate personnel from the Department of Health and Human Services, shall:

A. Consider and study mosquito management problems, including mosquito surveillance;   [PL 2013, c. 548, §1 (NEW).]

B. Identify means of managing disease-carrying mosquitoes in a manner that minimizes pesticide use;   [PL 2013, c. 548, §1 (NEW).]

C. Coordinate plans for mosquito management work that may be conducted by private landowners, groups, organizations, municipalities, counties and mosquito management districts formed pursuant to section 175; and   [PL 2013, c. 548, §1 (NEW).]

D. Arrange, to the extent practicable, cooperation among state departments and with federal agencies in conducting mosquito management operations within the State.   [PL 2013, c. 548, §1 (NEW).]

[PL 2013, c. 548, §1 (NEW).]

2.  Consultation.  The commissioner shall consult with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and private sector experts and municipalities in developing plans and procedures for implementing this chapter.

[PL 2013, c. 548, §1 (NEW).]

3.  Assist with disseminating information.  When sufficient money for such purposes is available in the fund, the commissioner, in cooperation with appropriate personnel from the Department of Health and Human Services and experts from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, shall assist private landowners, groups, organizations, municipalities, counties and mosquito management districts formed pursuant to section 175 to disseminate information to the residents of the State about ways to reduce mosquito populations, to eliminate mosquito breeding sites and to protect themselves from mosquito-borne diseases as well as other relevant information.

[PL 2013, c. 548, §1 (NEW).]

4.  Implement mosquito management response.  When a mosquito-borne disease public health threat is declared by the Commissioner of Health and Human Services pursuant to Title 22, section 1447, the Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry shall implement an effective management response consistent with section 171. The management response must include combinations of integrated pest management techniques. The Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry shall consider the availability of funds in the fund in planning the response.

[PL 2013, c. 548, §1 (NEW).]

SECTION HISTORY

PL 2013, c. 548, §1 (NEW).