Date posted:
Attachment(s):
The Department is proposing this routine technical rule change to amend Chapter 266, to coincide with the expiration of the emergency rule effective January 2, 2025, ensuring competency requirements and accreditation standards remain the standard for labs analyzing controlled substances seized by law enforcement and used in Maine’s courts’ procedures. The proposed non-emergency rule changes incorporate those emergency changes adopted by emergency rule to update the oversight authority and certification standards, including the educational and training requirements. Consistent with the emergency rule, the Department is proposing to require accredited labs and personnel to comply with international standards for forensic testing and calibration laboratories (ISO 17025 standards), shorten the time a certificate is valid from five years to one year, and permit the certified analyst to perform examinations, analyze forensic casework, and technically review other certified analyst’s case reports. Additionally, the Department is proposing non-emergency amendments, including the repeal of the semiannual reporting requirement; an increase to the current two-year preservation period for test results to be available for inspection for 20 years; and removes the allowance in for an exception for a laboratory analyst to be qualified as an expert witness prior to 1976. These proposed rule amendments also include a revising rule format and an amended rule title.
Proposed
Office: Maine CDC
Routine technical
Email: bridget.danis@maine.gov
Comment deadline:
Off