AUGUSTA -- The Maine Senate will meet today for a confirmation session in which members will consider nominees for everything from the state's top finance position to the Board of Pesticides Control.

By Maine Constitution, the 35-member Senate can do no other business except take up the nearly 30 nominees put forward by Gov. John Baldacci and confirmed by various legislative committees.

On Tuesday, three legislative committees reviewed the candidates for various posts, including those who may serve on the Dirigo Health Board, a new board that will oversee state and county corrections, and the commissioner position at the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation.

Anne L. Head, of Yarmouth, who has served as acting commissioner at the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation four different times totaling 30 months, received unanimous support to become commissioner from the 11 committee members present Tuesday.

An attorney who's been with the department for 12 years, Head would hold twin titles of commissioner and director of the Office of Licensing and Registration if confirmed.

That arrangement, agreed to by Baldacci and lawmakers, allows one administrative position to be eliminated from state government, she said.

Head, 58, said she sees a need to invest in technology so the state can better keep up with the private sector.

"The industries we regulate are way ahead of the state in their use of technology," she said.

However, she acknowledged the department needs to keep its spending in check.

"Every state agency is going to have to use its resources more wisely," she said. "We're not going to get more money from regulated industries and individuals."

Next year, the department's lease of office space in Gardiner will run out, which may result in the need to find a new location, she said.

Representatives from several groups, including the Maine Bankers Association and the Maine Medical Association, submitted testimony in support of Head. If confirmed by the full Senate, Head's salary as commissioner would be approximately $98,000, according to her office.

Over in the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, Waldo County Sheriff Scott Story, of Monroe, told the committee that he believes smaller county jails, such as the one in Waldo County, can play an important role in a combined state-county correctional system.

He's one of seven people nominated to serve on a new board that will work to find savings in state and county correctional systems.

"I think we're going to find that same savings we're looking for by finding an efficient use of what we have," he said.

When asked whether he could represent both small and large county jails on the board, he said he's willing to work with others who have different kinds of expertise.

"It's going to be a big education process for all of us," he said. "I'm not going to operate in a silo."

The Senate, which convenes at 2 p.m., will also take a vote on:

* Jack Cashman, of Brewer, nominated to fill a position on the Public Utilities Commission; and

* Ryan Low, of Winthrop, nominated as commissioner at the Department of Administrative and Financial Services.

Susan M. Cover -- 621-5642

scover@centralmaine.com