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April 21, 2011

Legislative Digest #15

C HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

LD 191   An Act To Define Lienholder Rights under the Maine Tree Growth Tax Law (Cushing-Hampden, Schneider-Penobscot, Black-Wilton, Curtis-Madison, Flood-Winthrop, Gifford-Lincoln, Knight-Livermore Falls, Timberlake-Turner, Trahan-Lincoln).  Requires the tax assessor, in addition to the landowner, to notify the lienholder that requests notification of the need to provide information about a forest management and harvest plan. Farm Bureau favors.  Public hearing before the Taxation Committee is scheduled for Friday, April 29, Room 127, State House, beginning at <샄ţ>1:00 p.m.

LD 603   RESOLUTION, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine To Require Approval by a 2/3 Vote of Each Branch of the Legislature in Order To Raise a Tax (Courtney-York, Curtis-Madison, Langley-Hancock, Plowman-Penobscot, Raye-Washington, Saviello-Franklin, Thomas-Somerset, Bennett-Kennebunk, Bickford-Auburn, Cebra-Naples, Cotta-China, Cushing-Hampden, Harmon-Palermo, Knight-Livermore Falls, Libby-Waterboro, Richardson-Warren, Waterhouse-Bridgton, Weaver-York, Willette-Mapleton).  Proposes to change the Maine Constitution to require approval of 2/3 vote of all members of both the House and Senate to raise a tax.  Farm Bureau opposes.  Public hearing before the Taxation Committee is scheduled for Monday, April 25, Room 127, State House, beginning at <샄ţ>1:00 p.m.

LD 669   RESOLUTION, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine To Change the Number of Members of the Legislature, the Length of the Legislative Sessions and the Requirements for Introduction of Bills in a Second Regular Session (Carey-Lewiston, McCabe-Skowhegan).  Proposes a Maine Constitutional amendment to reduce the members of the House from 151 to 101 and the Senate from 35 to 17.  Also extends the length of the first legislative session from the third week of June to the third week in December and for the second legislative session from the third week of April to the third week in August.  It also removes the requirement that bills in the second session need to be either emergency or budgetary.  Farm Bureau opposes.  Public hearing before the State and Local Government Committee is scheduled for Monday, April 25, Room 214, Cross State Office Building, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

LD 735   An Act To Allow the Use of Electronic Benefits Transfer Funds at Farmers' Markets (Alfond-Cumberland, Brannigan-Cumberland, Craven-Androscoggin, McCabe-Showhegan, Rankin-Hiram, Strang Burgess-Cumberland, Stuckey-Portland).   Allows a recipient of food supplement benefits to use electronic benefits transfer funds to purchase food at a farmers' market.  Farm Bureau favors.  Public hearing before the Health and Human Services Committee is scheduled for Tuesday, April 26, Room 209, Cross State Office Building beginning at <샄ţ>1:15 p.m.

 LD 779  An Act To Implement Standards Concerning Animal Welfare and Research Institutions (Harlow-Portland, Gerzofsky-Cumberland, Beavers-South Berwick, Blodgett-Augusta, Chipman-Portland, Lovejoy-Portland, Patrick-Oxford).  Provides standards of animal treatment by defining "distress," "pain" and "severe" for institutions engaged in laboratory research and testing.  Farm Bureau opposes.  Public hearing before the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee is scheduled for Tuesday, April 26, Room 206, Cross State Office Building, beginning at 1:00 p.m.

  LD 872 An Act To Clarify the Natural Resources Protection Act (Collins-York, Thibodeau-Waldo, Chase-Wells, Saviello-Franklin, Thomas-Somerset, Burns-Alfred, Cebra-Naples, Parry-Arundel, Waterhouse-Bridgton).  Changes from 250 feet to 75 feet the setback for significant vernal pool habitat, high and moderate value inland waterfowl and wading bird habitat and shorebird nesting, feeding and staging areas.  It also provides a mechanism to compensate landowners for property value losses incurred as a result of more stringent setback regulations.  Farm Bureau favors.  Public hearing before the Environment and Natural Resources Committee is scheduled for Monday, April 25,

                Room 216, beginning at <샄ţ>10:00 a.m.

 LD 921  An Act To Clarify the Collection Process for the Commercial Forestry Excise Tax (McCabe-Skowhegan, Trahan-Lincoln, Berry-Bowdoinham, Black-Wilton, Cray-Palmyra, Gifford-Lincoln, Harvell-Farmington, Kent-Woolwich, O'Brien-Lincolnville).  Limits the period of assessments for back taxes to two years for the commercial forestry excise tax and provides that landowners can sign an affidavit stating that they were unaware of the tax requirement.  Farm Bureau favors.  Public hearing before the Taxation Committee is scheduled for Tuesday, April 26, Room 127, State House, beginning at 1:00 p.m.

LD 1142 An Act To Amend the Farm and Open Space Tax Law (Knight-Livermore Falls, Mason-Androscoggin, Berry-Bowdoinham, Flemings-Bar Harbor, Fossel-Alna, Harmon-Palermo, Picchiotti-Fairfield, Wintle-Garland, Langley-Hancock, Trahan-Lincoln).  Allows a farm-related structure on land enrolled in the farm and open space tax program to be taxed at current use value.  Farm Bureau sponsored.  Public hearing before the Taxation Committee is scheduled for Friday, April 29, Room 127, State House, beginning at 1:00 p.m.

LD 1164 An Act To Support Maine Farms and Alleviate Hunger (Dion-Portland, Stuckey-Portland, Alfond-Cumberland, Chipman-Portland, Clark-Millinocket).  Provides for an income tax credit up to $5,000 to persons engaged in commercial agricultural production for donations of food to incorporated nonprofit organizations that provide free food for low-income people.  Farm Bureau favors.  Public hearing before the Taxation Committee is scheduled for Monday, April 25, Room 127, State House, beginning at 1:00 p.m.

LD 1216 An Act To Impose an Excise Tax on the Extraction of Water for Bottling (Boland-Sanford, Harlow-Portland, Hinck-Portland).  Creates an excise tax of one cent per gallon on the extraction of surface or ground water by a bottle water operator who packages water for sale in containers 5 gallons or less and who extract more than 1 million gallons in the previous calendar year.  Farm Bureau opposes.  Public hearing before the Taxation Committee is scheduled for Wednesday, April 27, Room 127, State House beginning at 1:00 p.m.