Source: http://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/12/title12sec6455.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-26 04:42:05+00:00

Document:
1. Collaborative established; purpose. The Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative, established in Title 5, section 12004-H, subsection 14 and referred to in this subchapter as the "collaborative," is created to promote and market actively Maine lobsters in state, regional, national and international markets. The collaborative shall draw upon the expertise of the Maine lobster industry and established private marketing firms to identify market areas that will provide the greatest return on the investments made by lobster license holders and undertake those media or promotional efforts that represent the most cost-effective use of a limited promotional budget. The collaborative shall remain responsive to the Maine lobster industry, conduct its business in a public manner and undertake marketing efforts that promote the quality and full utilization of the product and the unique character of the coastal Maine lobster fishery.
1-B. Market studies and promotional plans; proprietary information. Information provided to or developed by the collaborative and included in a promotional plan or market study is public unless the collaborative determines that it contains proprietary information. For the purposes of this subsection, "proprietary information" means information that is a trade secret or production, commercial or financial information the disclosure of which would impair the competitive position of the collaborative or the person submitting the information and would make available information not otherwise publicly available.
Members are appointed by the commissioner for terms of 3 years. A person may not serve more than 2 consecutive 3-year terms as a member of the collaborative.
The commissioner or the commissioner's designee serves as an ex officio member of the collaborative. The Commissioner of Economic and Community Development or the commissioner’s designee serves as an ex officio member of the collaborative.
2-A. Officers. By majority vote, the collaborative shall annually elect a chair from among its members and may elect other officers in accordance with its bylaws.
3. Meetings. The collaborative shall meet at least quarterly. A quorum of 6 members is required to conduct the business of the collaborative. Additional meetings may be called by the chair. If 3 or more members of the collaborative submit to the chair a written request for a meeting, the chair shall call a meeting to be held no sooner than 14 days after receipt of the written request. The commissioner may remove any member with unexcused absences from 2 or more consecutive meetings of the collaborative.
3-A. Employees. The collaborative shall hire an executive director and may hire staff as needed to perform its duties. Employees of the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative serve at the pleasure of the collaborative. The salary and benefits for employees of the collaborative are determined by the collaborative.
5. Lobster Promotion Fund established. The Lobster Promotion Fund, referred to in this subchapter as the "fund," is established to carry out the purposes of this subchapter. The department shall pay to the fund all money appropriated or received by the department for the purposes of this subchapter, except that the department may retain funds necessary to reimburse the department for the actual cost of collecting the license surcharges established in subsection 5-A. The fund is capitalized from the annual surcharges set out in subsection 5-A.
5-A. License surcharge assessed. The fund is capitalized from annual surcharges assessed on licenses issued by the department for calendar years as follows.
A person holding more than one of the following licenses is assessed only the highest applicable surcharge for those licenses under this subsection: a wholesale seafood license with a lobster permit, a supplemental wholesale seafood license with a lobster permit, a lobster transportation license or a supplemental lobster transportation license.
Beginning in 2014, the commissioner shall review annually the surcharges established in this subsection and recommend changes to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over marine resource matters, which after receiving the recommendations may report out a bill to the Legislature to adjust surcharges.
The Treasurer of State shall hold all surcharges assessed by this subsection in the fund and invest all money in the fund until disbursed to the collaborative upon request of the collaborative. Interest from investments accrues to the fund.
All money in the fund is subject to allocation by the Legislature. Unexpended balances in the fund at the end of the fiscal year may not lapse but must be carried forward to be used for the same purposes.
In addition to payment of the regular license fee and the surcharge, a person purchasing a license subject to the surcharges established in this subsection may make voluntary contributions to the fund at the time the license is purchased. Voluntary contributions received by the department from a licensee or any other source pursuant to this subsection must be deposited in the fund by the department and must be used by the collaborative for the purposes of this subchapter.
6. Reports. The collaborative shall report annually on its activities and expenditures to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over marine resource matters, to the Lobster Advisory Council established under section 6462-A and, at a statewide meeting of interested license holders, to the lobster industry. The collaborative shall provide notice of the date and location of the statewide meeting of license holders at the time of license issuance or renewal.
7. Audit. An annual audit of the expenditures of the collaborative must be performed. The collaborative may contract with the Office of the State Auditor or with a private sector accounting firm to conduct the audit. The collaborative shall report the results of that audit to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over marine resource matters. If the annual audit is performed by the Office of the State Auditor, the collaborative shall reimburse the department for its costs to conduct that audit.
9. Repeal. This section is repealed October 1, 2021.
1991, c. 523, §2 (NEW). 1993, c. 282, §§1-4 (AMD). 1993, c. 545, §§1-6 (AMD). 1997, c. 211, §§1-3 (AMD). 1999, c. 668, §82 (AMD). 2001, c. 226, §1 (AMD). 2005, c. 102, §1 (AMD). 2007, c. 138, §§2, 3 (AMD). 2007, c. 201, §§17-19 (AMD). 2007, c. 615, §13 (AMD). 2009, c. 567, §§7, 8 (AMD). 2013, c. 309, §2 (AMD). 2013, c. 492, §5 (AMD). 2017, c. 368, §§2-6 (AMD).

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