An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue in the Amount of $2,000,000 for Disaster Relief and To Provide Further Relief Measures (AFTER DEADLINE)
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 1894
Committee: Appropriations and Financial Affairs
Sponsors: BRYANT, BRENNAN, EDMONDS, GAGNON, HALL, CANAVAN, EARLE, PINGREE, WALCOTT
Amends: 37-B MRSA §708

12lst MAINE LEGISLATURE 
Legislative Document 
No. 1894 
S.P.740 
In Senate, March 2, 2004 
An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue in the Amount of 
$2,000,000 for Disaster Relief and To Provide Further Relief 
Measures 
(AFTER DEADLINE) 
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
205. 
Reference to the Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
Presented by Senator BRYANT of Oxford. 
Cosponsored by Representati ve PATRICK of Rumford and 
JOY J. O'BRIEN 
Secretary of the Senate 
Senators: BRENNAN of Cumberland, EDMONDS of Cumberland, GAGNON of Kennebec, 
HALL of Lincoln, Representatives: CANAVAN of Waterville, EARLE of Damariscotta, 
PINGREE of North Haven, WALCOTT of Lewiston. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Preamble. 
Two 
thirds. of both Houses of the Legislature 
deeming it necessary in accordance with the Constitution of 
Maine, Article IX, Section 14 to authorize the issuance of bonds 
on behalf of the State of Maine to provide funds as described in 
this Act, 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
PART A 
Sec. A-I. Authorization of bonds. 
The Treasurer of State is 
authorized, under the direction of the Governor, to issue bonds 
in the name and on behalf of the State in an amount not exceeding 
$2,000,000 for the purposes described in section 6 of this Part. 
The bonds are a pledge of the full faith and credit of the 
State. 
The bonds may not run for a period longer than 10 years 
from 
the date of the original issue of 
the bonds. 
At 
the 
discretion of the Treasurer of State, with the approval of the 
Governor, any issuance o£ bonds may contain a call feature. 
Sec. A-2. Records of bonds issued kept by Treasurer of State. 
The 
Treasurer of State shall keep an account of each bond showing the 
number of the bond, the name of the successful bidder to whom 
sold, the amount received for the bond, the date of sale and the 
date when payable. 
Sec. A-3. 
Sale; how negotiated; proceeds appropriated. 
The 
Treasurer of State may 
negotiate the 
sale of 
the 
bonds 
by 
direction of the Governor, but no bond may be loaned, pledged or 
hypothecated on behalf of the State. 
The proceeds of the sale of 
the bonds, which must be held by the Treasurer of State and paid 
by the Treasurer of State upon warrants 
drawn by the State 
Controller, are appropriated solely for the purposes set forth in 
this Part. 
Any unencumbered balances remaining at the completion 
of the project in this Part lapse to the debt service account 
established for the retirement of these bonds. 
Sec. A-4. Interest and debt retirement. 
The Treasurer of State 
shall pay interest due or accruing on any bonds issued under this 
Part and all sums coming due for payment of bonds at maturity. 
Sec. A-S. Disbursement of bond proceeds. 
The proceeds of the 
bonds 
must 
be 
expended as 
set out in this Part 
under 
the 
direction and supervision of the Departnment of Defense, Veterans 
and Emergency Management, Maine Emergency Management Agency. 
Sec. A-6. Allocations from General Fund bond issue. 
of the sale of the bonds authorized under this 
expended as designated in the following schedule. 
Page l-LR2685 (1) 
The proceeds 
Part must be 
MAINE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY 
Provides funds for grants and loans 
for disaster relief through the 
Emergency Management Preparedness 
$2,000,000 
and Assistance Trust Fund. 
Sec. A·7. Contingent upon ratification of bond issue. 
Sections 1 
to 6 
do not become effective unless the people of the State 
ratify the issuance of the bonds as set forth in this Part. 
Sec. A·S. Appropriation balances at year·end. 
At the end of each 
fiscal year, all unencumbered appropriation balances representing 
state money carry forward. 
Bond proceeds that have not been 
expended within 10 years after the date of the sale of the bonds 
lapse to General Fund debt service. 
Sec. A·9. Bonds authorized but not issued. 
Any bonds authorized 
but not issued, or for which bond anticipation notes are not 
issued 
within 
years 
of 
ratification 
of 
this 
Part, 
are 
deauthorized and may not be issued, except that the Legislature 
may, within 2 years after the expiration of that 5-year period, 
extend the period for issuing any remaining unissued bonds or 
bond anticipation notes for an additional amount of time not to 
exceed 5 years. 
Sec. A·10. 
Referendum for ratification; submission at general 
election; form of question; effective date. 
This Part must be submitted 
to the legal voters of the State at the next general election in 
the 
month 
of 
November 
following passage 
of 
this Part. 
The 
municipal officers of this State shall notify the inhabitants of 
their respective cities, towns and plantations to meet, in the 
manner prescribed by law for holding a general election, to vote 
on the acceptance or rejection of this Part by voting on the 
following question: 
"Do you favor a $2,000,000 bond issue for grants and loans 
for disaster relief?" 
The legal voters of each city, town and plantation shall 
vote by ballot on this question and designate their choice by a 
cross or check mark placed wi thin a corresponding square below 
the word "Yes" or "No." 
The ballots must be received, sorted, 
counted and declared in open ward, town and plantation meetings 
and returns made to the Secretary of State in the same manner as 
votes for members of the Legislature. 
The Governor shall review 
the returns and, if a majority of the legal votes are cast in 
favor 
of this Part, 
the 
Governor 
shall proclaim the 
result 
without delay, and this Part becomes effective 30 days after the 
date of the proclamation. 
The Secretary of State shall prepare and furnish to each 
city, town and plantation all ballots, returns and copies of this 
Part necessary to carry out the purposes of this referendum. 
PARTB 
Sec. B-1. 37-B MRSA §708 is enacted to read: 
S708. 
Emergency Management Preparedness and Assistance Trust Fund 
1. Creation of fund. 
The Emergency Management Preparedness 
and Assistance Trust Fund, referred to in this section as "the 
fund," is established as a 
nonlapsing~volving fund to provide 
loans and grants to assist persons or municipalities suffering 
loss from disaster. 
2. Fund sources. 
The following money must be paid into the 
A. 
All money appropriated for inclusion in the fund; 
B. 
Subject to any pledge, contract or other obligation, all 
interest, dividends or other pecuniary gains from investment 
of money from the fund: 
c. 
Subject to any pledge, contract or other obligation, any 
money that the agency receives in repayment of grants or 
loans from the fund; 
D. 
Any sums designated for deposit into the fund from any 
source, public or private: and 
E. 
Any other money available to the agency and directed by 
the agency to be paid into the fund. 
3. Administration. 
The director shall administer the fund. 
The director shall develop an application process and criteria 
for distribution of grants and loans under this section. 
Money 
in the fund not immediately required pursuant to this section 
must be invested by the Treasurer of State as authorized by Title 
5, section 138. Interest on these investments must be credited to 
the fund. 
Sec. 
B-2. 
Appropriations 
and 
allocations. 
appropriations and allocations are made. 
DEFENSE, VETERARS ARD EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, 
DEPAR"l'MENT OF 
The 
following 
Administration - Maine Emergency Management Agency 
0214 
Initiative: 
Appropriates 
funds 
to serve as 
a 
match for the 
federal planning assistance for states program for the purpose of 
developing a 
flood mitigation program for Androscoggin County, 
Oxford County and Franklin County. 
Genera1 Fund 
All Other 
General Fund Total 
2003-04 
$0 
$0 
Administration -
Maine Emergency Management Agency 
0214 
2004-05 
$50,000 
$50,000 
Initiative: Appropriates funds to be used as immediate assistance 
to the Town of Canton to help private property owners to mitigate 
damage from flooding in late 2003 or to relocate because the 
amount of damage precludes mitigation. 
Genera1 Fund 
All Other 
General Fund Total 
DEFENSE, VETERANS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, 
DEPARTMENT OF 
DEPARTMENT TOTALS 
GENERAL FUND 
DEPARTMENT TOTAL -
ALL FUNDS 
SUMMARY 
2003-04 
$0 
$0 
2003-04 
$0 
$0 
2004-05 
$150,000 
$150,000 
2004-05 
$200,000 
$200,000 
Part A of this bill authorizes a General Fund bond issue in 
the amount of $2,000,000 to provide funding for the Emergency 
Management Preparedness and Assistance Trust Fund for grants and 
loans for disaster relief. 
Part B establishes the Emergency Management Preparedness and 
Assistance Trust Fund to provide grants and loans to persons or 
municipalities that suffer loss as a result of disaster. 
Part B of this bill also makes appropriations to the Maine 
Emergency Management Agency to: 
1. 
Serve as 
a match for federal planning assistance to 
develop a flood mitigation program for Androscoggin, Oxford and 
Franklin counties; and 
2. 
Provide immediate assistance to private property owners 
in the Town of Canton who suffered damages from the flooding in 
late 2003.