Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 1232
Committee: Appropriations and Financial Affairs
Sponsors: McKENNEY, TURNER, MILLS

Legislative Document 
No. 1232 
H.P.906 
House of Representatives, March 6, 2003 
RESOLUTION, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of 
Maine To Increase the State Bonding Limit under Certain 
Circumstances 
Reference to the Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
Presented by Representative McKENNEY of Cumberland. 
Cosponsored by Senator TURNER of Cumberland and 
Representative: MILLS of Cornville. 
Printed on recycled paper 
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MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Constitutional amendment. 
Resolved: 
Two 
thirds 
branch 
of 
the 
Legislature 
concurring, 
that 
the 
amendment to the Constitution of Maine be proposed: 
of 
each 
following 
Constitution, Art. IX, §14, as amended by CR 
2001, 
c. 1, is 
further amended to read: 
Section 14. 
Authority and procedure for issuance of bonds. 
The credit of the State shall not be directly or indirectly 
loaned in any case, except as provided in sections 14-A, 14-B, 
14-C and 14-D. 
The Legislature shall not create any debt or 
debts, liability or liabilities, on behalf of the State, which 
shall singly, 
or 
in the 
aggregate, 
with previous 
debts 
and 
liabilities 
hereafter 
incurred 
at 
anyone 
time, 
exceed 
$2,000,000, except to suppress insurrection, to repel invasion, 
or for purposes of war, and except for temporary loans to be paid 
out of money raised by taxation during the fiscal year in which 
they are made, and except for loans to be repaid within 12 months 
with federal transportation funds in amounts not to exceed 50% of 
transportation funds appropr iated by the Federal Government in 
the prior federal fiscal year, and except that this $2,000,000 
debt limit is raised to $30,000,000 when the total outstanding 
debt of a public instrumentality of the State that acquires, 
constructs, improves, reconstructs or equips, or constructs an 
addition or additions to, any structure designed for use as a 
court facility, state office or state activity space that is 
intended 
to 
be 
used 
primarily 
by 
the 
State, 
any 
agency, 
instrumentali ty or department of the State or by any branch of 
State Government is $30,000,000 or less, 
and any such public 
instrumentality is prohibited from incurring any additional debt 
or liability; and excepting also that whenever 2/3 of both Houses 
shall 
deem it necessary, 
by 
proper 
enactment ratified by 
a 
majority of the electors voting thereon at a general or special 
election, the Legislature may authorize the issuance of bonds on 
behalf of the State at such times and in such amounts and for 
such purposes as approved by such action; but this shall not be 
construed to 
refer 
to 
any 
money 
that has 
been, 
or 
may 
be 
deposited with this State by the Government of the United States, 
or to any fund which the State shall hold in trust for any Indian 
tribe. 
Whenever ratification by the electors is essential to the 
validity of bonds to be issued on behalf of the State, the 
question submitted to the electors shall be accompanied by a 
statement setting forth the total amount of bonds of the State 
outstanding and unpaid, the total amount of bonds of the State 
authorized and unissued, and the total amount of bonds of the 
State contemplated to be issued if the enactment submitted to the 
electors 
be 
ratified. 
For 
any 
bond 
authorization 
requiring 
ratification of the electors pursuant to this section, if any 
bonds 
have 
not 
been 
issued within 
years 
of 
the date of 
ratification, 
then those bonds 
may not be issued after that 
Page l-LR0860(1) 
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date. 
Within 2 years after expiration of that 5-year period, the 
Legislature may extend, by a majority vote, the 5-year period for 
an additional 
years or may deauthorize the bonds. 
If the 
Legislature fails to take action within those 2 years, the bond 
issue shall be considered to be deauthorized and no further bonds 
may 
be 
issued. 
For 
any 
bond authorization in existence 
on 
November 
6, 
1984, 
and for 
which the 5-year period following 
ratification has expired, no further bonds may be issued unless 
the Legislature, by November 6, 1986, reauthorizes those bonds by 
a majority vote, for an additional 5-year period, failing which 
all bonds unissued under those authorizations shall be considered 
to be deauthorized. 
Temporary loans to be paid out of moneys 
raised by taxation during any fiscal year shall not exceed in the 
aggregate during the fiscal year in question an amount greater 
than 10'1-0 of all the Hloneys appropriated, authorized and allocated 
by the Legislature from undedicated revenues to the General Fund 
and dedicated revenues to the Highway Fund for that fiscal year, 
exclusive of proceeds or expenditures from the sale of bonds, or 
greater than p", of the total valuation of the State of Maine, 
whichever is the lesser. 
; and be it further 
Constitutional referendum procedure; form of question; effective 
date. Resolved: 
That 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 statewide election, at a statewide election, on the Tuesday 
following the first Monday of November following the passage of 
this resolution, to vote upon the ratification of the amendment 
proposed in this resolution by voting upon the following question: 
"Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to increase 
the state bonding limit from $2,000,000 to $30,000,000 when 
the total outstanding debt of a public instrumentality of 
the State that acquires, constructs or improves buildings 
for use by the State is $30,000,000 or less, and that public 
instrumentality is prohibited from incurring any additional 
debt or liability?" 
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 within the 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 it appears that a majority of the legal votes 
are cast in favor of the amendment, the Governor shall proclaim 
that fact without delay and the amendment becomes part of the 
Constitution of Maine on the date of the proclamation; and be it 
further 
Secretary of State shall prepare ballots. Resolved: 
That 
the 
Secretary of State shall prepare and furnish to each city, town 
and plantation all ballots, returns and copies of this resolution 
necessary to carry out the purposes of this referendum. 
SUMMARY 
This constitutional resolution increases the debt limit of 
the 
State 
from 
$2,000,000 
to 
$30,000,000 
when 
the 
total 
outstanding debt of a public instrumentality of the State that 
acquires, constructs or improves buildings for use by the State 
is 
$30,000,000 
or 
less 
and 
that 
public 
instrumentality 
is 
prohibited from incurring any additional debt or liability. 
•