An Act To Allow Citizens To Voluntarily Pay Extra Income Taxes or Donate Money to the State
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 0362
Committee: Taxation
Sponsors: DUPREY, SNOWE-MELLO, ANNIS, CROSTHWAITE, HALL, MARLEY, TRAHAN, VAUGHAN, COURTNEY
Amends: 1 MRSA §534, 5 MRSA §3307-G, 36 MRSA §5289

Legislative Document 
No. 362 
H.P.275 
House of Representatives, January 25,2005 
An Act To Allow Citizens To Voluntarily Pay Extra Income Taxes 
or Donate Money to the State 
Reference to the Committee on Taxation suggested and ordered printed. 
17/~ 
1J7.7iI~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative DUPREY of Hampden. 
Cosponsored by Senator SNOWE-MELLO of Androscoggin and 
Representatives: ANNIS of Dover-Foxcroft, CROSTHWAITE of Ellsworth, HALL of Holden, 
MARLEY of Portland, TRAHAN of Waldoboro, VAUGHAN of Durham, Senator: 
COURTNEY of York. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 1 MRSA §534, sub-§5, ,L, as amended by PL 2003, c. 
406, §7, is further amended to read: 
L. 
Report annually .ge~iRRiR~-.J~-y--l-r-1999 to the joint 
standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction 
over state government matters. 
The report must include a 
complete 
list 
of 
services 
offered 
through 
the 
InforME 
system, the fees associated with services and the criteria 
used to determine which services are offered as 
premium 
services. 
The 
report 
must 
also 
include 
the 
annual 
contributions to the Maine State Government Fund established 
pursuant to Title 5, section 3307-G. 
In its January 1, 1999 
report, 
the board must also include 
an analysis of the 
feasibility of offering premium services at no charge to 
depository libraries or other libraries in the State; aRe 
Sec. 2. 1 MRSA §534. sub-§5, ,M, as enacted by PL 
2003, c. 
406, §8, is amended to read: 
M. 
Authorize the network manager to collect funds pursuant 
to section 533, subsection 10 for information and electronic 
services provided and transactions conducted electronicallYT 
; and 
Sec.3. 1 MRSA §534, sub-§5"N is enacted to read: 
N. 
Develop 
and 
implement 
a 
mechanism 
to 
accept 
contributions to the Maine State Government Fund established 
pursuant 
to Title 
5, 
section 
3307-G 
using 
the 
State's 
publicly accessible site on the Internet. 
Sec. 4. 5 MRSA §3307-G is enacted to read: 
§3307-G. 
Maine State Government Fund 
1. 
Purpose. 
The Maine State Government Fund, referred to 
in 
this 
section 
as 
"the 
fund," 
is 
established 
to 
provide 
additional financial support for certain state programs. 
2. 
Source of funds. 
The fund receives money deposited by 
the Treasurer of State pursuant to Title 1, section 534 and Title 
36, section 5289. 
Revenue within the fund must be recorded in 
separate 
accounts 
for 
the 
Department 
of 
Health 
and 
Human 
Services, 
the Department 
of Education 
and 
the 
Department of 
Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and an account for unspecified 
contributions. 
3. 
Collaboration. 
The Executive Department, State Planning 
Office shall work collaboratively with the Commissioner of Health 
and 
Human 
Services, 
the 
Commissioner 
of 
Education, 
the 
_Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the Commissioner 
of 
Administrative 
and 
Financial 
Services 
and 
the 
State 
Tax 
Assessor to coordinate and manage the fund. 
4. 
Transfers. 
The Director of the State Planning Office 
wi thin the Executive Department shall on or before the close of 
each fiscal year transfer funds that have been designated for 
contribution 
under 
section 
5289, 
subsection 
and Title 
1, 
section 534 to the Department of Health and Human Services, the 
Department of Education and the Department of Inland Fisheries 
and Wildlife out of the fund to a dedicated account within the 
Qe~artment of Health and Human Services, 
a 
dedicated account 
within the Department of Education and a dedicated account within 
the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, respectively, to 
support departmental operations. 
5. 
Unspecified funds. 
Any funds deposited in the fund that 
are not designated for the benefit of the Department of Health 
and Human Services, the Department of Education or the Department 
of 
Inland Fisheries 
and 
Wildlife 
must 
be 
transferred to 
a 
dedicated account wi thin the Department of Administrative and 
Financial Services to support departmental operations. 
Sec. 5. 36 MRSA §5289 is enacted to read: 
§5289. 
Maine State Government Fund voluntary checkoff 
1. 
Maine State Government 
Fund. 
A taxpayer 
who, 
when 
filing a return, is entitled to a refund under this Part may 
designate that a part of that refund be paid into the Maine State 
Government 
Fund 
established in Title 
5, 
section 
3307-G. 
A 
taxpayer who is not entitled to a refund under this Part may 
contribute to the Maine State Government Fund by including with 
that 
taxpayer's 
return 
sufficient 
funds 
to 
make 
the 
contribution. 
Each 
individual 
income 
tax 
return 
form 
must 
contain 
a 
designation 
in 
substantially 
the 
following 
form: 
"Contribution to Maine State Government Fund: 
() $5, ( ) $10, 
$25 or 
( 
) Other $... 
The return form must provide the 
taxpayer the option of further dedicating the contribution to the 
Department 
of 
Health 
and 
Human 
Services, 
the 
Department 
of 
Education or the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. 
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Co~tr i.Qu~i9Jl~g~<U.te9~t..~~il!e~tate~overnment F~Q.~ 
The State Tax Assessor shall determine annually the total amount 
contributed pursuant to subsection 1. 
Prior to the beginning of 
the 
next 
year, 
the 
assessor 
shall 
deduct 
the 
cost 
of 
administering the Maine State Government Fund checkoff, but not 
exceeding 
$5,000 
annually, 
and 
report 
the 
remainder 
to 
the 
Treasurer of State, who shall credit that amount to the Maine 
State Government Fund established in Title 5, section 3307-G. 
Sec. 6. Effective date. 
This Act takes effect January 1, 2006. 
SUMMARY 
This bill establishes the Maine State Government Fund to 
provide funding assistance to state programs operated by the 
Department 
of 
Health 
and 
Human 
Services, 
the 
Department 
of 
Education and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. 
It authorizes a voluntary Maine State Government Fund checkoff on 
the individual income tax form to allow a taxpayer to donate a 
portion of a tax refund or make a donation with the tax return. 
This bill also requires the 
InforME 
Board to develop 
a 
method to accept contributions to the Maine State Government Fund 
using the State's website. 
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