An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue for Acquiring Land and Water Access through the Land for Maine's Future Program
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 0863
Committee: Appropriations and Financial Affairs
Sponsors: CUMMINGS, EDMONDS, BARSTOW, BERRY, CRAVEN, DUCHESNE, FISCHER, HINCK, HOLMAN, MAZUREK, MILLS, PIEH, PIOTTI, PRIEST, RECTOR, SILSBY, WEBSTER, BARTLETT, MITCHELL

Legislative Document 
No. 863 
H.P.652 
House of Representatives, February 23, 2007 
An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue for Acquiring 
Land and Water Access through the Land for Maine's Future 
Program 
Reference to the Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
Presented by Speaker CUMMINGS of Portland. 
Cosponsored by President EDMONDS of Cumberland and 
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/J7. 7lldC~t 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: BARSTOW of Gorham, BERRY of Bowdoinham, CRAVEN of Lewiston, 
DUCHESNE of Hudson, FISCHER of Presque Isle, HINCK of Portland, HOLMAN of 
Fayette, MAZUREK of Rockland, MILLS of Farmington, PIEH of Bremen, PIOTTI of Unity, 
PRIEST of Brunswick, RECTOR of Thomaston, SILSBY of Augusta, WEBSTER of Freeport, 
Senators: BARTLETT of Cumberland, MITCHELL of Kennebec. 
Prinleu on recycled papt:r 
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: 
Sec. 1. 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 $95,000,000 for the purposes described in section 6 of this Act and 
to access $45,000,000 in matching contributions from public and private sources. No 
more than $23,750,000 may be issued in the first year and no more than $23,750,000 may 
be issued in each of the 4 subsequent years, except that any unused balance may be added 
to the specified amount in subsequent years. 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 of bonds may contain a call feature. 
Sec. 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. 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 Act. Any unencumbered balances remaining at the completion of the project 
in this Act lapse to the debt service account established for the retirement of these bonds. 
Sec. 4. Interest and debt retirement. The Treasurer of State shall pay interest 
due or accruing on any bonds issued under this Act and all sums coming due for payment 
of bonds at maturity. 
Sec. 5. Disbursement of bond proceeds. The proceeds of the bonds allocated 
to the Land for Maine's Future Board must be expended for acquisition of land and 
interest in land for conservation, water access, outdoor recreation, wildlife and fish 
habitat and farmland preservation in accordance with the pro"visions for such acquisitions 
under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, chapter 353, including all costs associated with 
such acquisitions, except that use of the proceeds of these bonds is subject to the 
following conditions and requirements. 
1. 
Hunting, fishing, trapping and public access may not be prohibited on land 
acquired with bond proceeds, except to the extent of applicable state, local or federal 
laws, rules and regulations. 
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2. Payment from bond proceeds for acquisitions of local or regional significance, as 
determined by the Land for Maine's Future Board, may be made directly to cooperating 
entities as defined in Title 5, section 6201, subsection 2 for acquisition of land and 
interest in land by cooperating entities, subject to terms and conditions enforceable by the 
State to ensure their use for the purposes of this Act. 
3. The bond funds must be matched with at least $45,000,000 in public and private 
contributions. Seventy percent of that amount must be in the form of cash or other 
tangible assets, including the value of land and real property interest acquired by or 
contributed to cooperating entities when property interests have a direct relationship to 
the property proposed for protection, as determined by the Land for Maine's Future 
Board. The remaining 30% may be matching contributions and may include the value of 
project-related, in-kind contributions of goods and services to and by cooperating entities. 
4. Ten percent of the bond proceeds allocated to the Land for Maine's Future Board 
must be made available to acquire public access to water in accordance with the 
provisions of Title 5, section 6203-A. 
5. Ten percent of the bond proceeds allocated to the Land for Maine's Future Board 
must be made available to protect farmland in accordance with Title 5, section 6207. 
6. To the extent the purposes are consistent with the disbursement provisions in this 
Act, 100% of the bond proceeds may be considered as state match for any federal funding 
to be made available to the State. 
7. Funds in the amount of $5,000,000 must be dedicated to support access to and 
traditional uses of Maine's forests, streams and ponds by hunters, anglers and boaters. 
Sec. 6. Allocations from General Fund bond issue. The proceeds of the sale 
of the bonds authorized under this Act must be expended as designated in the following 
schedule. 
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT 
State Planning Office 
Land for Maine's Future Board 
Provides for the use of bond proceeds in 
the amount of $90,000,000, with 
$45,000,000 in matching funds to be used 
for the acquisition of land and interest in 
land for public land and water access, 
conservation, wildlife and fish habitat, 
outdoor recreation including hunting and 
fishing, and farmland preservation. 
$95,000,000 
Ninety million dollars is provided for 
funds for future investment purposes and 
it provides funds in the amount of 
$5,000,000 for Land for Maine's Future to 
support access to and traditional uses of 
Maine's forests, streams and ponds by 
hunters, anglers and boaters. 
Sec. 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 Act. 
Sec. 8. 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. 9. Bonds authorized but not issued. Any bonds authorized but not issued, 
or for which bond anticipation notes are not issued within 5 years of ratification of this 
Act, 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. 10. 
Referendum for ratification; submission at election; form of 
question; effective date. This Act must be submitted to the legal voters of the State at 
a statewide election held in the month of November following passage of this Act. 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 Act by voting on the following question: 
"Do you favor a $95,000,000 bond issue to purchase land and 
conservation easements statewide from willing sellers for public land and 
water access, conservation, wildlife and fish habitat, outdoor recreation 
including hunting and fishing, and farmland preservation, to be matched 
by at least $45,000,000 in private and public contributions?" 
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 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. If a majority of the legal votes are cast in favor of this Act, the 
Governor shall proclaim the result without delay and this Act becomes effective 30 days 
after the date of the proclamation. 
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The Secretary of State shall prepare and furnish to each city, town and plantation all 
ballots, returns and copies of this Act necessary to carry out the purposes of this 
referendum. 
SUMMARY 
The purpose of this legislation is to recapitalize the Land for Maine's Future program 
with $95,000,000 over 4 years to continue Maine's land conservation efforts, leveraging a 
minimum of $45,000,000 in required matching funds . 
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