An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue for the Land for Maine's Future Program
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 1531
Committee: Appropriations and Financial Affairs
Sponsors: ADAMS, DIAMOND, BEAUDOIN, BERRY, BOLAND, CANAVAN, CARTER, CASAVANT, CONNOR, CONOVER, CROCKETT, DILL, DUCHESNE, DUNN, EATON, HASKELL, HAYES, HILL, HINCK, KAENRATH, MARLEY, MIRAMANT, PENDLETON, PEOPLES, PIEH, PRATT, RAND, RINES, SILSBY, SIROIS, STRANG BURGESS, SUTHERLAND, TREAT, WEDDELL

Legislative Document 
No.IS31 
H.P.1056 
House of Representatives, March 20, 2007 
An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue for the Land for 
Maine's Future Program 
Reference to the Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
Presented by Representative ADAMS of Portland. 
Cosponsored by Senator DIAMOND of Cumberland and 
111~ 
/11. 7llt1C~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: BEAUDOIN of Biddeford, BERRY of Bowdoinham, BOLAND of Sanford, 
CANAVAN of Waterville, CARTER of Bethel, CASAVANT of Biddeford, CONNOR of 
Kennebunk, CONOVER of Oakland, CRA Y of Palmyra, CROCKETT of Augusta, DILL of 
Cape Elizabeth, DUCHESNE of Hudson, DUNN of Bangor, EATON of Sullivan, HASKELL 
of Portland, HAYES of Buckfield, HILL of York, HINCK of Portland, KAENRATH of South 
Portland, MacDONALD of Boothbay, MARLEY of Portland, MIRAMANT of Camden, 
PENDLETON of Scarborough, PEOPLES of Westbrook, PIEH of Bremen, PRATT of 
Eddington, RAND of Portland, RINES of Wiscasset, SILSBY of Augusta, SIROIS of Turner, 
STRANG BURGESS of Cumberland, SUTHERLAND of Chapman, TREAT of Farmingdale, 
W AGNER of Lewiston, WEDDELL of Frankfort. 
Printed on recycled paper 
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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 $70,000,000 for the purposes described in section 6 of this Act. 
The bonds are a pledge of the full faith and credit of the State. The bonds may not run for 
lOa period longer than 10 years from the date of the original issue of the bonds. At the 
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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 allocated to Land for Maine's 
Future Board. The proceeds of the bonds must be expended under the direction and 
supervision of the Land for Maine's Future Board for acquisition of land and interest in 
land for conservation, water access, outdoor recreation, wildlife and fish habitat and 
fannland preservation in accordance with the provisions 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. 
I. 
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 
and regulations. 
2. Payments 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 
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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. 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. 
4. 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. 
5. 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. 
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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. 
LAND FOR MAINE'S FUTURE 
BOARD 
Provides funds to be used for the 
acquisition of land and interest in land for 
puhlic land and water access, 
conservation. wildlife and fish habitat 
outdoor recreation. including hunting and 
fishing, and farmland preservation. 
$70.000,000 
Sec. 7. Contingent upon ratification of bond issue. Sections I to 6 do not 
become effective unless the people of the State ratify the issuance of the bonds as set 
fOl1h 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 fom ard. 
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 vvithin 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 vears. 
Sec. 10. 
Referendum for ratification; submission at election; form cf 
question; effective date. This Act must be submitted to the legal voters of the State at 
a statevvide election held in the month of November following the passage of this Act. 
The municipal officers of this State shall notiry the inhabitants of their respective cities, 
towns and plantations to meet, in the manner prescribed by law for holding a statewide 
election, to vote on the acceptance or rejection of this Act by voting on the following 
question: 
"Do you favor a $70,000,000 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?" 
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 
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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. 
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 funds provided by this bond issue, in the amount of $70,000,000, will be used to 
recapitalize the Land for Maine's Future program over 2 years to continue the State's land 
conservation efforts.