An Act To Provide a Strategic Planning Fund for Research and Development and Technology-related Companies (--)
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 0998
Committee: Business, Research and Economic Development
Sponsors: GILES, COHEN, STRANG BURGESS

. FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2009 
Legislative Do.cument 
No. 998 
RP.686 
House of Representatives, March 12,2009 
An Act To Provide a Strategic Planning Fund for Research and 
Development and Technology-related Companies 
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Reference to the Committee on Business, Research and Economic Development suggested 
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and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative GILES of Belfast. 
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MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Cosponsored by Representatives: COHEN of Portland, MacDONALD of Boothbay, STRANG 
BURGESS of Cumberland. 
Prinh:d lIll ret:yd~J pupt!1 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 5 MR.SA §13109-A is enacted to read: 
§13109-A. Maine Strategic Planning Fund for Research and Development 
1. 
Fund established. 
The Maine Strategic Planning Fund for Research and 
Development, referred to iIi this section as "the strategic planning fund, II is established as 
a nonlapsing Other Special Revenue Funds account administered by the office for the 
purposes of administering grants for business planning, technical assistance, marketing 
and strategic planning to private research and development companies that are eligible to 
receive general obligation bond proceeds for research and development purposes pursuant 
to subsection 4. 
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2. Definition. For the purposes of this section, "research and development" has the 
same meaning as in section 13109, subsection 2. 
3. Fund sources. The strategic planning fund receives money deposited by the 
Treasurer of State and any other gift, grant or other source of revenue deposited . 
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. 4. Payments to fund. Notwithstanding section 1585 or any other provision of law, a 
private research and deVelopment company that receives general obligation. bonds for 
research and development shall deposit 2% of any general obligation bond proceeds the 
company receives into the strategic planning fund. That 2% shall be awarded by the 
office to the company upon the companY's providing the office with a specific budget 
plan detailing how the company will use the funds for business plan preparation, strategic 
planning and marketing purposes. In addition, 0.25% of any general obligation bond 
proceeds received by a company for research and development must be deposited into the 
strategic planning fund for the office t6 use to provide additional technical assistance 
support through the services provided by the Maine Small Business Development 
Centers, as defined in section 13031, with the purpose of enhancing and increasing the 
availability of technical assistance· for small research and development companies 
engaged in research and development projects. 
5. Report. Beginning January 15, 2010, the office shall submit an annual report to 
the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over business, researoh 
and economic development matters on the use of the funds set aside under subsection 4. 
The joint standing committee shall evaluate the impact of the use of the· funds on the 
economic success of the companies involved to determine if future funding formulas 
should be adjusted. 
SUMMAR.Y. 
. This bill establishes the Maine Strategic Planning Fund for Research and 
Development, to be administered by the Department of Economic and Community 
Development, Office of Innovation for the purposes of administering grants for business 
planning, technical assista.'lce, marketing and strategic planning to private research and 
development companies that are eligible to receive general obligation bond proceeds for 
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research and development purposes: Any private research and development company 
that receives general obligation bonds for research and development must deposit a total 
of 2.25% of all general obligation bonds received into the fund. The office is required to I 
submit an annual report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having 
jurisdiction over business, research and economic development matters on the strategic 
plarlning fund for research and development. The joint standing committee shall evaluate 
the impact of the use of the funds on the economic success of the businesses involved to 
qetermine if future funding formulas should be adjusted.