An Act To Make Fisheries and Wildlife Projects Eligible for Tax Increment Financing
Maine Legislature, Session 125, LD 1653
Committee Amendment CA_A_S453 (Senate)
Amends: 30-A MRSA §5222, 30-A MRSA §5225

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A "to S.P. 552, L.D. 1653, Bill, "An Act To Make 
Fisheries and Wildlife Projects Eligible for Tax Increment Financing" 
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following: 
'An Act To Make Fisheries and Wildlife and Marine Resources Projects Eligible for 
Tax Increment Financing' 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the 
summary and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 1. 30-A MRSA §5222, sub-§10-A is enacted to read: 
to-A. Fisheries and wildlife or marine resources project. "Fisheries and wildlife 
or marine resources project" means a project approved by the Department of Inland 
Fisheries and Wildlife or the Department of Marine Resources undertaken for the purpose 
of improving public access to freshwater or saltwater fisheries and wildlife resources of 
the State for fishing, hunting, research or observation or for conservation or improvement 
of the freshwater or saltwater fisheries and wildlife resources of the State. 
Sec. 2. 30-A MRS A §5223, sub-§3, ~A, as amended by PL 2007, c. 413, §3, is 
further amended to read: 
A. At least 25%, by area, of the real property within a development district must 
meet at least one of the following criteria: 
(1) Must be a blighted area; 
(2) 
Must be in need of rehabilitation, redevelopment or conservation work 
including a fisheries and wildlife or marine resources project; or 
(3) Must be suitable for commercial or arts district uses. 
Sec. 3. 30-A MRSA §5225, sub-§1, ~C, as amended by PL 2011, c. 101, §14 
and c. 102, § 1, is repealed and the following enacted in its place: 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A" to S.P. 552, L.D. 1653 
C. Costs related to economic development, environmental improvements, fisheries 
and wildlife or marine resources projects, recreational trails or employment training 
within the municipality or plantation, including, but not limited to: 
(1) Costs of funding economic development programs or events developed by 
the municipality or plantation or funding the marketing of the municipality or 
plantation as a business or arts location; 
(2) 
Costs of funding environmental improvement projects developed by the 
municipality or plantation for commercial or arts district use or related to such 
activities; 
(3) Funding to establish permanent economic development revolving loan funds 
or investment funds; 
(4) Costs of services to provide skills development and training for residents of 
the municipality or plantation. These costs may not exceed 20% of the total 
project costs and must be designated as training funds in the development 
program; 
(5) Quality child care costs, including finance costs and construction, staffing, 
training, certification and accreditation costs related to child care; 
(6) Costs associated with new or existing recreational trails determined by the 
department to have significant potential to promote economic development, 
including, but not limited to, costs for multiple projects and project phases that 
may include planning, design, construction, maintenance, grooming and 
improvements with respect to new or existing recreational trails, which may 
include bridges that are part of the trail corridor, used all or in part for all-terrain 
vehicles, snowmobiles, hiking, bicycling, cross-country skiing or other related 
multiple uses; 
(7) Costs associated with a new or expanded transit service, limited to: 
(a) Transit service capital costs, including but not limited to: transit vehicles 
such as buses, ferries, vans, rail conveyances and related equipment; bus 
shelters and other transit-related structures; and benches, signs and other 
transit-related infrastructure; and 
(b) In the case of transit-oriented development districts, ongoing costs of 
adding to an existing transit system or creating a new transit service and 
limited strictly to transit operator salaries, transit vehicle fuel and transit 
vehicle parts replacements; and 
(8) Costs associated with the development of fisheries and wildlife or marine 
resources projects; and 
Sec. 4. Fisheries and wildlife or marine resources projects; rules. The 
Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, in consultation with the Department of 
Economic and Community Development, shall adopt rules establishing standards and a 
process for approval of fisheries and wildlife projects eligible for tax increment financing 
under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 30-A, chapter 206. The Department of Marine 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A" to S.P. 552, L.D. 1653 
Resources, in consultation with the DepaIiment of Economic and Community 
Development, shall adopt rules establishing standards and a process for approval of 
marine resources projects eligible for tax increment financing under the Maine Revised 
Statutes, Title 30-A, chapter 206. Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine 
technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. 
Sec. 5. Appropriations and allocations. 
The following appropriations and 
allocations are made. 
INLAND FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE, DEPARTMENT OF 
Fisheries and Hatcheries Operations 0535 
Initiative: Provides one-time funding for rule-making costs associated with establishing 
standards and a process for approval of fisheries and wildlife projects eligible for tax 
increment financing. 
GENERAL FUND 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
SUMMARY 
2011-12 
$0 
$0 
2012-13 
$7,000 
$7,000 
This amendment replaces the bill and changes the title. It authorizes the use of tax 
increment financing for marine resources projects approved by the Department of Marine 
Resources in addition to projects approved by the Department of Inland Fisheries and 
Wildlife, as authorized in the bill. It adds marine resources projects to the types of tax 
increment projects that may be undertaken for the purpose of improving public access to 
fisheries and to the wildlife resources of the State for fishing, hunting, research or 
observation or for conservation or improvement of the fisheries and wildlife resources of 
the State. It requires the Department of Marine Resources to adopt rules for establishing 
the standards for the approval of marine resources projects eligible for tax increment 
financing. The amendment also adds an appropriations and allocations section. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 03113112 
;:!;p'.czC 
LD 1653 
LR 2520(02) 
An Act To Make Fisheries and Wildlife Projects Eligible for Tax Increment Financing 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment" A" S - *53 
Committee: Taxation 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
FY 2011-12 
FY 2012-13 
Projections 
FY 2013-14 
Projections 
FY 2014-15 
Net Cost (Savings) 
General Fund 
Appropriationsl Allocations 
General Fund 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
$0 
$0 
$7,000 
$0 
$0 
$7,000 
$0 
$0 
The bill includes a one-time General Fund appropriation of $7,000 to the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife 
in fiscal year 2012-13 for rulemaking costs associated with establishing standards and a process for approval of 
fisheries and wildlife projects eligible for tax increment financing. This analysis assumes the department would need 
to hold 3-4 public hearings and incur costs related to meeting room rental and advertising. 
Additional costs to the Department of Economic and Community Development associated with conducting the 
required review and with rulemaking can be absorbed within existing budgeted resources. 
LR2520(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1