An Act To Streamline the Issuance of State Business Licenses
Maine Legislature, Session 125, LD 0730
Committee: Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development
Sponsors: THOMAS, PRESCOTT, PLOWMAN, RECTOR, THIBODEAU, GIFFORD, HAMPER, HARVELL, O'CONNOR, OLSEN
Amends: 5 MRSA §13062

Legislative Document 
No. 730 
S.P. 220 
In Senate, February 18, 2011 
An Act To Streamline the Issuance of State Business Licenses 
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on February 18, 2011.  Referred to the Committee 
on Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and 
ordered printed. 
JOSEPH G. CARLETON, JR. 
Secretary of the Senate 
Presented by Senator THOMAS of Somerset. 
Cosponsored by Representative PRESCOTT of Topsham and 
Senators: PLOWMAN of Penobscot, RECTOR of Knox, THIBODEAU of Waldo, 
Representatives: GIFFORD of Lincoln, HAMPER of Oxford, HARVELL of Farmington, 
O'CONNOR of Berwick, OLSEN of Phippsburg. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  5 MRSA §13062, sub-§2, ¶C is enacted to read: 
C.  The director shall establish within the office a retail business portfolio license 
program to allow a person possessing a sales tax registration certificate under Title 
36, chapter 211 for the operation of a retail sales facility, as defined in Title 36, 
section 6651, subsection 5, to apply to the office for a single license, to be issued by 
the office, that consolidates all retail licenses required by the State for a person to 
lawfully operate that retail sales facility. Notwithstanding any other law to the 
contrary, retail licenses eligible for consolidation and issuance by the office as part of 
a retail business portfolio license include, but are not limited to, restaurant and food 
sales licenses, liquor licenses and beer permits, hotel and motel licenses and licenses 
for the sale of tobacco products, food, beverages, lottery tickets and gasoline.  
Applications for a retail business portfolio license may be submitted to the office on 
or after January 3, 2012. 
Sec. 2.  Rules.  The Director of the Office of Business Development within the 
Department of Economic and Community Development shall, no later than December 1, 
2011, adopt rules governing the retail business portfolio license program established in 
the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 13062, subsection 2, paragraph C.  The rules 
must specify the application requirements for a portfolio license, establish timelines 
applicable to the office for the processing and issuance of portfolio licenses, establish the 
fees for a portfolio license, which may not exceed the combined cost of the individual 
licenses included in the portfolio license, and require the same renewal date for all 
individual licenses included in the portfolio license and a prorated license fee based on 
that renewal date. Rules adopted under this section are routine technical rules pursuant to 
Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. 
Sec. 3.  Report.  No later than January 15, 2012, the Director of the Office of 
Business Development within the Department of Economic and Community 
Development shall submit a report to the Joint Standing Committee on Labor, Commerce, 
Research and Economic Development on the retail business portfolio license program 
established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 13062, subsection 2, paragraph 
C.  The report must include recommendations on any statutory changes in the laws 
governing retail business licensing practices the director determines are necessary to 
improve the effective operation of the program. 
SUMMARY 
This bill streamlines the issuance of state business licenses by creating a retail 
business portfolio license program in the Department of Economic and Community 
Development, Office of Business Development. The program, which would begin on 
January 3, 2012, requires the office to issue a single, consolidated portfolio license to any 
person possessing a sales tax registration certificate issued for the purpose of operating a 
retail sales facility. The portfolio license would consolidate into a single license all 
individual business licenses required for that facility to conduct business in the State, 
would have a single, prorated renewal date for all licenses in the portfolio license and 
would be available at a fee not to exceed the sum of the fees for each of the individual 
licenses. 
The bill requires the Director of the Office of Business Development to adopt routine 
technical rules by December 1, 2011 in order to begin the program on January 3, 2012.  
The bill also requires the director, by January 15, 2012, to report to the Joint Standing 
Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development on the operation 
of the program and on any statutory changes necessary to improve the effective operation 
of the program.