An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Maine Potato Board Districts
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 0127
Committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Sponsors: MARTIN, JACKSON, STEWART, DAVIS
Amends: 36 MRSA §4602, 36 MRSA §4603, 36 MRSA §4604

Legislative Document
No. 127
H.P. 109
House of Representatives, January 17, 2019
An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Maine Potato Board 
Districts
Reference to the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry suggested and 
ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative MARTIN of Sinclair.
Cosponsored by President JACKSON of Aroostook and
Representatives: MARTIN of Eagle Lake, McCREA of Fort Fairfield, STEWART of Presque 
Isle, Senator: DAVIS of Piscataquis.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  36 MRSA §4602, sub-§3, ¶¶A to C, as repealed and replaced by PL 
2001, c. 164, §2, are amended to read:
A.  District One 1:  Connor, Cyr Plantation, Eagle Lake, Fort Kent, Fort Kent Mills, 
Frenchville, Grand Isle, Hamlin, Keegan, Lille, Madawaska, New Canada Plantation, 
New Sweden, Perham, Sinclair, Soldier Pond, St. Agatha, St. David, St. Francis, St. 
John, Stockholm, TR 17, Upper Frenchville, Van Buren, Wallagrass, Westmanland, 
Woodland and Winterville;
B.  District 2:  Ashland, Caribou, Castle Hill, Caswell Plantation, Connor, Connor 
Township, Chapman, Crouseville, Easton, Fort Fairfield, Garfield Plantation, 
Limestone, Perham Mapleton, Nashville Plantation, Portage Lake, Presque Isle, 
Wade, and Washburn, Westmanland and Woodland; and
C.  District 3:  Ashland, Blaine, Bridgewater, Castle Hill, Chapman, E Plantation, 
Easton, Garfield Plantation, Mapleton, Mars Hill, Masardis, Nashville, Presque Isle, 
Robbinston and Westfield; All municipalities and townships in the State not included 
in Districts 1 and 2.
Sec. 2.  36 MRSA §4602, sub-§3, ¶D, as repealed and replaced by PL 2001, c. 
164, §2 and amended by PL 2017, c. 403, Pt. A, §3 and affected by §4, is repealed.
Sec. 3.  36 MRSA §4602, sub-§3, ¶E, as repealed and replaced by PL 2001, c. 
164, §2, is repealed.
Sec. 4.  36 MRSA §4603, sub-§2, ¶¶A to C, as amended by PL 2001, c. 164, §3, 
are further amended to read:
A.  There are 5 3 assemblies of tablestock growers, one for each district.  Subject to 
paragraph F, all tablestock growers in any district are entitled to membership in that 
district's tablestock growers' assembly.
B.  There are 5 3 assemblies of seed growers, one for each district. Subject to 
paragraph F, all seed growers in any district are entitled to membership in that 
district's seed growers' assembly.
C.  There are 5 3 assemblies of processing growers, one for each district.  Subject to 
paragraph F, all processing growers in any district are entitled to membership in that 
district's processing growers' assembly.
Sec. 5.  36 MRSA §4603, sub-§3, ¶¶A to C, as amended by PL 2001, c. 164, §4, 
are further amended to read:
A.  The executive council for the tablestock growers consists of 7 5 members, one 
elected by the tablestock growers' assembly for each district and 2 additional 
members appointed by the board.
B.  The executive council for the seed growers consists of 7 5 members, one elected 
by the seed growers' assembly for each district and 2 additional members appointed 
by the board.
C.  The executive council for the processing growers consists of 7 5 members, one 
elected by the processing growers' assembly for each district and 2 additional 
members appointed by the board.
Sec. 6.  36 MRSA §4603, sub-§3, ¶D, as enacted by PL 1985, c. 753, §§14 and 
15, is amended to read:
D.  The executive council for the dealers shall consist of 7 5 members elected by the 
dealers' assembly.
Sec. 7.  36 MRSA §4603, sub-§5, as amended by PL 2011, c. 7, §1, is further 
amended to read:
5.  Meetings of executive councils and assemblies.  Executive councils shall 
annually elect officers, including a chair, vice-chair and secretary.  Each executive 
council shall hold meetings from time to time, no less than once a year, upon call of the 
executive council chair, a majority of the executive council or the board.  Each assembly 
shall hold meetings from time to time, no less than once a year, upon call of a majority of 
its executive council or upon call of the board, except that district assemblies of growers 
may hold these meetings jointly in statewide sessions or in concert with other assemblies 
or groups of assemblies.  All meetings of assemblies and executive councils must be open 
to the public and otherwise in compliance with Title 1, chapter 13.
Sec. 8.  36 MRSA §4604, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2017, c. 288, Pt. A, §48, is 
further amended to read:
2.  Programs.  The board may make studies; undertake research, development and 
investment in infrastructure, marketing and promotional programs; publish and 
disseminate information; and implement other programs in furtherance of its legislative 
purposes, provided that as long as programs undertaken by the board must be are 
designed to benefit the Maine potato industry at large or segments of the industry, but 
may and not be designed to benefit exclusively any one person or entity involved in the 
industry.  The board shall carry out the duties, as set out in Title 7, chapter 103, 
subchapter 10, article 4 and known as the "Maine Bag Program," and shall use any funds 
granted by the department to the board or obtained by the board from any other source for 
the Maine Bag Program to promote the sale of tablestock potatoes, except that revenues 
from the potato tax under section 4605 may not be used to undertake promotional 
activities of the board.  The board may use funds derived from sources other than the 
potato tax under section 4605 to carry out advertising and promotional programs in 
support of the industry.
SUMMARY
This bill amends the laws governing the Maine Potato Board to reduce the number of 
the board's districts from 5 to 3 and the number of assemblies to match the reduction in 
districts, to reduce the number of members on assemblies' executive councils so that all 
executive councils have 5 members and to reduce the number of officers an executive 
council must elect to one, a chair.  It also removes the requirements that the board carry 
out duties under the laws governing the so-called Maine Bag Program.