An Act Regarding Future Evaluations of the Pine Tree Development Zone Program
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1629
Committee: Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business
Amends: 30-A MRSA §5250-P

Legislative Document
No. 1629
H.P. 1172
House of Representatives, April 25, 2019
An Act Regarding Future Evaluations of the Pine Tree Development 
Zone Program
Reported by Representative MASTRACCIO of Sanford for the Government Oversight 
Committee pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 3, section 1001, subsection 2.
Reference to the Committee on Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and 
Business suggested and ordered printed pursuant to Joint Rule 218.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  30-A MRSA §5250-P, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2017, c. 440, §5, is 
amended to read:
2.  Evaluation; specific public policy objective; performance measures.  The Pine 
Tree Development Zone program established by this subchapter is subject to ongoing 
legislative review in accordance with Title 3, chapter 37.  In developing evaluation 
parameters to perform the review, the Office of Program Evaluation and Government 
Accountability, the Legislature's government oversight committee and the joint standing 
committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over taxation matters shall consider:
A.  That the specific public policy objective of the Pine Tree Development Zone 
program established by this subchapter is to create and retain quality jobs in this State 
by reducing the tax burden experienced by businesses and thereby making this State's 
business tax burden more comparable to other states, encouraging location and 
expansion of businesses in this State and improving the competitiveness of this 
State's businesses; and
B.  Performance measures, including:
(1)  Change in employment levels of qualified Pine Tree Development Zone 
employees;
(2)  Amount of investment directly related to a qualified business activity;
(3)  Comparison of business tax burden in this State to other states;
(4)  Comparison of other cost burdens in this State to other states;
(5)  Comparison of the amount of public incentives received from the Pine Tree 
Development Zone program to the amount of public incentives received from 
other incentive programs in the State;
(6)  Measures of industry competitiveness for businesses receiving Pine Tree 
Development Zone benefits;
(7)  Measures of fiscal impact and overall economic impact to the State; and
(8)  Other measures as may be relevant to the evaluation of program outcomes.
The Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability shall provide a report 
of its evaluation of the Pine Tree Development Zone program established by this 
subchapter in accordance with Title 3, section 999 by January 15, 2021 and shall also 
provide this report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction 
over economic development matters, which may report out a bill to the First Regular 
Session of the 130th Legislature in response to the report's recommendations.
SUMMARY
Current law provides that the Government Oversight Committee establish a schedule 
for the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability to conduct reviews 
of tax expenditure programs based on priority and the grouping of programs with similar 
goals.  This bill strikes a provision regarding the Pine Tree Development Zone program 
that establishes the specific date of January 15, 2021 by which the Office of Program 
Evaluation and Government Accountability must complete a review of the program.