An Act To Establish a Disaster Relief Fund for Potato Farmers Adversely Affected by Drought Conditions
Maine Legislature, Session 130, LD 1998
Committee Amendment CA_A_S504 (Senate)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A "to S.P. 717, L.D. 1998, "An Act To Establish a 
Disaster Relief Fund for Potato Farmers Adversely Affected by Drought Conditions" 
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following: 
'An Act To Establish a Fund for Farmers Adversely Affected by Drought Conditions' 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and inserting the 
following: 
'Sec. 1. 7 MRSA c. 8-A, sub-c. 4 is enacted to read: 
SUBCHAPTER 4 
FARMERS DROUGHT RELIEF GRANT PROGRAM 
§220-A. Farmers Drought Relief Grant Program 
1. Grant program established. The Farmers Drought Relief Grant Program, referred 
to in this section as "the program," is established in the department to assist farmers in the 
State to overcome the adverse effects of drought conditions by providing grants in 
accordance with this section. 
2. Eligibility. A farmer in the State may apply for a grant under the program if the 
farmer needs to establish a source for irrigation water to alleviate the risk of crop losses 
due to drought. The source for irrigation water must be sustainable, environmentally sound 
and affordable. 
3. Farmers Drought Relief Grant Program Fund. The Farmers Drought Relief 
Grant Program Fund is established as a nonlapsing fund to provide funding to achieve the 
purposes of the program. The fund consists of any funds received from private and public 
sources. The fund must be held separate and apart from all other money, funds and 
accounts. Any balance remaining in the fund at the end of any fiscal year must be carried 
forward to the next fiscal year. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
~os 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A "to S.P. 717, L.D. 1998 Cs .. 5b, i....D 
4. Rules. The department shall adopt rules to implement the program. The rules must 
include grant eligibility requirements, grant application and award procedures and grant 
funding limits. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as 
defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. 
• 
Sec. 2. Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to examine 
ways to streamline permitting new sources of water for farmers. The Department 
of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Bureau of Agriculture, Food and Rural 
Resources shall work with the Department of Environmental Protection and the Maine 
Land Use Planning Commission and other appropriate agencies to examine the permitting 
process for farmers seeking to secure permits for new sources of water for irrigation and to 
develop recommendations, including suggested legislation, to streamline the permitting 
process. No later than January 1, 2023, the department shall submit a report with findings 
and recommendations to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction 
over agriculture, conservation and forestry matters. The joint standing committee may 
submit a bill to the First Regular Session of the 131 st Legislature relating to the subject 
matter of the report. 
Sec. 3. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and 
allocations are made. 
AGRICULTURE, CONSERVATION AND FORESTRY, DEPARTMENT OF 
Bureau of Agriculture 0393 
Initiative: Provides one-time funding for contractual services to complete rulemaking, 
coordinate with other state agencies on strategies to streamline the irrigation permitting 
process and report back on findings. 
GENERAL FUND 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
2021-22 
$0 
$0 
2022-23 
$75,000 
$75,000 
Farmers Drought Relief Grant Program Fund N947 
Initiative: Provides allocations to establish the fund and to allow for acceptance of funding 
from private and public sources. 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS 
All Other 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS TOTAL 
AGRICULTURE, CONSERVATION AND 
FORESTRY, DEPARTMENT OF 
DEPARTMENT TOTALS 
GENERAL FUND 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS 
DEPARTMENT TOTAL-ALL FUNDS 
2021-22 
$0 
$0 
2021-22 
$0 
$0 
$0 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
2022-23 
$500 
$500 
2022-23 
$75,000 
$500 
$75,500 
COMMITIEEAMENDMENT".A "to S.P. 717,L.D.1998 (s~Sb~ 
I 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section 
number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment, which is the majority report of the committee, establishes the Farmers 
Drought Relief Grant Program to assist farmers in the State to overcome the adverse effects 
of drought conditions by providing grants, rather than a disaster relief grant program for 
potato farmers as in the bill. The amendment specifies that a farmer may apply for a grant 
if the farmer needs to establish a source for irrigation water to alleviate the risk of crop 
losses due to drought. 
The amendment also directs the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, 
Bureau of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources to work with the Department of 
Environmental Protection and the Maine Land Use Planning Commission and other 
appropriate agencies to examine the permitting process for farmers seeking to secure 
permits for new sources of water for irrigation and to develop recommendations, including 
suggested legislation, to streamline the permitting process. The department is required to 
submit a report with findings and recommendations to the joint standing committee of the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over agriculture, conservation and forestry matters no later 
than January 1, 2023. The joint standing committee is authorized to submit a bill to the 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 03/24/22 feae 
LD 1998 
LR 2160(02) 
An Act To Establish a Disaster Relief Fund for Potato Farmers Adversely Affected by Drought 
Conditions 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment ~'A" CS • s-e.--i) 
Committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry 
Net Cost (Savings) 
General Fund 
Appropriations/ Allocations 
General Fund 
Other Special Revenue Funds 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
FY2021-22 
$0 
$0 
$0 
FY2022-23 
$75,000 
$75,000 
$500 
Projections 
FY2023-24 
$0 
$0 
$500 
Projections 
FY2024-25 
$0 
$0 
$500 
This bill creates the Farmers Drought Relief Grant Program and the Farmers Drought Relief Grant Program Fund 
(FDRGP) within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to provide grants to farmers impacted by 
the adverse effects of drought conditions. The bill also directs ACF to coordinate with the Land Use Planning 
Commission and the Department of Environmental Protection on strategies to streamline the irrigation permitting 
process and report these findings by January 1, 2023. The bill includes ongoing allocations of $500 to establish the 
FDRGP fund and allow for the acceptance of other funding from public and private sources. ACF has indicated that 
the scope and timeline of the reporting requirements regarding the irrigation permitting process will require additional 
contracted resources to complete. The bill includes a one-time appropriation of $75,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 for 
contracted services. 
LR2160(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1