An Act to Create Lodging for Legislators
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1738
Committee: State and Local Government
Sponsors: COLLINGS, CARLOW, FAULKINGHAM, PERRY, TERRY, THERIAULT, JACKSON, VITELLI
Amends: 5 MRSA §12004-F, 3 MRSA §1113

Legislative Document
No. 1738
H.P. 1117
House of Representatives, April 20, 2023
An Act to Create Lodging for Legislators
Reference to the Committee on State and Local Government suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative COLLINGS of Portland.
Cosponsored by Representatives: CARLOW of Buxton, FAULKINGHAM of Winter Harbor, 
PERRY of Bangor, TERRY of Gorham, THERIAULT of Fort Kent, Senators: President 
JACKSON of Aroostook, VITELLI of Sagadahoc.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  3 MRSA c. 39 is enacted to read:
CHAPTER 39
LODGING FOR LEGISLATORS AUTHORITY
§1111.  Definitions
As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms 
have the following meanings.
1. Authority.  "Authority" means the Lodging for Legislators Authority established 
under section 1112.
2. Board.  "Board" means the Lodging for Legislators Board under section 1113.
3. Lodging facility.  "Lodging facility" means a hotel or other lodging facility, 
including but not limited to a facility with studio apartments, located near the State House, 
that is suitable for providing temporary lodging for Legislators. A lodging facility may 
include space within the facility that provides food or beverages or other services to persons 
lodging in the facility. 
§1112. Authority
The Lodging for Legislators Authority is established as a public body corporate and 
politic and an instrumentality of the State to develop and manage a lodging facility.
1. Powers and duties.  The authority shall develop and manage a lodging facility in 
accordance with this chapter.  In carrying out this responsibility, the authority may:
A. Sue and be sued;
B. Have a seal and alter it at the authority's pleasure;
C. Construct, maintain or otherwise manage lodging facilities for members of the 
Legislature;
D. Make and execute contracts and other instruments necessary or convenient for 
carrying out the purposes of this chapter; 
E. Borrow money necessary or convenient for carrying out the purposes of this chapter. 
Any notes, obligations or liabilities of the authority are not a debt of the State or a 
pledge of the faith and credit of the State but are payable exclusively from funds 
provided to or obtained by the authority pursuant to this chapter;
F. Purchase, sell, mortgage, lease or rent property necessary or convenient for carrying 
out the purposes of this chapter;
G. Exercise any other powers necessary or convenient for carrying out the purposes of 
this chapter; and
H. Adopt, amend and repeal bylaws not inconsistent with this chapter to carry into 
effect the powers and purposes of the authority.
§1113.  Administration
1. Board.  The authority is governed by the Lodging for Legislators Board, as 
established in Title 5, section 12004-F, subsection 19.
A. The board consists of the following 7 members:
(1) The State Treasurer;
(2) Three members appointed by the President of the Senate; and
(3) Three members appointed by the Speaker of the House.
B. Appointed members of the board serve 4-year terms and may be reappointed.
C. Four members of the board constitute a quorum.
2.  Director.  The board shall appoint, using a full and competitive search process, a 
qualified full-time director of the authority. The director serves at the pleasure of the board. 
The director must have demonstrated experience relevant to the purposes of the authority.  
The board shall establish the rate and amount of compensation of the director and all other 
employees of the authority. The director:
A. Serves as the president of the authority;
B. Is responsible for:
(1) Establishing an office for the authority;
(2) Hiring and organizing staff for the authority and determining their 
qualifications and duties; and
(3) Managing the authority's work and performing other duties as the board 
considers appropriate; and
C. May delegate to employees of the authority any powers and duties that the director 
considers proper. 
§1114. Lodging for Legislators
The authority shall develop and manage a lodging facility in accordance with this 
section. 
1. Development.  To the extent of available funding, the authority shall develop a 
cost-effective lodging facility with a goal of making the facility available for members of 
the Legislature by January 2025.
2. Rents.  The rental fee for Legislators at the lodging facility must be equal to the 
housing allowance under section 2. The rental rate for any other person must be a market 
rate. All rental proceeds must be deposited in the fund.
3. Lease.  The authority may lease space in the lodging facility to other entities to 
provide food or beverages or other services to persons lodging in the facility. All lease 
payments must be deposited in the fund.
4.  Fund.  The Lodging Fund, referred to in this section as "the fund," is established 
within the authority. The fund is nonlapsing and receives all appropriations or allocations 
made to the fund and all other revenue received by the authority, including but not limited 
to the proceeds of loans and all lease and rental fees.
Sec. 2.  5 MRSA §12004-F, sub-§19 is enacted to read:
19.   
 Lodging for Legislators Board
 Expenses Only
MRSA §1113
Sec. 3.  Evaluation.  The Lodging for Legislators Board shall evaluate the costs of 
various options for developing a lodging facility pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, 
Title 3, chapter 39, including but not limited to by purchasing, leasing or renovating an 
existing facility. The board shall evaluate the costs of the options over a 30-year period 
relative to the costs to the State of the housing allowance paid to Legislators over the same 
time period under Title 3, section 2 and shall adopt a plan for implementing the option the 
board finds to be most cost-effective. The authority shall make a report of its findings to 
the Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs by January 15, 
2024, including an estimate of the amount of funding necessary to proceed with the option 
the authority has chosen.
SUMMARY
This bill establishes the Lodging for Legislators Authority to develop and implement a 
plan for providing adequate and convenient lodging for Legislators near the State House 
complex.