An Act to Reform the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1637
Sponsors: DAUGHTRY, ANKELES
Amends: 5 MRSA §13083-G, 5 MRSA §13083-I, 5 MRSA §13083-K, 38 MRSA §488

Legislative Document
No. 1637
S.P. 645
In Senate, April 15, 2025
An Act to Reform the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on April 11, 2025.  Referred to the Committee on 
Housing and Economic Development pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by President DAUGHTRY of Cumberland.
Cosponsored by Representative ANKELES of Brunswick and
Senator: TEPLER of Sagadahoc, Representatives: ARFORD of Brunswick, GOLEK of 
Harpswell.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  5 MRSA §13083-G, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 641, §1, is amended 
to read:
2.  Intermediate goal.  Recover economic losses and total job losses in the primary 
impact community resulting from the base closure; and
Sec. 2.  5 MRSA §13083-G, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 641, §1, is amended 
to read:
3.  Long-term goal.  Facilitate the maximum redevelopment of base properties.; and
Sec. 3.  5 MRSA §13083-G, sub-§4 is enacted to read:
4.  Environmental stewardship.  Engage in environmental stewardship to protect 
against harm to the environment and residents of the primary impact community. 
Sec. 4.  5 MRSA §13083-I, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2005, c. 599, §1, is amended 
to read:
2.  Membership; appointment.  The authority is governed by a board of trustees 
composed of 11 12 voting members appointed by the Governor and subject to review by 
the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over economic 
development matters and to confirmation by the Senate and 2 other members, one voting 
and one nonvoting, all appointed pursuant to this subsection.
A.  Trustees Except for the trustees appointed pursuant to paragraphs F and G, trustees 
are appointed for 4-year terms, except that, for initial appointments, 3 trustees are 
appointed to one-year terms, 3 trustees are appointed to 2-year terms, 2 trustees are 
appointed to 3-year terms, 2 trustees are appointed to 4-year terms and the 
commissioner commissioners designated pursuant to paragraph D serves serve at the 
pleasure of the Governor.  A vacancy must be filled in the same manner as the original 
appointment for the balance of the unexpired term.
B.  A trustee continues to hold office until a successor is appointed and qualified, but 
the term of the successor is not altered from the original expiration date of the holdover 
trustee's term.
C.  The Governor shall make 10 appointments, of which no fewer than 7 must be from 
candidates who are residents of Androscoggin County, Cumberland County and 
Sagadahoc County and are nominated by the primary impact communities at least 4 
are residents of Brunswick or Brunswick town officials or business owners.  The 
Governor shall appoint members who reflect the diversity of interests represented by 
these communities that community.
D.  The Governor shall designate a commissioner 2 commissioners of a department 2 
different departments of State Government to be a voting, ex officio member members 
of the board of trustees.
E.  A member appointed to the board of trustees may not hold an elected office in 
municipal, county or state government.
F.  One trustee, who serves as a voting member, must be appointed annually by the 
chair of the Brunswick town council.
G.  One member of the Senate or the House of Representatives serves as a nonvoting, 
ex officio member and serves a 2-year term commensurate with the Legislator's term 
of office.  For a Legislature that is designated with an even number, the member must 
be a member of the House of Representatives who represents a portion of Brunswick 
or Topsham, appointed by the Speaker of the House; in odd-numbered Legislatures, 
the member must be a Senator who represents Brunswick or Topsham, appointed by 
the President of the Senate.
Sec. 5.  5 MRSA §13083-I, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2009, c. 641, §2, is repealed.
Sec. 6.  5 MRSA §13083-K, sub-§5 is enacted to read:
5.  Uniform Environmental Covenants Act.  Notwithstanding any provision of law 
to the contrary, all property held by the authority is subject to the Uniform Environmental 
Covenants Act.
Sec. 7.  38 MRSA §488, sub-§15, as amended by PL 2011, c. 551, §2, is further 
amended by enacting at the end a new last blocked paragraph to read:
The provisions of this subsection do not apply to the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment 
Authority established in Title 5, section 13083-G.
Sec. 8.  Initial term of Legislator on Midcoast Regional Redevelopment 
Authority.  Notwithstanding the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 13083-I, 
subsection 2, paragraph G, the Speaker of the House shall appoint to the Midcoast Regional 
Redevelopment Authority the initial member of the Legislature who must be a member of 
the House of Representatives who represents a portion of Brunswick or Topsham; that 
member serves on the authority until December 2, 2026.
Sec. 9.  Establishment of environmental covenants.  No later than January 1, 
2027, the board of trustees of the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority shall enter 
into environmental covenants pursuant to the Uniform Environmental Covenants Act for 
all property held by the authority.  
SUMMARY
This bill makes the following changes to the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment 
Authority.
1. It amends the goals of the authority to require it to engage in environmental 
stewardship.
2. It increases the membership of the board of trustees of the authority by 3 members 
to 14 members by:
A. Requiring the Governor to appoint a 2nd commissioner of a department of State 
Government; 
B.  Adding a voting member appointed by the chair of the Brunswick town council; 
and
C. Adding a nonvoting member who is a Senator or Representative who represents 
Brunswick or Topsham.  The Senator and Representative serve 2-year terms, 
commensurate with their term of office, rotating back and forth.
3. It removes the requirement that, for the 10 appointments made by the Governor to 
represent local communities, at least 7 must be residents of Androscoggin County, 
Cumberland County or Sagadahoc County and instead requires that at least 4 must be 
residents of Brunswick or Brunswick town officials or business owners.
4. It repeals the inclusion of the authority under the Maine Tort Claims Act and 
removes the exemption of the board of trustees or an employee of the authority from 
personal liability and the requirement that the authority indemnify a trustee or employee 
against expenses incurred in the defense of an action brought against that trustee or 
employee due to that trustee's or employee's relationship with the authority.
5. It requires all property held by the authority to be subject to the Uniform 
Environmental Covenants Act and requires the board of trustees to enter into covenants 
under that Act no later than January 1, 2027. 
6. It removes the exemption of the authority from the site location of development laws 
currently granted to former military bases.