2023 Maine Revised Statutes › TITLE 7: AGRICULTURE AND ANIMALS › Part 1: ADMINISTRATION › Chapter 4: AGRICULTURAL FAIRS AND PULLING EVENTS › 7 §82. Commissioner's duties and powers

§82. Commissioner's duties and powers
1.  Licensing and apportionment.
The commissioner shall issue fair licenses in accordance with section 83. The commissioner shall apportion annually the stipend due from the Stipend Fund and the Fair Fund to qualified fair licensees.
[PL 2005, c. 563, §3 (NEW).]
2.  Administration of Stipend Fund and Fair Fund.
In administering the provisions of this chapter pertaining to the Stipend Fund and the Fair Fund, the commissioner shall:
A. Issue blanks for a licensee or the appropriate officer of a licensee to submit information necessary for the commissioner to obtain full knowledge of the licensee's work for each year;   [PL 2005, c. 563, §3 (NEW).]
B. Certify to the Governor the amount of stipend due a licensee; and   [PL 2005, c. 563, §3 (NEW).]
C. Make distributions from the Stipend Fund and the Fair Fund in accordance with this chapter.   [PL 2005, c. 563, §3 (NEW).]
[PL 2005, c. 563, §3 (NEW).]
3.  Authority to summons.
The commissioner may summon and examine on oath an officer or director of any entity holding a fair license or any person whose testimony the commissioner considers necessary in the proper discharge of the commissioner's duties under this chapter. The commissioner may require witnesses to offer for examination books or records in their custody or control that the commissioner considers necessary for the performance of the commissioner's duties.
[PL 2005, c. 563, §3 (NEW).]
4.  Authorization for payment.
The commissioner may authorize payment of a stipend only to a fair licensee that has adhered to the requirements of this chapter. A fair licensee is not entitled to a stipend unless the licensee completes and returns blanks issued in accordance with subsection 2. Neglect or failure on the part of a licensee to adhere to the requirements of this chapter is sufficient cause for withholding that licensee's stipend.
[PL 2005, c. 563, §3 (NEW).]
5.  Rulemaking.
The commissioner shall adopt rules to establish procedures for licensing and awarding dates for agricultural fairs and performance standards for evaluating agricultural fairs. The commissioner, in consultation with the executive director of the State Harness Racing Commission, shall adopt rules that require agricultural fairs that receive a distribution of slot machine revenue in accordance with Title 8, section 1036, subsection 2 to submit information regarding the use of that revenue sufficient for the executive director to submit the report required by Title 8, section 1037. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2‑A.
[PL 2011, c. 358, §1 (AMD).]
6.  Report on revenues from the operation of slot machines.
The commissioner shall coordinate with the executive director of the State Harness Racing Commission to submit a report regarding the distribution of slot machine revenues as required by Title 8, section 1037.
[PL 2011, c. 358, §2 (NEW).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 2005, c. 563, §3 (NEW). PL 2011, c. 358, §§1, 2 (AMD).