LD 1907
pg. 1
LD 1907 Title Page RESOLUTION, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine to Allow for Lo... Page 2 of 2
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LR 3059
Item 1

 
Constitutional amendment. Resolved: Two thirds of each branch of the
Legislature concurring, that the following amendment to the
Constitution of Maine be proposed:

 
Constitution, Art. IX, §14 is amended to read:

 
Section 14. Authority and procedure for issuance of bonds.
The credit of the State shall not be directly or indirectly
loaned in any case, except as provided in sections 14-A, 14-B,
14-C and 14-D. The Legislature shall not create any debt or
debts, liability or liabilities, on behalf of the State, which
shall singly, or in the aggregate, with previous debts and
liabilities hereafter incurred at any one time, exceed
$2,000,000, except to suppress insurrection, to repel invasion,
or for purposes of war, and except for temporary loans to be paid
out of money raised by taxation during the fiscal year in which
they are made, and except for loans to be repaid within 12 months
with federal transportation funds; and excepting also that
whenever 2/3 of both Houses shall deem it necessary, by proper
enactment ratified by a majority of the electors voting thereon
at a general or special election, the Legislature may authorize
the issuance of bonds on behalf of the State at such times and in
such amounts and for such purposes as approved by such action;
but this shall not be construed to refer to any money that has
been, or may be deposited with this State by the Government of
the United States, or to any fund which the State shall hold in
trust for any Indian tribe. Whenever ratification by the
electors is essential to the validity of bonds to be issued on
behalf of the State, the question submitted to the electors shall
be accompanied by a statement setting forth the total amount of
bonds of the State outstanding and unpaid, the total amount of
bonds of the State authorized and unissued, and the total amount
of bonds of the State contemplated to be issued if the enactment
submitted to the electors be ratified. For any bond
authorization requiring ratification of the electors pursuant to
this section, if any bonds have not been issued within 5 years of
the date of ratification, then those bonds may not be issued
after that date. Within 2 years after expiration of that 5-year
period, the Legislature may extend, by a majority vote, the 5-
year period for an additional 5 years or may deauthorize the
bonds. If the Legislature fails to take action within those 2
years, the bond issue shall be considered to be deauthorized and
no further bonds may be issued. For any bond authorization in
existence on November 6, 1984, and for which the 5-year period
following ratification has expired, no further bonds may be
issued unless the Legislature, by November 6, 1986, reauthorizes
those bonds by a majority vote, for an additional 5-year period,
failing which all bonds unissued under those authorizations shall
be considered to be deauthorized. Temporary loans to be paid out
of moneys raised by taxation during any fiscal year shall not


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