‘ 3. Payment. Each bottled water operator shall prepare and submit to the bureau by the 15th of each month a return according to procedures and schedules specified by the bureau reporting the total gallons of water extracted for bottling during the preceding month and other information required by the bureau and shall pay excise tax imposed under this section each month to the bureau at the time the return is submitted.’
Amend the bill in section 1 in §2832 by striking out all of subsection 3 (page 1, lines 18 to 22 in L.D.) and inserting the following:
Amend the bill in section 1 in §2832 in subsection 4 in the first line (page 1, line 23 in L.D.) by striking out the following: " keep" and inserting the following: ' preserve for a period of at least 3 years'
Amend the bill in section 4 in §424-E in subsection 3 in paragraph A in the last line (page 3, line 30 in L.D.) by striking out the following: " and"
Amend the bill in section 4 in §424-E in subsection 3 by striking out all of paragraph B (page 3, lines 31 to 33 in L.D.) and inserting the following:
‘ B. Ten percent of the money distributed by the fund in any calendar year must support activities under the lake water quality monitoring and support program under section 424-D; and
C. Five percent of the money distributed by the fund in any calendar year must support well water remediation efforts.’
Amend the bill by inserting after section 4 the following:
‘Sec. 5. Application. This Act first applies to bottled water operators that extracted more than 1,000,000 gallons of water in this State in calendar year 2016.
Sec. 6. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF
Maine Water Quality Testing and Monitoring Fund N246
Initiative: Provides allocations for one part-time Environmental Specialist III position to administer the Maine Water Quality Testing and Monitoring Fund, the Maine Well Water Testing Grant Program and the lake water quality monitoring and support program and for disbursement of fund revenue for related activities.
| OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
|
Personal Services
|
$14,291 | $19,588 |
|
All Other
|
$201,709 | $340,412 |
 |
|
|
| OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS TOTAL | $216,000 | $360,000 |
Water Quality 0248
Initiative: Provides funding for one part-time Environmental Specialist III position to administer the Maine Water Quality Testing and Monitoring Fund, the Maine Well Water Testing Grant Program and the lake water quality monitoring and support program.
| GENERAL FUND | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
|
POSITIONS - LEGISLATIVE COUNT
|
0.500 | 0.500 |
|
Personal Services
|
$14,291 | $19,588 |
|
All Other
|
$2,500 | $0 |
|
|
|
| GENERAL FUND TOTAL | $16,791 | $19,588 |
| ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF | ||
| DEPARTMENT TOTALS | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
|
GENERAL FUND
|
$16,791 | $19,588 |
|
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS
|
$216,000 | $360,000 |
|
|
|
| DEPARTMENT TOTAL - ALL FUNDS | $232,791 | $379,588 |
SUMMARY
This amendment clarifies the administrative provisions for collection of the water excise tax and changes the distribution of revenues to provide that 10% must support lake water quality monitoring activities and that 5% must be used for well water remediation. The amendment provides that the tax first applies to bottled water operators that extracted more than 1,000,000 gallons of water in this State in calendar year 2016. The amendment also provides funding for a position in the Department of Environmental Protection.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)