LD 1173
pg. 4
Page 3 of 5 An Act To Continue the Maine Farms for the Future Program Page 5 of 5
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LR 1219
Item 1

 
A.__All money allocated from the proceeds of sales of
bonds pursuant to a General Fund bond issue for the
purpose of making loans under the program;

 
B.__Money from any other source, whether public or
private, designated for deposit into or credited to the
loan fund; and

 
C.__Repayments to the loan fund.

 
3.__Disbursements from the loan fund.__Disbursements from
the loan fund are governed by the following provisions.

 
A.__A selected farm under section 318 may apply for a loan
for up to 50% of the funds needed to implement the
business plan for that farm.

 
B.__The review panel required by section 317 shall review
applications for loans and award loans pursuant to
guidelines established by the department.

 
4.__Unencumbered balances.__Any unencumbered balance
remaining at the end of any fiscal year lapses back to the
loan fund.

 
5.__Administration of the loan fund.__The department may
authorize administration of the loan fund by an organization
in the same manner as provided under section 320.

 
Sec. B-3. 7 MRSA §320, sub-§1, ¶¶F and G, as enacted by PL 1999, c.
763, §1, are amended to read:

 
F. Executing and enforcing first and 2nd farmland
protection agreements; and

 
G. Evaluating and reporting annually by March 15th to the
joint standing committee of the Legislature having
jurisdiction over agricultural matters on the impact and
effectiveness of the program.; and

 
Sec. B-4. 7 MRSA §320, sub-§1, ¶H is enacted to read:

 
H.__Administering the Farms for the Future Loan Fund under
section 319-A.

 
Sec. B-5. Competitive bid process. The Department of Agriculture, Food
and Rural Resources shall seek competitive bids for the
administration of the Maine Farms for the Future Program. The
successful candidate shall by contract agree to


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