Sec. 1. 7 MRSA §3153-C, sub-§2 is enacted to read:

2.__Optional delay of payments.__A milk producer eligible for payments under this section may choose to delay the month of the initial payment by notifying the administrator of the Maine Milk Pool on or before the 15th day of the month following the month in which production exceeded the annual production cap under the federal Milk Income Loss Contract.__The producer must state the month requested for the initial payment.__A producer may change the month selected for the initial payment by notifying the administrator on or before the 15th day of the month preceding the selected month. After an initial payment under this section, the administrator of the__Maine Milk Pool shall make subsequent payments each month in which payments are made under the federal Milk Income Loss Contract until that producer's annual production reaches 5,000,000 pounds. When a producer chooses to delay payments under this section, production for each month that payments are delayed is not counted towards the annual production cap of 5,000,000 pounds.

SUMMARY

This bill allows a milk producer to choose which month that producer begins receiving payments under the Maine milk income loss contract. Production during the months that payments are delayed does not count towards the cap of 5,000,000 pounds under the Maine milk income loss contract.