SP0640
LD 1796
First Regular Session - 123rd Legislature - Text: MS-Word, RTF or PDF LR 2594
Item 12
Bill Tracking Chamber Status

Amend the amendment in Part D by striking out all of section 6 and inserting the following:

Sec. D-6. Allocations from General Fund bond issue. The proceeds of the sale of the bonds authorized under this Part must be expended as designated in the following schedule.
DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Maine Technology Institute
Provides funds for research, development and commercialization as prioritized by the Office of Innovation's 2005 Science and Technology Action Plan for Maine. The funds must be allocated to biotechnology, aquaculture and marine technology, composite materials technology, environmental technology, advanced technologies for forestry and agriculture, information technology and precision manufacturing technology through a competitive process, and must be awarded to Maine-based public and private entities to leverage matching funds on at least a one-to-one basis. $43,000,000
Maine Biomedical Research Program
Provides funds for biomedical research pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 13103. $7,000,000
FINANCE AUTHORITY OF MAINE
Economic Recovery Loan Program $1,500,000
Regional Economic Development Revolving Loan Program $1,000,000
Agricultural Marketing Loan Fund $1,000,000
MAINE RURAL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
Maine Rural Development Authority $1,500,000

Amend the amendment in Part D in section 10 by striking out all of the question and inserting the following:

"Do you favor a bond issue to stimulate economic development and job creation that would provide $5,000,000 in loans and grant funds, would provide $7,000,000 in biomedical research funds and would provide $43,000,000 in research, development and commercialization funds for targeted technology sectors, awarded after a competitive process administered by the Maine Technology Institute, and will leverage at least $50,000,000 in other funds?"

Amend the amendment by inserting after Part H the following:

PART I

Sec. I-1. 5 MRSA §13103, sub-§1, ¶B,  as repealed and replaced by PL 2001, c. 196, §3, is amended to read:

B.  "Eligible institution" means a Maine-based private nonprofit biomedical research institution or academic medical center or medical school that , as of July 1, 2001:

(1) Performs competitive biomedical research in on-site, wetbench biomedical research laboratories in the State, as evidenced by publications in recognized peer review journals; and

(2) Receives or expends funds in the State from federal agencies or specified grant sources for the purpose of producing peer-reviewed biomedical research in on-site, wetbench biomedical research laboratories.

For purposes of this paragraph, "wetbench" has the meaning generally ascribed to that term by the biomedical research community and refers to laboratories that use solutions or cell extracts and biological reagents.

Sec. I-2. 5 MRSA §13103, sub-§1, ¶F,  as enacted by PL 2001, c. 196, §4, is amended to read:

F.  "Specified grant sources" means a federal agency, a nonprofit foundation, private company or corporation, a voluntary membership organization such as the American Cancer Society, or an out-of-state educational university, that , as of July 1, 2001, issues grants or contracts for the purpose of producing peer-reviewed biomedical research when the grantee retains complete editorial control over the content of the research performed.

Sec. I-3. 5 MRSA §13103, sub-§1, ¶G,  as enacted by PL 2001, c. 196, §4, is amended to read:

G.  "Medical school" means a state-based private nonprofit medical school that , as of July 1, 2001, is authorized to grant a doctorate degree in osteopathic or allopathic medicine and is accredited by the American Osteopathic Association or its successor or the Liaison Committee on Medical Education or its successor.

Sec. I-4. 5 MRSA §13104, sub-§2,  as enacted by PL 2001, c. 196, §9, is amended to read:

2. Board membership.   The board consists of 7 9 members appointed as follows:
A.  Four persons, appointed by the Governor and nominated by a statewide biomedical research coalition;
B.  Two members, appointed by the Governor, who are distinguished and credentialed in the type of biomedical research that is performed by eligible institutions defined in section 13103, subsection 1; and
C.  The commissioner or the commissioner's designee . ;
D The Director of the Office of Innovation; and
E One member of the Maine Technology Institute, appointed by the Maine Technology Institute.

Amend the amendment by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section number to read consecutively.

summary

This amendment decreases the funding for research and development earmarked for the Maine Technology Institute by $7,000,000 and adds the same amount of funding for biomedical research under the Maine Biomedical Research Program pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 13103. The total amount of the proposed bond for the Department of Economic and Community Development remains unchanged at $50,000,000. The amendment also amends Title 5, section 13103 to broaden eligibility under the Maine Biomedical Research Program by striking a limiting date. The amendment also changes the membership of the Maine Biomedical Research Board by adding the Director of the Office of Innovation within the Department of Economic and Community Development to the board and adding a member of the Maine Technology Institute as a member of the board.


Top of Page