Resolve, To Estimate the Annual Value of Uncollected Bottle Deposits, Fraud and Total Costs under Maine's Bottle Bill

Sec. 1. Unclaimed deposits. Resolved: That the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources shall, in conjunction with other state agencies and 3rd-party administrators of beverage container commingling agreements that have knowledge of unclaimed beverage container deposits, estimate the unclaimed beverage container deposits that revert each year to the State and to beverage distributors; and be it further

Sec. 2. Redemption fraud. Resolved: That the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources shall estimate the total number of beverage containers that are illegally redeemed in the State each year; and be it further

Sec. 3. Total costs. Resolved: That the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources shall estimate the total annual costs to Maine’s beverage distributors to fulfill their obligations under Maine’s beverage container deposit law; and be it further

Sec. 4. Reporting date established. Resolved: That the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources shall report its findings and any recommendations based on the estimates developed pursuant to this resolve to the Joint Standing Committee on Business, Research and Economic Development no later than January 15, 2008. The Joint Standing Committee on Business, Research and Economic Development is authorized to submit legislation concerning this report to the Second Regular Session of the 123rd Legislature.