An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue To Finance the Acquisition of Land and Interest in Land for Public Land and Water Access, Conservation, Wildlife and Fish Habitats, Outdoor Recreation Including Hunting and Fishing and Farmland Preservation and To Access Matching Contributions from Public and Private Sources

Preamble. Two thirds of both Houses of the Legislature deeming it necessary in accordance with the Constitution of Maine, Article IX, Section 14 to authorize the issuance of bonds on behalf of the State of Maine to provide funds as described in this Act,

Sec. 1. Authorization of bonds. The Treasurer of State is authorized, under the direction of the Governor, to issue bonds in the name and on behalf of the State in an amount not exceeding $87,500,000 for the purposes described in section 6 of this Act and to access $43,750,000 in matching contributions from public and private sources. No more than $25,000,000 in bonds may be issued within the first year after ratification of the issuance of bonds as set forth in this Act and no more than $22,500,000 may be issued in the 2nd year, and no more than $20,000,000 in each of the subsequent 2 years, except that any unused balance may be added to the specified amount in subsequent years. The bonds are a pledge of the full faith and credit of the State. The bonds may not run for a period longer than 10 years from the date of the original issue of the bonds. At the discretion of the Treasurer of State, with the approval of the Governor, any issuance of bonds may contain a call feature.

Sec. 2. Records of bonds issued kept by Treasurer of State. The Treasurer of State shall keep an account of each bond showing the number of the bond, the name of the successful bidder to whom sold, the amount received for the bond, the date of sale and the date when payable.

Sec. 3. Sale; how negotiated; proceeds appropriated. The Treasurer of State may negotiate the sale of the bonds by direction of the Governor, but no bond may be loaned, pledged or hypothecated on behalf of the State. The proceeds of the sale of the bonds, which must be held by the Treasurer of State and paid by the Treasurer of State upon warrants drawn by the State Controller, are appropriated solely for the purposes set forth in this Act. Any unencumbered balances remaining at the completion of the project in this Act lapse to the debt service account established for the retirement of these bonds.

Sec. 4. Interest and debt retirement. The Treasurer of State shall pay interest due or accruing on any bonds issued under this Act and all sums coming due for payment of bonds at maturity.

Sec. 5. Disbursement of bond proceeds allocated to Land for Maine's Future Board. The proceeds of the bonds must be expended as set out in this Act under the direction and supervision of the Land for Maine's Future Board for acquisition of land and interest in land for conservation, public land and water access, outdoor recreation, wildlife and fish habitats and farmland preservation in accordance with the provisions for such acquisitions under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, chapter 353, including all costs associated with such acquisitions, except that use of the proceeds of these bonds is subject to the following conditions and requirements.

1. Hunting, fishing, trapping and public access may not be prohibited on land acquired with bond proceeds, except to the extent of applicable state, local or federal laws and regulations.

2. Payments from bond proceeds for acquisitions of local or regional significance, as determined by the Land for Maine's Future Board, may be made directly to cooperating entities as defined in Title 5, section 6201, subsection 2 for acquisition of land and interest in land by cooperating entities, subject to terms and conditions enforceable by the State to ensure their use for the purposes of this Act.

3. The bond funds must be matched with at least $43,750,000 in public and private contributions. Seventy percent of that amount must be in the form of cash or other tangible assets, including the value of land and real property interest acquired by or contributed to cooperating entities when property interests have a direct relationship to the property proposed for protection, as determined by the Land for Maine's Future Board. The remaining 30% may be matching contributions and may include the value of project-related, in-kind contributions of goods and services to and by cooperating entities.

4. Ten percent of the bond proceeds allocated to the Land for Maine's Future Board must be made available to acquire public access to water in accordance with the provisions of Title 5, section 6203-A.

5. Ten percent of the bond proceeds allocated to the Land for Maine's Future Board must be made available to protect farmland in accordance with Title 5, section 6207.

6. To the extent the purposes are consistent with the disbursement provisions in this Act, 100% of the bond proceeds may be considered as state match for any federal funding to be made available to the State.

Sec. 6. Allocations from General Fund bond issue. The proceeds of the sale of the bonds authorized under this Act must be expended as designated in the following schedule.

LAND FOR MAINE'S FUTURE BOARD
Provides funds to be used for the acquisition of land and interest in land for public land and water access, conservation, wildlife and fish habitats, outdoor recreation including hunting and fishing and farmland preservation.	$87,500,000

Sec. 7. Contingent upon ratification of bond issue. Sections 1 to 6 do not become effective unless the people of the State ratify the issuance of the bonds as set forth in this Act.

Sec. 8. Appropriation balances at year-end. At the end of each fiscal year, all unencumbered appropriation balances representing state money carry forward. Bond proceeds that have not been expended within 10 years after the date of the sale of the bonds lapse to General Fund debt service.

Sec. 9. Bonds authorized but not issued. Any bonds authorized but not issued, or for which bond anticipation notes are not issued within 9 years of ratification of this Act, are deauthorized and may not be issued, except that the Legislature may, within 2 years after the expiration of that 9-year period, extend the period for issuing any remaining unissued bonds or bond anticipation notes for an additional amount of time not to exceed 5 years.

Sec. 10. Referendum for ratification; submission at election; form of question; effective date. This Act must be submitted to the legal voters of the State at a statewide election held in the month of November following passage of this Act. The municipal officers of this State shall notify the inhabitants of their respective cities, towns and plantations to meet, in the manner prescribed by law for holding a statewide election, to vote on the acceptance or rejection of this Act by voting on the following question:

"Do you favor an $87,500,000 bond issue to purchase land and conservation easements statewide for public land and water access, conservation, wildlife and fish habitats, outdoor recreation including hunting and fishing and farmland preservation, to be matched by at least $43,750,000 in private and public contributions?"

The legal voters of each city, town and plantation shall vote by ballot on this question and designate their choice by a cross or check mark placed within a corresponding square below the word "Yes" or "No." The ballots must be received, sorted, counted and declared in open ward, town and plantation meetings and returns made to the Secretary of State in the same manner as votes for members of the Legislature. The Governor shall review the returns. If a majority of the legal votes are cast in favor of this Act, the Governor shall proclaim the result without delay and this Act becomes effective 30 days after the date of the proclamation.

The Secretary of State shall prepare and furnish to each city, town and plantation all ballots, returns and copies of this Act necessary to carry out the purposes of this referendum.

Summary

The funds provided by this bond issue, in the amount of $87,500,000, will be used to recapitalize the Land for Maine's Future program over 4 years to continue the State's land conservation efforts, leveraging a minimum of $43,750,000 in required matching funds.