An Act To Require Approval by the Voters of Legislation To Enact or Increase a Tax or Fee
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §1522 is enacted to read:
§ 1522. Voter approval of enactment or increase of tax or fee
1. Approval. A measure enacted by the Legislature that would create or increase a tax or fee may not take effect until the measure has been approved by the voters at the next scheduled statewide election.
2. Ballot information. The Secretary of State shall prepare the following information regarding a measure subject to approval under subsection 1. This information must be posted on the Secretary of State's publicly accessible website and be included on the ballot:
A. The tax or fee being increased and the amount of the increase;
B. The purpose of the increase;
C. The projected revenue resulting from the increase for the first 4 years after the increase; and
D. How the projected new revenue is intended to be used.
summary
This bill provides that a measure enacted by the Legislature that would create or increase a tax or fee may not take effect until the measure has been approved by the voters at the next statewide election and requires the Secretary of State to post information regarding the measure on its website and include the information on the ballot.