An Act To Restore Revenue Sharing
Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and
Whereas, state-municipal revenue sharing is used to stabilize the municipal property tax burden and to aid in financing all municipal services; and
Whereas, transfers to municipalities are required to be made by the 20th of each month; for fiscal year 2015-16, the first transfer is required to be made by July 20, 2015; and
Whereas, the 90-day period required for nonemergency legislation may not terminate until after this date; and
Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, therefore,
Sec. 1. 30-A MRSA §5681, sub-§5-C, as amended by PL 2013, c. 368, Pt. J, §1, is further amended to read:
Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation takes effect when approved.
SUMMARY
Currently, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, the amount transferred to municipalities under state-municipal revenue sharing is decreased by approximately $86,000,000. This bill restores state-municipal revenue sharing by the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2018 by transferring from state-municipal revenue sharing each fiscal year for the next 3 fiscal years an increasingly lesser amount than the fiscal year 2014-15 amount.