An Act To Support Research and Development at a Marine Field Station at the University of Maine at Machias

Emergency preamble. Whereas,  acts and resolves of the Legislature do not become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and

Whereas,  nonemergency legislation passed in the First Regular Session of the 127th Legislature is unlikely to become effective until September of 2015; and

Whereas,  it is necessary that this Act take effect prior to the beginning of the next fiscal year on July 1, 2015; 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. 10 MRSA §948, sub-§1, ¶H,  as amended by PL 2013, c. 225, §2, is further amended to read:

Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation takes effect when approved.

SUMMARY

This bill changes the apportionment of the percentage of the Maine Economic Improvement Fund that goes to the University of Maine at Augusta, the University of Maine at Farmington, the University of Maine at Fort Kent, the University of Maine at Machias, the University of Maine at Presque Isle and the Maine Maritime Academy to support research and development by removing the equal apportionment to all of the institutions of a minimum of 3% of the fund and, beginning July 1, 2015, providing a minimum 2% of the fund to be disbursed to the University of Maine at Machias to support a marine field station and a minimum of 1% to be apportioned among the remainder of the institutions.