Amend the bill by inserting after the title and before the enacting clause the following:
‘Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and
Whereas, this Act exempts a veterans organization from the requirement to obtain a commercial beano hall permit in order to lease its facility to an organization registered to operate "beano" or "bingo" games; and
Whereas, it is necessary that this Act take effect before the expiration of the 90-day period in order to ensure that veterans organizations that rent their facilities for "beano" or "bingo" games during the summer may do so without obtaining the permit required under current law; 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,’
Amend the bill by inserting after the enacting clause and before section 1 the following:
‘Sec. 1. 17 MRSA §313-C, sub-§1, ¶C, as enacted by PL 2017, c. 284, Pt. JJJJJ, §7, is amended to read:
C. A bona fide nonprofit , charitable, educational, political, civic, recreational, fraternal, patriotic, religious or veterans organization that has been in existence and founded, chartered or organized in the State for at least 2 years prior to its registration; and
Sec. 2. 17 MRSA §328, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2017, c. 284, Pt. JJJJJ, §29, is further amended to read:
Sec. 3. 17 MRSA §328, sub-§§6 and 7, as enacted by PL 1999, c. 74, §7, are amended to read:
Amend the bill by adding before the summary the following:
‘Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation takes effect when approved.’
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section number to read consecutively.
SUMMARY
This amendment adds an emergency preamble and emergency clause to the bill and makes technical changes to the statutes governing "beano" and "bingo." The amendment clarifies that a charitable, educational, political, civic, recreational, fraternal, patriotic, religious or veterans organization that seeks to obtain a registration to conduct "beano" or "bingo" must be a bona fide nonprofit organization.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)