130th MAINE LEGISLATURE
		LD 1744		LR 2195(09)
	An Act To Increase Funding for the Animal Welfare Fund by Increasing Certain Fees
	Fiscal Note for Bill as Engrossed with: C "A" (S-454) S "A" (S-562) to C "A" (S-454)
	Committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Fiscal Note
			FY 2021-22	FY 2022-23	Projections  FY 2023-24	Projections  FY 2024-25
Net Cost (Savings)
	General Fund		$0	$201,512	$201,512	$201,512
Appropriations/Allocations
	Other Special Revenue Funds		$0	$335,232	$335,232	$335,232
Revenue
	General Fund		$0	($201,512)	($201,512)	($201,512)
	Other Special Revenue Funds		$0	$335,232	$335,232	$335,232
Fiscal Detail and Notes
	This bill changes how revenue from fees collected on registrations to distribute commercial feed in the State is distributed between the Animal Welfare Fund (AWF) and the General Fund. Currently, 50% of the fee is credited to the AWF and 50% is credited to the General Fund. This bill changes the distribution to 20% credited to the General Fund and 80% credited to the AWF. Changing the split will reduce budgeted General Fund revenue by $201,512, from $425,000 to $223,448, beginning in fiscal year 2022-23. Other Special Revenue Funds revenue to the AWF will increase by $335,232 beginning in fiscal year 2022-23.
	The bill also increases the daily compensation for animal shelters holding animals pending court decisions from $5 to $15 for dogs and cats, from $8 to $18 for female cats or dogs with unweaned litters and from $10 to $20 for equines. It also increases from $8 to $20 the upper limit of daily compensation for holding livestock animals, excluding equines, fowl and rabbits.
	The bill includes allocations of $335,232 to the Department of Administrative and Financial Services beginning in fiscal year 2022-23 to allow expenditure of the additional revenue, which will be sufficient to cover the higher compensation paid to animal shelters.