131st MAINE LEGISLATURE
		LD 2204		LR 2862(02)
	An Act to Combat Racketeering in Scheduled Drugs by Certain Organizations
	Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment " "
	Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
	Fiscal Note Required: Yes
Fiscal Note
Current biennium cost increase - Maine State Housing Authority
			FY 2023-24	FY 2024-25	Projections  FY 2025-26	Projections  FY 2026-27
Net Cost (Savings)
	General Fund		$0	$153,108	$188,230	$194,693
Appropriations/Allocations
	General Fund		$0	$153,108	$188,230	$194,693
Correctional and Judicial Impact Statements
	The bill creates the Class A crime of racketeering.  It is unclear how many additional individuals will be convicted of a Class A crime who otherwise would not have been. The current average cost of incarcerating one individual for a single year is $55,203. No funding has been included in the bill at this time for the costs of incarceration. The additional workload associated with the minimal number of new felony cases filed in the court system does not require additional funding at this time. The collection of additional fines will increase General Fund or other dedicated revenue by minor amounts.
Fiscal Detail and Notes
	The bill includes ongoing General Fund appropriations to the Office of the Attorney General of $153,108 in fiscal year 2024-25 for one Assistant Attorney General position effective September 1, 2024. This Assistant Attorney General will operate statewide to advise law enforcement investigators, develop evidence and prosecute crimes of racketeering.
	Requiring any real property ordered forfeited and suitable for residential use be transferred to the Maine State Housing Authority (MSHA) for resale will result in increased costs to the authority. The amount cannot be determined at this time and will depend on the number of houses involved, the condition of the houses and the cost of putting the houses on the market. This bill does provide for a portion of the proceeds received from the sale or other disposition of forfeited personal property to be transferred to MSHA to be used to pay taxes, fees and liens associated with the real property transferred to the authority as well as for rehabilitation costs associated with making the real property into livable residential property for resale. Whether these funds will be sufficient to cover the costs to MSHA without General Fund support cannot be determined at this time.
	Additional costs to the Department of Public Safety from receiving the list of certain service installations, upgrades and malfunctioning transformers at residential properties from a consumer-owned and investor-owned transmission and distribution utility is expected to be minor and can be absorbed within existing budgeted resources.