Legislative Bulletin
January 22, 1999

BUDGET HEARINGS FOCUS ON EDUCATION

On Wednesday this week, DOT Commissioner John Melrose presented DOT’s FY 00/01 budget to the Transportation Committee. The DOT budget seeks a $29 million (6.4%) increase over the FY 98/99 biennial budget. Of the $29 million increase, $13 million would be dedicated to repairing deficiencies in Maine’s collector road system, $6 million would be used to increase the Local Road Assistance Program funding to $45.2 million per biennium, and $2.5 million would be appropriated for the construction of DOT sand/salt facilities, thus leaving a $7.5 million increase to all other DOT programs.

In briefing the Transportation Committee, Commissioner Melrose stated that because of the changes made in recent legislative sessions, the integrity of the Highway Fund had finally been restored. The Commissioner believes that all dedicated Highway Fund revenues are now being appropriately distributed to the several state agencies that rely to varying degrees on the Highway Fund (see Table on page 2).

The $6 million allocated to the Local Road Assistance Program (LRAP) would fund proposed LRAP changes. The two most significant changes to the LRAP include the creation of the Rural Minor Collector Road Program and the Urban Compact Initiative.

The voluntary Rural Minor Collector Road Program enables municipalities to receive additional state revenue to repair minor collector roads. How this program is intended to work is that a municipality would indicate to DOT an interest in participating in a minor collector project. The DOT would estimate the state’s cost to complete the project, and give the municipality the state’s share. If the municipality could construct the project for less than the state’s estimated cost, then the savings would belong to the municipality. On the other hand, if the project costs were greater than the state’s estimate, the state and municipality would share the cost overruns. Once the project was completed, DOT would still be responsible for the maintenance of the road. The exact structure of the municipal/state matching rates is a detail of the proposal still under discussion. The overall proposal, however, has received the support of MMA’s Legislative Policy Committee.

The Urban Compact Initiative increases funding for winter maintenance from $600 per lane mile to $1,700 per lane mile and for summer maintenance from $600 per lane mile to $2,500 per lane mile for up to two lanes, and $1,250 for every lane beyond two. This change in formula appropriately reimburses the state’s service center communities for their responsibilities.

In the course of his presentation, Commissioner Melrose reminded the Committee that DOT has been working very hard at improving its overall efficiency. The Department reduced its size by 200 employees in the productivity realization program, and it also has significantly decreased the per/mile cost of road and bridge repair without compromising the function, longevity and safety of Maine’s road system.

The Commissioner finished his presentation by stressing the importance of the 5-cent fuel tax increase in order to meet the $29 million budget increase, as well as to assist the Department in securing over $700 million in federal matching revenues over the next six years. Although the Committee was somewhat apprehensive of the fuel tax increase, the Senate Chair of the Transportation Committee, Senator William O’Gara (Cumberland Cty.) asked that that Committee members keep an open mind as budget discussions get underway.

The issue of road classifications and designations is complex because there are two different mechanisms for labeling and identifying Maine roads. Designations serve to identify which entity is responsible for maintaining roads, while classifications serve to identify the purpose of the road. Both terms — classifications and designations — apply to all roads in Maine. The following glossary is intended to shed some light on this identification system.

Arterials: Provide long distance connections at relatively high speeds. Volumes of traffic typically range from 10,000 to 30,000 vehicles per day. Arterials are divided between principal and minor arterial roads.

Collectors: Link smaller towns, villages and major facilities to the arterial network. Collectors serve as conduits between residential neighborhoods and arterials. Traffic is collected from local residential roads and delivered to the nearest arterial. Volumes typically range from 2,000 to 8,000 vehicles per day. Collectors are divided between major and minor collector roads.

Local Roads: Provide direct access to abutting properties. Volumes typically range from 100 to 500 vehicles per day. Roads not classified as arterials or collectors are considered local roads.

State Highways: A system of connected main highways throughout the state that primarily serve arterial or through traffic. With the exception of compact areas, the Maine Department of Transportation maintains state highways.

State Aid Highways: A system of highways which are not included in the system of state highways, and which primarily serve as collector and feeder routes connecting local service roads to the arterial State Highway System. Generally, state aid roads are maintained by the MDOT in the summer and by the towns in the winter.

Town Ways: All other highways not included in the State highway or State Aid classifications that are maintained by municipalities or counties and primarily serve as local service roads providing access to adjacent land.

HIGHWAY FUND INTEGRITY RESTORED

On Wednesday this week, DOT Commissioner John Melrose presented DOT’s FY 00/01 budget to the Transportation Committee. The DOT budget seeks a $29 million (6.4%) increase over the FY 98/99 biennial budget. Of the $29 million increase, $13 million would be dedicated to repairing deficiencies in Maine’s collector road system, $6 million would be used to increase the Local Road Assistance Program funding to $45.2 million per biennium, and $2.5 million would be appropriated for the construction of DOT sand/salt facilities, thus leaving a $7.5 million increase to all other DOT programs.

In briefing the Transportation Committee, Commissioner Melrose stated that because of the changes made in recent legislative sessions, the integrity of the Highway Fund had finally been restored. The Commissioner believes that all dedicated Highway Fund revenues are now being appropriately distributed to the several state agencies that rely to varying degrees on the Highway Fund (see Table on page 2).

The $6 million allocated to the Local Road Assistance Program (LRAP) would fund proposed LRAP changes. The two most significant changes to the LRAP include the creation of the Rural Minor Collector Road Program and the Urban Compact Initiative.

The voluntary Rural Minor Collector Road Program enables municipalities to receive additional state revenue to repair minor collector roads. How this program is intended to work is that a municipality would indicate to DOT an interest in participating in a minor collector project. The DOT would estimate the state’s cost to complete the project, and give the municipality the state’s share. If the municipality could construct the project for less than the state’s estimated cost, then the savings would belong to the municipality. On the other hand, if the project costs were greater than the state’s estimate, the state and municipality would share the cost overruns. Once the project was completed, DOT would still be responsible for the maintenance of the road. The exact structure of the municipal/state matching rates is a detail of the proposal still under discussion. The overall proposal, however, has received the support of MMA’s Legislative Policy Committee.

The Urban Compact Initiative increases funding for winter maintenance from $600 per lane mile to $1,700 per lane mile and for summer maintenance from $600 per lane mile to $2,500 per lane mile for up to two lanes, and $1,250 for every lane beyond two. This change in formula appropriately reimburses the state’s service center communities for their responsibilities.

In the course of his presentation, Commissioner Melrose reminded the Committee that DOT has been working very hard at improving its overall efficiency. The Department reduced its size by 200 employees in the productivity realization program, and it also has significantly decreased the per/mile cost of road and bridge repair without compromising the function, longevity and safety of Maine’s road system.

The Commissioner finished his presentation by stressing the importance of the 5-cent fuel tax increase in order to meet the $29 million budget increase, as well as to assist the Department in securing over $700 million in federal matching revenues over the next six years. Although the Committee was somewhat apprehensive of the fuel tax increase, the Senate Chair of the Transportation Committee, Senator William O’Gara (Cumberland Cty.) asked that that Committee members keep an open mind as budget discussions get underway.

The issue of road classifications and designations is complex because there are two different mechanisms for labeling and identifying Maine roads. Designations serve to identify which entity is responsible for maintaining roads, while classifications serve to identify the purpose of the road. Both terms — classifications and designations — apply to all roads in Maine. The following glossary is intended to shed some light on this identification system.

Arterials: Provide long distance connections at relatively high speeds. Volumes of traffic typically range from 10,000 to 30,000 vehicles per day. Arterials are divided between principal and minor arterial roads.

Collectors: Link smaller towns, villages and major facilities to the arterial network. Collectors serve as conduits between residential neighborhoods and arterials. Traffic is collected from local residential roads and delivered to the nearest arterial. Volumes typically range from 2,000 to 8,000 vehicles per day. Collectors are divided between major and minor collector roads.

Local Roads: Provide direct access to abutting properties. Volumes typically range from 100 to 500 vehicles per day. Roads not classified as arterials or collectors are considered local roads.

State Highways: A system of connected main highways throughout the state that primarily serve arterial or through traffic. With the exception of compact areas, the Maine Department of Transportation maintains state highways.

State Aid Highways: A system of highways which are not included in the system of state highways, and which primarily serve as collector and feeder routes connecting local service roads to the arterial State Highway System. Generally, state aid roads are maintained by the MDOT in the summer and by the towns in the winter.

Town Ways: All other highways not included in the State highway or State Aid classifications that are maintained by municipalities or counties and primarily serve as local service roads providing access to adjacent land.

EVALUATION OF TAX EXEMPT IMPACTS

In an effort to gather the most current data available on the amount of tax exempt property in Maine’s 494 towns and cities, MMA has evaluated the 1997 municipal valuation returns and determined the assessed value of all exempt institutional property according to the various individual categories of exemption (federal, municipal, quasi-municipal, state, benevolent and charitable, literary and scientific, church, fraternal, pollution control facilities, etc.)

It should be understood that the assessed value of tax exempt property is notoriously low because there is very little incentive for municipalities to put their assessing resources into establishing the value of property that is categorically exempt from taxation.

For the purposes of our analysis on the impact of exempt property on the tax base of Maine’s municipalities, we sorted the municipalities on the basis of amount of exempt property excluding federal and municipal property. We excluded federal property from this analysis because you can’t do anything about it. We excluded municipal property from this analysis because the exemption of a municipality’s own property does not affect the resulting tax burden in that municipality.

On the basis of this analysis, the list of the top 15 municipalities with the most non-federal and non-municipal exempt property as a percentage of their total taxable value is as follows:

Select Exempt

Value as % of

Municipality Taxable Value

Orono               88%

Lewiston              25%

Farmington     24%

Bangor             22%

Rockland             21%

Waterville              20%

Brunswick      20%

Augusta             18%

Calais              18%

Thomaston      17%

Rumford              17%

Castine             16%

Portland             15%

Gorham             15%

Presque Isle     14%

Anyone who is interested in obtaining the complete listing of the value of exempt property in their community according to this research should contact SFR’s Tina Means at 1-800-452-8786.

IN THE HOPPER

LD 575 – An Act to Provide for Increased Penalties, Enforcement and Education Regarding Dangerous Dogs (Sponsored by Rep. Gagnon of Waterville; additional cosponsors)

This bill would make several amendments to the "dangerous dog" statute, including: extending the period during which a complaint of a dog assault may be made to an Animal Control Officer (or other law enforcement officer) from 10 to 90 days after the attack; removing the restriction that the dog assault must be unprovoked when the person assaulted is under 12 years of age; increasing the maximum fine for a violation of this statute from $100 to $1,000; requiring the officer filing a complaint of a dangerous dog to send a copy of the complaint to the Department of Agriculture; and allowing the Animal Control Officer (or other law enforcement officer) to determine where the dog is to be confined pending the court hearing.

LD 468 – An Act to Require Insurers to Disclose Insurance Data to Schools and Municipalities (Sponsored by Rep. Mayo of Bath; additional cosponsors)

This bill would require all insurance companies that provide health insurance to the employees of a school unit to provide the applicable experience rating at the request of the school unit or municipality that contracts for the insurance.

LD 436 – An Act to Establish an Appeal Process for Concealed Firearms Permit Applications and to Grant Reciprocity to Other States (Sponsored by Rep. Mack of Standish; additional cosponsors)

This bill would create an appeal process to the Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety for people who believe they were wrongly denied a concealed weapons permit. This bill would also allow a person with a concealed weapons permit from another state to carry a weapon in this state without a Maine-based permit.

LD 546 – An Act to Exempt Certain Law Enforcement Officers from the Full Course of Training at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy (Sponsored by Rep. Pieh of Bremen; additional cosponsors)

This bill would exempt harbor masters and municipal shellfish conservation wardens from the full course of study at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. This bill would not exempt those officials from ongoing training requirements.

LD 517 – An Act to Amend the School Funding Formula by Taking Sales Tax into Account (Sponsored by Rep. Glynn of South Portland)

This bill is a "concept draft" that would amend the GPA school funding formula by taking the sales tax receipts of a community into account when calculating that community’s share of education funding.

LD 578 – An Act to Remove the Percentage Reduction Method from the School Funding Law (Sponsored by Rep. Goodwin of Pembroke; additional cosponsors)

This bill would remove the so-called "percentage reduction method" from the calculation of General Purpose Aid to Education (GPA), which would have the effect of increasing the state share of school funding to 55% of the combined state and local appropriation for K-12 funding. Currently, the GPA provides 44% of that combined total.

LD 589 – An Act to Reduce Property Taxes by the State Reimbursing Special Education Costs (Sponsored by Sen. Douglass of Androscoggin County)

This bill would require the state to subsidize at least 50% of a school unit’s special education costs.

LD 341 – An Act to Increase the Amount Retained by Agents Who Sell Hunting and Fishing Licenses (Sponsored by Rep. Cross of Dover-Foxcroft; additional cosponsors)

This bill would increase the fee from $1 to $2 that agents of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife may retain for issuing hunting and fishing licenses.

LD 437 – An Act to Clarify the Law Regarding Executive Sessions of Public Bodies (Sponsored by Rep. Glynn of South Portland; additional cosponsors)

This bill would amend the Right to Know law in two ways as it pertains to executive sessions. First, before a board goes into executive session to discuss a labor negotiation, the parties to that discussion must be named. Second, before a board goes into executive session to discuss litigation that is pending, the name of the case must be cited.

LD 470 – An Act Requiring Compensation for Loss of Property Value Due to State or Local Regulation (Sponsored by Rep. Glynn of South Portland; additional cosponsors)

This bill would require the state and any municipality to pay property owners when state or local regulations lower the owner’s property value by more than 50%.

LD 339 – An Act to Treat All Employees Equitably with Respect to Leaves of Absence for Legislative Service (Sponsored by Rep. Hatch of Skowhegan; additional cosponsors)

Currently, any full-time employee who becomes a legislator must be given, upon request, a leave of absence by his or her employer in order to serve as legislator. Except for teachers, the employer may limit the person’s leave to a single, 2-year term. Teachers are not limited. This bill removes the single-term limit on the leave of absence that must be granted by an employer.

LD 375 – An Act to Amend the Obligations of Direct Reimbursement Employers (Sponsored by President Lawrence of York County; additional cosponsors)

This bill would amend unemployment benefits law as it relates to the liabilities of an employer who provides direct reimbursement rather than contributions to the unemployment insurance fund. Under this bill, a terminated employee who is not eligible for benefits from such an employer could not become eligible against that employer by subsequently becoming employed by another employer and terminated from that employment.

LD 400 – An Act to Exempt Volunteer Fire Departments from Health and Safety Laws (Sponsored by Rep. Perkins of Penobscot)

This bill would exempt volunteer fire departments and volunteer firefighters from state law setting forth minimum safety standards.

LD 459 – An Act to Ensure Equity in the Competitive Bidding Process for Construction Projects Supported by Public Funds (Sponsored by Rep. Buck of Yarmouth; additional cosponsors)

This bill would exclude union or nonunion status as a factor in the competitive bidding process for construction projects funded by either state or municipal assistance.

LD 314 – An Act to Restrict Circulators of Initiated Petitions from Being within 250 Feet of Voting Places (Sponsored by Sen. Kieffer of Aroostook County; additional cosponsors)

This bill would prohibit the circulation of a citizens’ initiative petition within 250 feet of the entrance to a voting place.

LD 335 – An Act to Require Reimbursement to Municipalities for the Cost of State Special Education (Sponsored by Rep. Glynn of South Portland; additional cosponsors)

This bill would reimburse municipalities for the election costs incurred as a result of statewide special election. This bill would also require that in each voting district, all designated voting places be kept open for all elections.

LD 346 – An Act to Increase the Number of Absentee Ballots that a Person May Request (Sponsored by Rep. Bolduc of Auburn)

This bill would allow a voter to make application to obtain absentee ballots for all elections during a calendar year.

LD 396 – An Act to Give Standing to Any Person Who Witnesses a Violation at a Polling Place (Sponsored by Rep. Glynn of South Portland; additional cosponsors)

This bill would give any registered voter witnessing a violation at a polling place legal standing to seek an injunction or declaration of violation in Superior Court.

LD 438 – An Act to Expedite Removal of Invalid Voter Names from Voter Lists (Sponsored by Rep. Glynn of South Portland; additional cosponsors)

This bill would require the municipal registrar to remove a voter’s name from the voting list within a 90-day window after the second consecutive general election in which the "inactive voter" fails to participate.

LD 500 – An Act to Establish an Administrative Procedure to Hear Polling Place Violation Complaints (Sponsored by Rep. Glynn of South Portland; additional cosponsors)

This bill would establish the Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices as a quasi-judicial body to hear complaints of elections law violations at a polling place. Among other powers, the Commission would be authorized to appoint an ombudsman to oversee a municipality’s election procedure. The ombudsman would be paid for at municipal expense.

LD 501 – An Act to Eliminate Voter Registration on Election Day (Sponsored by Rep. Andrews of York; additional cosponsors)

This bill would eliminate voter registration on election day.

LD 298 – An Act to Allow Town and Municipal Governments to Add Periwinkles to Their Clam Ordinances (Sponsored by Rep. Goodwin of Pembroke; additional cosponsors)

This bill would allow a municipality to regulate the possession of periwinkles through the municipal shellfish conservation ordinance.

LD 301 – An Act to Amend the Open-burning Laws (Sponsored by Rep. Fuller of Manchester, by request)

This by request bill would prohibit the open burning of wood and other highly combustible materials in backyard barrels as well as the open burning of wood at municipal transfer stations.

LD 498 – An Act Relating to Transfer of Ownership of Dams (EMERGENCY)

(Sponsored by Rep. Colwell of Gardiner; additional cosponsors)

This bill would establish certain standards to be met by anyone interested in obtaining ownership of a dam in Maine. This bill would also provide 75% of the projected cost of a dam’s annual operation to the municipality or municipalities that obtain ownership of a dam. The operating revenues would come from the Local Government Fund, which is the pool of state revenue that is otherwise distributed as municipal revenue sharing.

LD 352 – An Act to Encourage Qualified Persons to Enter and Remain in Law Enforcement Administration (Sponsored by Rep. McAlevey of Waterboro; additional cosponsors)

This bill would establish a maximum base annual pay of $30,000 for all county sheriffs and a number of additional supplements to that base pay according to criteria such as experience, county population, and the number of jails in the county. This bill would also create a certain rough parity between sheriff salaries and the highest salary paid to a municipal police chief in the county.

LD 411 – An Act to Amend the Amount of Retainage on Public Building Contracts (Sponsored by Rep. Muse of South Portland; additional cosponsors)

This bill would comprehensively amend the law regarding the amount of a school construction contract that may be "retained" by the school unit or municipality during construction of a school facility as leverage to ensure timely and satisfactory performance. Under current law, 5% of the total contract price is retained by the owner pending completion of the project. Under this bill, the construction project would have to be broken down into contract line items, and 100% of each of those line items would have to be released at the satisfactory completion of each line.

LD 429 – An Act to Require Voter Approval for Bonded Indebtedness of $2,000,000 or More for Municipalities in Local and Regional Cooperation (Sponsored by Rep. Glynn of South Portland; additional cosponsors)

This bill would require all councils of government, regional associations, and entities created by interlocal cooperation to obtain the approval of the voters in their jurisdiction before issuing any bonds over $2 million in value.

LD 482 – An Act Concerning County Treasurers (Sponsored by Sen. Ferguson of Oxford County; additional cosponsors)

This bill would abolish the position of elected county treasurer and require the county commissioner to appoint a county treasurer at the completion of the elected treasurer’s term of office.

LD 494 – An Act to Facilitate Implementation of Municipal Growth Management Programs (Sponsored by Rep. Nass of Acton)

This bill would clarify that the term "moratorium", as it applies to municipal land use regulatory activity, does not apply to a building permit limitation ordinance adopted pursuant to a comprehensive plan.

LD 497 – An Act to Promote the Use of the Secret Ballot at Town Meetings (Sponsored by Rep. Andrews of York; additional cosponsors)

This bill would extend the required use of a secret ballot for town meeting action to the election of town officials, approval of local initiatives and adoption of budget articles.

LD 507 – An Act to Allow Municipalities to Advertise Legal Notices in Weekly Newspapers (Sponsored by Sen. Libby of York County; additional cosponsors)

This bill would allow municipalities to publish legal notices in weekly newspapers to satisfy notice requirements.

LD 525 – An Act to Establish Recall Provisions for Elected County and Municipal Officials (Sponsored by Rep. Goodwin of Pembroke; additional cosponsors)

This bill would enable the voters to petition for a recall election for any elected county or municipal official without having to have first established a recall process either by ordinance or charter. Recall procedures established by municipal or county charter (but not by ordinance) would preempt this proposed statutory recall procedure.

LD 602 – An Act to Require Mandatory Training for Harbor Masters (Sponsored by Rep. Pinkham of Lamoine; additional cosponsors)

This bill would require that as of January 1, 2000, a harbor master must complete a harbor master training course certified by a statewide association of harbor masters within one year of appointment as harbor master.

LD 317 – An Act to Exclude Retail Stores from Participation in Tax Increment Financing Districts (Sponsored by Sen. Mills of Somerset County)

This bill would exclude property used for retail purposes from the benefits of being within a tax increment financing district.

LD 318 – An Act to Allow Counties to Retain a Larger Share of the Real Estate Transfer Tax (Sponsored by Sen. Goldthwait of Hancock County; additional cosponsors)

Beginning in 2000, this bill would increase the portion of the real estate transfer tax that is retained by a county by 3% each year for five years to a maximum of 25%. Currently, counties retain 10% of the transfer tax collected.

LD 328 – An Act to Establish Parity in Property Taxation for Commercial Dairy Farmers (Sponsored by Sen. Mills of Somerset County)

This bill would establish a program whereby the state would reimburse commercial dairy farmers for 50% of the property taxes they pay on their farm real estate.

LD 329 – An Act to Exclude Food and Lodging Establishments from Participating in Tax Increment Financing Districts (Sponsored by Sen. Mills of Somerset County)

This bill would exclude restaurant and lodging property from the benefits of being within a tax increment financing district.

LD 340 – An Act to Reduce the Property Taxes on Old Business Equipment (Sponsored by Rep. Glynn of South Portland; additional cosponsors)

This bill is a "concept draft" that would establish a method to assess the value of business personal property which would phase out to zero the assessed value of that property by reducing it 20% of full value for every year over a five-year period.

LD 412 – An Act to Include Property in a Tax Increment Financing District Approved After October 1, 1999 in a Municipality’s State Valuation For Purposes of Education Funding (Sponsored by Sen. Mills of Somerset County; additional cosponsors)

This bill would include the value of all property in all municipal tax increment financing districts approved after October 1, 1999 for the purpose of computing the municipality’s value for GPA distribution.

LD 414 – An Act to Allow a Municipality to Request a Joint Check from the Circuit Breaker Program in the Event of Nonpayment of Taxes (Sponsored by Sen. Libby of York County; additional cosponsors)

This bill would allow a municipality to request that a Circuit Breaker check issued by Maine Revenue Service be made payable jointly to the claimant (homeowner) and the municipality if a tax lien against that property has been filed in the registry of deeds.

LD 415 – An Act to Limit a Property Owner’s Tax Liability to the Time Prior to Sale of the Property (Sponsored by Sen. Ruhlin of Penobscot County; additional cosponsors)

This bill would establish a pro-rated property tax liability for both the seller and buyer of real estate. Under this bill, seller and buyer would be each liable only for the prorata share of the tax related to the duration of ownership during the tax year.

LD 479 – An Act Regarding the Taxation of Natural Gas in a Gas Pipeline (Sponsored by Sen. Kilkelly of Lincoln County; additional cosponsors)

This bill would remove the property tax exemption as "stock in trade" for natural gas held for resale in a natural gas pipeline.

LD 489 – An Act to Change the Homestead Exemption to 7% of Just Value (Sponsored by Rep. Andrews of York)

This bill would change the value of the homestead exemption from $7,000 of just value to 7% of the property’s just value.

LD 519 – An Act to Eliminate the Local Property Tax on Homes for Individuals 65 Years of Age or Older (Sponsored by Rep. Tripp of Topsham; additional cosponsors)

This bill would create a 100% property tax exemption with respect to the homestead property of Maine residents who are 65 years of age or older.

LD 534 – An Act to Bring Equity to the Vehicle Excise Tax (Sponsored by Sen. Kilkelly of Lincoln County; additional cosponsors)

This bill would change motor vehicle excise tax law which currently establishes the base price by which the excise tax is

calculated for all non-commercial vehicles on the "maker’s list" (or manufacturer’s suggested retail) price. Under this bill, the excise tax would be calculated on the actual purchase price, as evidenced by the bill of sale.

LD 544 – An Act to Value Homestead Exemption Farm Land at Current Use (Sponsored by Rep. Green of Monmouth; additional cosponsors)

This bill would amend the statutory definition of "just value" as that term is used for the purpose of property tax assessing to require the assessment of farmland at its "current use".

LD 545 – An Act to Increase the Homestead Tax Exemption (Sponsored by Rep. Lovett of Scarborough; additional cosponsors)

This bill would increase the value of the homestead tax exemption from $7,000 to $20,000.

LD 572 – An Act to Amend the Veterans’ Property Tax Exemption (Sponsored by Rep. Gerry of Auburn; additional cosponsors)

This bill would increase the value of the property tax exemption for veterans of war by $2000, so that the current exemptions of $5,000 would be increased to $7,000, and the current exemptions of $7,000 would be increased to $9,000. This bill also would amend the veterans’ exemption statute so that the dollar amount of the exemption provided in statute would not be adjusted according to the municipality’s assessment ratio to determine "just value".

LD 362 – An Act to Allow Municipalities to Set Speed Limits and Determine Whether Passing is Advisable on State Roads (Sponsored by Rep. Wheeler of Eliot; additional cosponsors)

This bill would transfer the authority for setting speed limits and establishing passing and no-passing zones on municipal roads from the Department of Transportation to the municipalities.

LD 493 – An Act to Amend the Laws Pertaining to Entrances to Highways (Sponsored by Rep. Nass of Acton)

This bill would expand the criteria that DOT uses to develop the rules and design requirements for driveways entering onto state and state-aid roads. Currently, DOT may consider issues of safety. Under this bill, DOT would also have to consider the highway’s capacity.

LD 556 – An Act Concerning Rules of the Road Governing Traffic Rotaries (Sponsored by Rep. O’Brien of Augusta; additional cosponsors)

According to its summary statement, this bill would codify into motor vehicle law a "rule of the road" developed by the Secretary of State which requires a motorist who is leaving a traffic circle or rotary intersection to be in the right lane 2 exits prior to leaving the circle.

LEGISLATIVE HEARINGS

The Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs (287-1635) has scheduled public hearings in Room 228 of the State House on the Governor’s "Current Services" budget proposals for the 2000-2001 biennium.

LD 112 – Resolve, to Study Current Regulations Imposed on Small Businesses to Require Greater Efficiency (Sponsor: AHEARNE)

LD 199 – An Act to Require That All Schools Employ a Gifted and Talented Teacher (Sponsor: GAGNE)

LD 220 – An Act to Require Certification in First Aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation for Certain School Personnel (Sponsor: BAKER)

LD 109 – An Act to Amend the Charter of the Mars Hill Utility District (Sponsor: KNEELAND)

LD 9 – An Act to Amend the Animal Trespass Definition (Sponsor: FERGUSON)

LD 12 – An Act to Change the Selection Process of the Oxford County Budget Committee (Sponsor: FERGUSON)

LD 67 – An Act to Require That Municipal Map and Lot Numbers Be on Deeds Prior to Recording (Sponsor: WINSOR)

LD 68 – an Act to Require That a Certified Copy of Municipal Ordinances Be Recorded in the County Registry of Deeds (Sponsor: WINSOR)

LD 93 – An Act Requiring Interim Annual Budgets for Municipalities (Sponsor: MURPHY, Eleanor)

LD 164 – An Act to Require Notice Prior to the Posting of Roads by Municipalities (Sponsor: BROOKS)

LD 17 – An Act to Require a Mortgagee to Notify Annually the Municipality in Which Mortgaged Property is Located (Sponsor: PERKINS, by request)

LD 99 – An Act to Require Auctions for Confiscated Firearms (Sponsor: POVICH)

LD 144 – An Act to Make Corrections to the Laws Governing the County Jail Prisoner Support and Community Corrections Fund (Sponsor: WHEELER, Edgar)

LD 124 – An Act to Provide for Direct Reimbursement for Special Education Costs (Sponsor: KILKELLY)

LD 235 – An Act to Increase the Amount of State Contribution to Out-of-district Placements (Sponsor: SMALL)

LD 216 – An Act to Prohibit the Transportation of Open Containers that Contain Liquor (Sponsor: O’NEIL)

LD 185 – An Act to Enhance Enforcement of the Gambling Laws (Sponsor: MILLS)

LD 157 – An Act to Allow Review of Examination-related Issues in Executive Session (Sponsor: MAYO) (Department bill)

LD 205 – CANCELED – An Act to Require Electronic Recording of Closed Sessions of Public Bodies (Sponsor: GLYNN)

LD 233 – CANCELED – An Act to Amend the Provisions Relating to Executive Sessions in Connection with the Transaction of Public or Government Business (Sponsor: BENNETT)

LD 13 – An Act to Designate the First Saturday of Each October as Firefighter’s Recognition Day (Sponsor: LIBBY)

LD 97 – An Act to Require Mortgage Holders Who Escrow Property Taxes to Reduce the Escrow Due to the Homestead Exemption (Sponsor: GAGNON)

LD 467 – An Act Authorizing Municipalities to Create Nonprofit Corporations for the Sole Purpose of Providing Homeowners Liability Insurance to Citizens of the Municipalities (Sponsor: PERKINS)

LD 245 – An Act to Abolish Kennebec County as a Legal Entity (Sponsor: CAREY)

LD 352 – An Act to Encourage Qualified Persons to Enter and Remain in Law Enforcement Administration (Sponsor: McALEVEY)

LD 439 – An Act to Amend the Laws Governing the Hancock County Budget Process (Sponsor: PERKINS)

LD 482 – An Act Concerning County Treasurers (Sponsor: FERGUSON)

LD 251 – An Act to Increase the Snowmobile Trail Fund (Sponsor: MARTIN)

LD 85 – RESOLUTION, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine to Provide Tax Relief for Maine Citizens (Sponsor: PLOWMAN)

LD 94 – An Act to Provide a Property Tax Abatement for a Residential Structure Destroyed by Fire or Natural Disaster (Sponsor: BROOKS)

LD 283 – An Act to Protect Municipalities from Property Tax Loss when Land is Acquired by the State (Sponsor: CARR)

LD 221 – An Act to Require Helmets for Children when Riding Bicycles, All-terrain Vehicles or Snowmobiles (Sponsor: BAKER)

LD 53 – Resolve, Requiring the State to Reimburse Towns for the Construction of Salt and Sand Storage Facilities (Sponsor: RINES)