Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

                                                              LAW WITHOUT
                                                               GOVERNOR'S              CHAPTER
                                                               SIGNATURE
                                                                                            412
                                                                JUNE 22, 2025         PUBLIC LAW
                                STATE OF MAINE
                                         _____
                         IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
                       TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
                                         _____
                                 S.P. 645 - L.D. 1637
      An Act to Reform the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
    Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §13083-G, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 641, §1, is amended
to read:
   2. Intermediate goal. Recover economic losses and total job losses in the primary
impact community resulting from the base closure; and
    Sec. 2. 5 MRSA §13083-G, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 641, §1, is amended
to read:
    3. Long-term goal. Facilitate the maximum redevelopment of base properties.; and
    Sec. 3. 5 MRSA §13083-G, sub-§4 is enacted to read:
    4. Environmental stewardship. Engage in environmental stewardship to protect
against harm to the environment and residents of the primary impact community.
    Sec. 4. 5 MRSA §13083-I, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2005, c. 599, §1, is amended
to read:
     2. Membership; appointment. The authority is governed by a board of trustees
composed of 11 12 voting members appointed pursuant to paragraphs C and D by the
Governor and subject to review by the joint standing committee of the Legislature having
jurisdiction over economic development matters and to confirmation by the Senate and one
additional trustee who serves as a voting member appointed pursuant to paragraph F by the
Governor.
    A. Trustees Except for the trustee appointed pursuant to paragraph F, trustees are
    appointed for 4-year terms, except that, for initial appointments, 3 trustees are
    appointed to one-year terms, 3 trustees are appointed to 2-year terms, 2 trustees are
    appointed to 3-year terms, 2 trustees are appointed to 4-year terms and the
    commissioner commissioners designated pursuant to paragraph D serves serve at the
    pleasure of the Governor. A vacancy must be filled in the same manner as the original
    appointment for the balance of the unexpired term.
                                  Page 1 - 132LR1631(03)
    B. A trustee continues to hold office until a successor is appointed and qualified, but
    the term of the successor is not altered from the original expiration date of the holdover
    trustee's term.
    C. The Governor shall make 10 appointments appoint 10 trustees, who serve as voting
    members, of which no fewer than 7 must be from candidates who are residents of
    Androscoggin County, Cumberland County and Sagadahoc County and are nominated
    by the primary impact communities at least 3 are residents of Brunswick, Brunswick
    town officials or Brunswick business owners and at least one is a resident of Topsham,
    a staff member of the Topsham town administration or a Topsham business owner.
    The Governor shall appoint members who reflect the diversity of interests represented
    by these communities.
    D. The Governor shall designate a commissioner 2 commissioners of a department 2
    different departments of State Government to be a voting, ex officio member members
    of the board of trustees.
    E. A member appointed to the board of trustees may not hold an elected office in
    municipal, county or state government.
    F. The Governor shall appoint one trustee, who serves as a voting member, from a
    preapproved list of candidates for the trustee seat provided by the Brunswick town
    council.
    Sec. 5. 5 MRSA §13083-K, sub-§5 is enacted to read:
     5. Uniform Environmental Covenants Act. Notwithstanding any provision of law
to the contrary, all property held by the authority is subject to the Uniform Environmental
Covenants Act.
    Sec. 6. 38 MRSA §488, sub-§15, as amended by PL 2011, c. 551, §2, is further
amended by enacting at the end a new last blocked paragraph to read:
The provisions of this subsection do not apply to a proposed development to be located on
property owned or controlled by the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority
established in Title 5, section 13083-G.
     Sec. 7. Establishment of environmental covenants. No later than January 1,
2027, the board of trustees of the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority shall enter
into environmental covenants pursuant to the Uniform Environmental Covenants Act for
all property held by the authority.
                                    Page 2 - 132LR1631(03)
Statutes affected: 
Bill Text ACTPUB , Chapter 412: 5.13083, 38.488