Monday, May 10, 2021
Environment and Natural Resources at 9:00 AM (Public Hearing)
LD 1429 An Act To Implement the Most Time-sensitive Recommendations of the Maine Climate Council
This bill implements recommendations from the Maine Climate Council
LD 1471 An Act To Establish a Stewardship Program for Packaging
This bill facilitates the establishment of one or more stewardship programs in the State for packaging material to be operated by a stewardship organization approved by the Department of Environmental Protection. Under such a program, the plan for which must be approved by the department and annually updated following a department review, participating responsible parties that sell, offer for sale or distribute for sale in or into the State certain products contained, protected, delivered, presented or distributed in or using packaging material are required to pay fees related to the packaging material associated with those products.
Tax at 9:00 AM (Work Session)
LD 1381 An Act To Establish a Sales Tax Holiday To Help Maine Businesses Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic
This bill establishes the weekend of Indigenous Peoples Day as an annual sales-tax-free weekend for sales of tangible personal property and prepared food and the rental of living quarters. The exemption does not apply to tobacco products, boats, vehicles or any single item with a cost of more than $2,500.
Education at 2:00 PM (Work Session)
LD 406 An Act To Study the Costs and Feasibility of Requiring Industrial Arts To Be Offered in All Maine Public High Schools
This bill would study the costs and feasibility of requiring industrial arts to be offered in all public high schools in the State.
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
Tax at 9:00 AM (Work Session)
LD 1369 An Act To Provide Stimulus for Economic Recovery by Enacting a 5 Percent Flat Income Tax
This bill, for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2021, replaces the current income tax structure for individual income taxes with a flat 5% tax imposed on all individual Maine residents.
LD 1500 An Act To Bring Equity to Maine’s Tax Law by Adjusting Certain
This bill changes the individual income tax brackets to provide 4 brackets rather than 3. The bill adds a new bracket of 12.4% on taxable income exceeding $200,000 for single individuals and married persons filing separately, $300,000 for heads of households and $400,000 for individuals filing married joint returns and surviving spouses.
Energy Utilities and Technology at 9:30 AM (Public Hearing)
LD 918 An Act To Transition from a Fossil Fuel-based to an Electrical Energy Economy
This bill is a concept draft
Wednesday, May 11, 2021
Health and Human Services at 10:00 AM (Work Session)
LD 1550, “An Act To End the Sale of Flavored Tobacco Products”.
This bill would prohibit the sale any type of flavored tobacco including menthol cigarettes.
Environment and Natural Resources at 10:00 AM (Work Session)
LD 1467 An Act To Promote a Circular Economy through Increased Post-consumer Recycled Plastic Content in Plastic Beverage Containers
This bill provides that, beginning January 1, 2026, a manufacturer of beverages in plastic beverage containers may not sell, offer for sale or distribute for sale in the State a plastic beverage container unless the total number of plastic beverage containers sold, offered for sale or distributed for sale in the State by that manufacturer contains, on average and in the aggregate, at least 25% post-consumer recycled plastic. That post-consumer recycled plastic requirement increases to 30% post-consumer recycled plastic beginning January 1, 2031.
LD 1498 An Act To Prevent Increased Heating Fuel, Natural Gas, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Pricing in Maine by Prohibiting Adoption of Rules Limiting Greenhouse Gas Emissions
This bill makes the rules adopted by the Board of Environmental Protection, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Transportation to limit greenhouse gas emissions major substantive rules. It prohibits the adoption by the Board of Environmental Protection, the Department of Environmental Protection or the Department of Transportation of a rule that limits the amount of heating fuel, natural gas, gasoline or diesel fuel sold to limit greenhouse gas emissions, that imposes a tax or requires a permitting fee to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including a tax or permitting fee that is based on the carbon emissions of any carbon-based fuels as part of a rebate or dividend program, or that causes the State to join a multistate consortium or coalition that requires the State to implement either of those policies as a condition of membership.
State and Local Government at 9:30 AM (Public Hearing)
LD 288 An Act To Conform the Maine Income Tax Law with Federal Law To Exempt Paycheck Protection Program Loans from Being Considered Taxable Income
This bill conforms Maine tax law to federal income tax treatment of loan forgiveness under Section 1106(i) of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, Public Law 116-136, by providing an income tax exclusion for income attributable to paycheck protection program loan forgiveness that is excluded from federal gross income.
Tax at 9:30 AM (Public Hearing)
LD 1514 An Act To Provide for Fairness in Property Taxation by Assessing a One-time Tax on Financial Asse
This bill establishes a one-time tax on any person owning financial assets, including cash and cash equivalents, securities and other financial instruments, with a fair market value in excess of $5,000,000. The tax is equal to 0.5% of the amount by which the fair market value of a person’s financial assets exceeds $5,000,000. The bill requires any person with financial assets in excess of $5,000,000 to file a statement with the State Tax Assessor and authorizes the State Tax Assessor to determine the amount of tax due, enforce the collection of the tax and adopt routine technical rules necessary to administer and enforce the tax. The bill subjects any person who fails to pay the tax to certain penalties. The bill directs the State Tax Assessor to transfer 50% of the receipts from the tax to the Local Government Fund and 50% of the receipts from the tax to the Housing Opportunities for Maine Fund.
Energy Utilities and Technology at 10:00 AM (Public Hearing)
LD 385 An Act To Amend Conflicts in the Laws Governing the Efficiency Maine Trust
This bill is a concept draft
LD 1556 Resolve, To Create the Commission To Study and Recommend a Financing Model To Increase Capital Investment in Renewable Energy, Clean Energy Technology, Energy Efficiency Projects and Jobs in Maine
This resolve establishes the Commission To Study and Recommend a Financing Model To Increase Capital Investment in Renewable Energy, Clean Energy Technology, Energy Efficiency Projects and Jobs in Maine. The commission is required to conduct an analysis of the unmet need for capital and to examine and recommend financing models to increase capital investment in renewable energy, clean energy technology, energy efficiency projects and jobs in Maine, including recommending an organizational entity that can support the financing model. The commission is required to submit a report, including suggested legislation, by December 1, 2021 for presentation to the Second Regular Session of the 130th Legislature.
Thursday, May 13, 2021
Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business at 9:30 AM (Public Hearing)
LD 1691 An Act To Require Licensing for Certain Mechanical Trades
This bill requires licensure of persons who perform sheet metal work, refrigeration and air conditioning system installation and repair, pipefitting, mechanical insulating and fire protection sprinkler system installation, repair and testing. The bill grandfathers persons who have completed apprentice programs in or have been compensated for a minimum of 2,000 hours in the business of performing sheet metal work, refrigeration and air conditioning system installation and repair, pipefitting or fire protection sprinkler system installation, repair and testing.