An Act To Clarify the Use of Dedicated Funds for the Preservation of Deeds Records
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 33 MRSA §752, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2003, c. 294, §1, is further amended to read:
3. Expenditures from account.
The money in the account established in subsection 2 must be used for the restoration, re-creation and preservation of the records recorded in the office of the register of deeds, including preservation by creation of a digital image stored on magnetic or optical media. The money may not be used for initial recording of documents.
Sec. 2. 33 MRSA §752, sub-§6 is enacted to read:
6. Misappropriation of funds; penalty.
Any county that uses funds from the records preservation surcharge account established in subsection 2 for any purpose that is not in accordance with the standards established in subsection 3 commits a civil violation for which a fine of $100 per day from the date of the withdrawal to the date the money is restored to the account must be adjudged. Fines must be paid out of the county budget and be deposited in the account established in subsection 2.