CONCEPT DRAFT

SUMMARY

This bill is a concept draft pursuant to Joint Rule 208.

This bill proposes to implement legislation to improve central Maine in the following ways. It proposes to:

1. Issue a $5,000,000 bond to establish a revolving loan fund to capitalize the Community Industrial Buildings Fund, a fund to assist local development corporations in constructing community industrial buildings in economically deprived rural and urban areas. The fund would be matched with at least $1,250,000 in private and public contributions;

2. Provide $1,000,000 in funding to the Business Attraction Marketing Program in the Department of Economic and Community Development;

3. Require that 1% of all funds appropriated for research and development projects in this State be used to attract new businesses to locate in Maine to manufacture the items that are the products of the research and development;

4. Require the State Economic Development Strategy to include provisions for regional components that are consistent with economic development district plans;

5. Implement the recommendations of the Downtown Initiative in the Department of Community and Economic Development focusing on how to revitalize downtown areas in Maine;

6. Require that economic development districts be given a copy of results of any research by the Department of Economic and Community Development into industries and communities that are at risk for loss of jobs and businesses. The districts must use the results to develop a volunteer stakeholder task force to find solutions to any of the problems raised by the research and report back to the Governor and the Legislature with solutions and funding suggestions;

7. Appoint a volunteer stakeholder group to establish a Winter Harbor Development Group. The goal of the group is to explore and suggest alternative uses for the Winter Harbor base such as an international hotel, recreation facility, conference center or retreat;