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An Act To Create Jobs through the Establishment of a Fund To Enhance Maine's Marine Resource Economy
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §6037  is enacted to read:
§ 6037.  Marine Fisheries Stock Enhancement Fund
 
1.  Fund established.     The Marine Fisheries Stock Enhancement Fund, referred to in this section as "the fund," is established as a nonlapsing fund within the department to improve the marine economy in this State. Unexpended balances in the fund at the end of the fiscal year do not lapse and must be carried forward to the next fiscal year and used for the purposes of this section.
 
2.  Uses of fund.     Money in the fund must be administered by the department for commercial marine stock enhancement to improve the marine economy in this State through applied research, development, production of harvested marine species, infrastructure, monitoring and assessment. Money in the fund may be used as federal matching funds.
 
3.  Department may accept contributions to fund.     The department may accept money from any public or private source to augment state contributions to the fund.
Sec. 2. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.
 
MARINE RESOURCES, DEPARTMENT OF
 
Marine Fisheries Stock Enhancement Fund
 
Initiative: Appropriates funding to be used by the Department of Marine Resources to fund the Marine Fisheries Stock Enhancement Fund established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12, section 6037.

GENERAL FUND	2007-08	2008-09	
All Other	$250,000	$250,000	
 	  	  	
GENERAL FUND TOTAL	$250,000	$250,000	

SUMMARY
This bill establishes the Marine Fisheries Stock Enhancement Fund in the Department of Marine Resources. Money in the fund must be administered by the department for commercial marine stock enhancement to improve the marine economy in this State through applied research, development, production of harvested marine species, infrastructure, monitoring and assessment. Money in the fund may be used as federal matching funds. The bill appropriates $250,000 in each year of the 2008-09 biennium to the Marine Fisheries Stock Enhancement Fund.