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LD1450 • 2025

An Act Regarding the Voluntary Municipal Farm Support Program

An Act Regarding the Voluntary Municipal Farm Support Program

Agriculture
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Senator Michael Tipping
Last action
2025-06-09
Official status
Signed by the Governor
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act Regarding the Voluntary Municipal Farm Support Program

An Act Regarding the Voluntary Municipal Farm Support Program Sponsor: Senator Michael Tipping Reference committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Governor action: Signed by the Governor

What This Bill Does

  • An Act Regarding the Voluntary Municipal Farm Support Program Sponsor: Senator Michael Tipping Reference committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Governor action: Signed by the Governor

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Adopted by House & Senate

Plain English: Page 1 - 132LR1755(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.

  • Page 1 - 132LR1755(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.
  • 1450 2 Date: (Filing No.
  • S- ) 3AGRICULTURE, CONSERVATION AND FORESTRY 4 Reproduced and distributed under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate.
  • 5STATE OF MAINE 6SENATE 7132ND LEGISLATURE 8FIRST SPECIAL SESSION 9 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT “ ” to S.P.

Bill History

  1. 2025-06-09 Governor

    Signed by the Governor

  2. 2025-06-02 House

    PASSED TO BE ENACTED . Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.

  3. 2025-06-02 Senate

    PASSED TO BE ENACTED , in concurrence.

  4. 2025-05-28 Committee

    Reported Out; OTP-AM

  5. 2025-05-13 Committee

    Work Session Held

  6. 2025-05-13 Committee

    Voted; OTP-AM

  7. 2025-04-22 Committee

    Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

Official Summary Text

An Act Regarding the Voluntary Municipal Farm Support Program
Sponsor:
Senator Michael Tipping
Reference committee:
Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Governor action:
Signed by the Governor

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
Page 1 - 132LR1755(03)
STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
_____
S.P. 591 - L.D. 1450
An Act Regarding the Voluntary Municipal Farm Support Program
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 7 MRSA §60, sub-§3, ¶B, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 301, §1, is amended
to read:
B. Is limited to a term of not less than 20 10 years.
Sec. 2. 7 MRSA §60-A, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2007, c. 693, §2, is further
amended to read:
1. Program. In The Voluntary Municipal Farm Support Program is established in
order to protect and support local farms, preserve farmland and reduce the potential tax
burdens from new development fiscal burden for participating municipalities that results
from new development in rural areas. Under this program, a municipality may enter into
farm support arrangements with the owners of qualified farmland.
A. A farm support arrangement must be approved by majority vote of the
municipality’s legislative body or municipal officers or by a municipal employee
appointed by the municipal officers and designated to review and approve farm support
arrangements.
B. Unless approved by a 2/3 vote of the municipality’s legislative body, the
municipality may not enter into farm support arrangements:
(1) Affecting more than 3% of the total annual valuation of taxable land in the
municipality; and or
(2) In any calendar year, affecting more than 1% of the total annual valuation of
taxable land in the municipality.
Sec. 3. 7 MRSA §60-A, sub-§4, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 301, §1, is amended to
read:
4. Rules. The department shall adopt rules governing farm support arrangements.
Rules adopted under this subsection are major substantive routine technical rules as defined
in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2‑A.
APPROVED
JUNE 9, 2025
BY GOVERNOR
CHAPTER
216
PUBLIC LAW