Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §1509-A, as amended by PL 1999, c. 401, Pt. E, §1, is further amended to read:

§1509-A. Payment by credit card

State departments and agencies may shall implement, with the approval of the State Controller and the State Treasurer, procedures for accepting payment for goods, services, fines, forfeitures or any other fees by major credit cards or other electronic means. Unless otherwise provided for in law as of the effective date of this section, any administrative expenses or credit card fees incurred in connection with this method of receiving funds must be absorbed within the existing budget of the department or agency as authorized by the Legislature.

Sec. 2. 10 MRSA Pt. 13 is enacted to read:

PART 13

ELECTRONIC COMMERCE

CHAPTER 1051

UNIFORM ELECTRONIC TRANSACTIONS ACT

§9401.__Short title

This chapter may be known and cited as the "Uniform Electronic Transactions Act."

§9402.__Definitions

As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings.

1.__Agreement.__"Agreement" means the bargain of the parties in fact, as found in their language or inferred from other circumstances and from rules, regulations and procedures given the effect of agreements under laws otherwise applicable to a particular transaction.

2.__Automated transaction.__"Automated transaction" means a transaction conducted or performed, in whole or in part, by electronic means or electronic records in which the acts or records of one or both parties are not reviewed by an individual in the ordinary course of forming a contract, performing under an existing contract or fulfilling an obligation required by the transaction.