Sec. 1. 28-A MRSA §653, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2001, c. 500, §1, is further amended to read:

1. Hearings. The municipal officers or, in the case of unincorporated places, the county commissioners of the county in which the unincorporated place is located, shall may hold a public hearing for the consideration of applications for new on-premise on-premises licenses and applications for transfer of location of existing on-premise on-premises licenses. The municipal officers or county commissioners may hold a public hearing for the consideration of requests for renewal of licenses, except that when an applicant has held a license for the prior 5 years and a complaint has not been filed against the applicant within that time, the applicant may request a waiver of the hearing.

A. The bureau shall prepare and supply application forms.

B. The municipal officers or the county commissioners, as the case may be, shall provide public notice of any hearing held under this section by causing a notice, at the applicant's prepaid expense, stating the name and place of hearing, to appear on at least 3 consecutive days before the date of hearing in a daily newspaper having general circulation in the municipality where the premises are located or one week before the date of the hearing in a weekly newspaper having general circulation in the municipality where the premises are located.

C. If the municipal officers or the county commissioners, as the case may be, fail to take final action on an application for a new on-premise on-premises license, for or transfer of the location of an existing on-premise on- premises license within 60 days of the filing of an application, the application is deemed approved and ready for action by the bureau. For purposes of this paragraph, the date of filing of the application is the date the application is received by the municipal officers or county commissioners. This paragraph applies to all applications pending before municipal officers or county commissioners as of the effective date of this paragraph as well as all applications filed on or after the effective date of this paragraph. This paragraph applies to an existing on-premise on-premises license that has been extended pending renewal. The municipal officers or the county commissioners shall take final action on an on- premise on-premises license that has been extended pending renewal within 120 days of the filing of the application.