124th MAINE LEGISLATURE
		LD 1159		LR 631(02)
	An Act Relating to Industrial Hemp
	Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment "   "
	Committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
	Fiscal Note Required: Yes
Fiscal Note
Current biennium cost increase - Other Special Revenue Funds Current biennium revenue increase - Other Special Revenue Funds Minor savings - General Fund Minor revenue decrease - General Fund
Correctional and Judicial Impact Statements
	Decreases the number of Class D and Class E crimes; decreases correctional and judicial costs. A reduction in fines will decrease General Fund revenue by minor amounts.
Fiscal Detail and Notes
	Additional costs to the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources to conduct rulemaking and establish this program can be absorbed within existing budgeted resources.  The bill allows for the collection of an application fee, a license fee and per acre fees for monitoring, sampling and testing that are reasonable and necessary to cover the costs of the Department.  Increased revenues cannot be reasonably determined as it is not known how many applicants there may be, nor how many acres may be involved.  Before the full impact of this legislation can be realized, there would need to be further efforts at the Federal level to legalize commercially grown hemp.  If that happens, the Department would incur annual costs of $51,570 for one half-time Certified Seed Specialist and related administrative costs to conduct testing and supervise the growth and harvest of industrial hemp.  It is expected, based upon the language in the bill, that these costs would be fully covered by applicant fees.