HP1067
LD 1453
First Regular Session - 125th Maine Legislature
C "A", Filing Number H-527, Sponsored by
LR 131
Item 2
Bill Tracking, Additional Documents Chamber Status

Amend the bill by adding after Part F the following:

PART G

Sec. G-1. Contingent effective date; certification. This Act takes effect only if federal law is amended to remove marijuana from the list of scheduled drugs. The Secretary of State shall certify to the Governor that federal law has changed to remove marijuana as a scheduled drug within 30 days of the effective date of the federal law change, and shall provide a copy of the certification to the Revisor of Statutes.

PART H

Sec. H-1. Statutory referendum procedure; submission at election; form of question; effective date. This Act must be submitted to the legal voters of the State at a statewide election held in the month of November following passage of this Act. The municipal officers of this State shall notify the inhabitants of their respective cities, towns and plantations to meet, in the manner prescribed by law for holding a statewide election, to vote on the acceptance or rejection of this Act by voting on the following question:

"Do you favor legalizing and taxing marijuana when marijuana is no longer a scheduled drug under federal law?"

The legal voters of each city, town and plantation shall vote by ballot on this question and designate their choice by a cross or check mark placed within a corresponding square below the word "Yes" or "No." The ballots must be received, sorted, counted and declared in open ward, town and plantation meetings and returns made to the Secretary of State in the same manner as votes for members of the Legislature. The Governor shall review the returns. If a majority of the legal votes are cast in favor of this Act, the Governor shall proclaim the result without delay and this Act becomes effective 30 days after the date of the proclamation or 30 days after the possession of marijuana is not a crime under federal law, whichever occurs later.

The Secretary of State shall prepare and furnish to each city, town and plantation all ballots, returns and copies of this Act necessary to carry out the purposes of this referendum.’

SUMMARY

This amendment is the minority report of the Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety.

This amendment adds a referendum question and a contingent effective date section to the bill, requiring 2 things to happen before the legislation becomes effective:

1. The voters in the next general election in November vote in favor of the legislation; and

2. Federal law is amended to remove marijuana from the list of scheduled drugs.

The Secretary of State is required to certify the results of the referendum as well as when the federal law is changed. This legislation takes effect 30 days after the later of the 2 actions takes place.

FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)


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