The Maine Military Family Relief Fund, referred to in this section as "the fund," is established as a nonlapsing fund in the department administered according to rules adopted by the Adjutant General. The funds deposited in the fund include, but are not limited to, fines imposed by the court on any person convicted under Title 17‑A, section 354, subsection 2, paragraph A of theft by deception due to that person's intentional creation or reinforcement of a false impression that the person is a veteran or a member of the Armed Forces of the United States or a state military force. The Adjutant General is authorized to award loans and grants from the fund for emergencies and other special needs to members or families of members of the Maine National Guard or residents of the State who are members or families of members of the Reserves of the Armed Forces of the United States and to distribute funds to a statewide nonprofit organization established for the purpose of providing assistance to members or families of members of the Maine National Guard or residents of the State who are members or families of members of the Reserves of the Armed Forces of the United States. The Adjutant General is authorized to distribute money from the fund to state military welfare societies that the Adjutant General has designated in accordance with section 3, subsection 1, paragraph D, subparagraph (23) for the purpose of providing emergency relief to members of the state military forces and their families in accordance with this section and rules adopted in accordance with this section. The Adjutant General shall require that funds distributed to a designated military welfare society must be segregated from all other funds administered by the society and shall require regular reports on how the society distributed the funds. The Military Bureau shall adopt rules establishing eligibility criteria for the loans and grants. Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2‑A.   [RR 2019, c. 1, Pt. A, §74 (COR).]