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Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following:
‘Resolve, Directing the Commissioner of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources To Examine the Collection of the Milk Handling Fee on Packaged Milk for Out-of-state Sales’
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the title and before the summary and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1 Commissioner of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources to examine the milk handling fee and its impact on out-of-state sales. Resolved: That the Commissioner of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources shall convene a group of stakeholders to examine the collection of the milk handling fee, occurrences of the fee being paid on Maine milk packaged and transported for retail sale out of state and any adverse impact of the handling fee on out-of-state sales of Maine milk. The commissioner shall report the findings and recommendations of the stakeholder group to the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry no later than October 29, 2010; and be it further
Sec. 2 Interim meeting; report to the First Regular Session of the 125th Legislature. Resolved: That, upon receiving the report of the Commissioner of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources under section 1, the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry shall discuss the report at an authorized interim meeting of the committee and develop recommendations and any legislation necessary to implement the recommendations. Prior to December 1, 2010, the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry shall prepare a written summary of its recommendations including any draft legislation developed and provide for the distribution of the written materials to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over agricultural matters upon the convening of that committee in the First Regular Session of the 125th Legislature; and be it further
Sec. 3 Legislation authorized. Resolved: That the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over agricultural matters may submit a bill to the First Regular Session of the 125th Legislature pertaining to the collection of the milk handling fee and barriers to increasing sales of Maine-produced milk in other states.’
 
SUMMARY
This amendment changes the bill to a resolve. It directs the Commissioner of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources to convene a stakeholder group to examine the collection of the milk handling fee and possible impacts of the fee on the sale of milk produced in Maine and destined for out-of-state retail markets. It requires the commissioner to report to the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry no later than October 29, 2010 and directs the committee to discuss and develop recommendations during an authorized interim meeting of the committee. It authorizes the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over agricultural matters to submit a bill to the First Regular Session of the 125th Legislature pertaining to the collection of the milk handling fee and barriers to increasing sales of Maine-produced milk in other states.