Establish a Consumer and Commercial Court to speed up cases and free resources in the rest of the court system.

Incorporated into the supplemental state budget passed in late March.

Make it easier for small businesses to get resale certificates, and eliminate the requirement for yearly renewal.

Incorporated into the supplemental budget.

Make it easier for small businesses to bid on state contracts.

Directs state agencies to do more outreach to small business community, and offer procurement assistance through the Market Development Center.

Passed unanimously.

Focus on entrepreneurship education with a statewide K-College entrepreneurship curriculum.

Directs k-12 and higher ed institutions to coordinate curriculum on entrepreneurship education.

Passed unanimously.

Encourage high-speed Internet access in rural and underserved areas.

Later replaced by LD 2080, which would stimulate investment in advanced communications technology infrastructure so as to increase access to broadband and wireless communications services for all Maine communities, including rural communities.

LD 2080 passed unanimously.

LD 1263
(part 1)

Create an Office of Small Business and Entrepreneurship dedicated to the needs of small businesses.

Create new office within DECD to advocate for small business and entrepreneurship.

Passed unanimously.

Establish the Maine Regulatory Fairness Board to hear testimony and suggest changes in laws and regulations to enhance the state’s business climate.

Passed unanimously.

Do a better job of providing business assistance services to small businesses in Maine.

Directed the Department of Economic and Community Development to find ways to improve the promotion and marketing of the Business Answers toll-free line and website and to report back to the Legislature.

Passed unanimously.

Study the effectiveness of the state’s business assistance services.

Bill was withdrawn and in place the Business Research and Economic Development Committee asked the state’s Small Business and Entrepreneurship Commission to report to the committee.

Provide small start-up loans to recent college graduates to start technology-based businesses.

Allows the Finance Authority of Maine to seek private and federal funds to establish the loan program.

Passed unanimously.

Encourage Maine’s natural resource-based industries by creating Pine Tree Recreation Zones.

Creates a Pine Tree Recreation Zone north and east of the Androscoggin River.

Passed 134-2 in the House and unanimously in the Senate.

Invest in small Maine companies with the potential for high growth.

The economic development bond package approved by the Legislature and then overwhelmingly by voters in November included $1 million funding for the Small Enterprise Growth Fund.

Incorporated into the bond package put to voters.

Make major investments in Maine’s economy through an economic stimulus bond package.

Many of the proposed investments in this bond proposal made their way into the bond package approved by the Legislature and by voters in November 2005. In particular, the legislation called for significant investments in biomedical and marine technology research and development.

Incorporated into the bond package put to voters.

Better protect small businesses from purchasing policies that do not meet their needs.

In place of the bill, the Insurance and Financial Services Committee directed the Bureau of Insurance to work on an education campaign to work with agents and small business owners, especially farmers, to explain their unique insurance options and needs.

Grant commercial insurance consumers the same rights of cancellation appeal that residential insurance consumers enjoy.

Killed by the Insurance and Financial Services Committee.

Authorize a $50 million bond issue to support education loan repayment for Maine residents.

Did not make it into the final bond package.

Re-establish the highly successful MERITS scholarship program for high school and college students.

Not enough funding available, died on Appropriations Table.