Maine Attorney General Opinions
Free plain-English summaries of attorney general opinions issued in Maine, with full citations and the original source on every page.
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Who manages activities in the Penobscot River Corridor inside Baxter State Park, the Baxter Park Authority or the Bureau of Parks and Lands?
Deputy Attorney General Paul Stern advised that, consistent with Governor Percival Baxter's deeds of trust, the Baxter State Park Authority oversees all activities (including recreational ones) within…
Which Maine state accounts could not be touched by the 0.9% General Fund transfer under Part KKK?
The AG identified five categories that Part KKK could not lawfully reach: Baxter State Park trust accounts; Bureau of Parks and Recreation donor-restricted gift accounts; Bureau of Public Lands accoun…
Were Baxter State Park's user fees and timber sale revenues protected from Maine's 0.9% General Fund sweep, even though they sat in a dedicated revenue account rather than a formal trust account?
Yes. The AG concluded that the trust character of Baxter State Park follows the trust property and attaches to its products. The user fees and timber sales generated from the Park were 'products' of t…
Could Baxter State Park run its remote cabin facilities at Daicey Pond and Kidney Pond using contractors instead of civil-service employees?
Yes. The Maine AG agreed that contractors running Baxter State Park's Daicey Pond and Kidney Pond cabin facilities were not Park agents or representatives under 12 M.R.S.A. § 904, so they did not need…
Did Baxter State Park violate its hiring statute by using contractors instead of civil-service employees at Kidney Pond and Daicey Pond?
No. Assistant AG Paul Stern concluded that 12 M.R.S.A. § 904 controls how Park employees are hired (civil service), but does not limit the Park's authority to retain contractors. The contracting pract…
Does the Baxter State Park Authority have to get the Maine Bureau of Purchases to sign off before buying equipment or hiring contractors for the park?
No. The AG memo concluded the Park Authority is an independent trust authority, not a state department or agency, so the central purchasing approval rule in 5 M.R.S.A. § 1816 does not reach it. The Pa…
Does Baxter State Park have to get state procurement approval before making purchases, like other Maine state agencies?
No, based on this memo. Because Baxter State Park was created by Governor Percival Baxter's deeds of trust and is managed by an independent Authority funded from its own trust account rather than as a…
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Attorney general opinions in Maine are written by the Maine Attorney General's office in response to questions from state agencies, legislators, and prosecutors. They are not binding like court decisions, but courts and agencies treat them as persuasive guidance on how state law applies. Every opinion above has a plain-English question and short answer, plus a link to the full original text.