Augusta, ME: Treasurer Joe Perry shared key financial figures today for the month of January.
The State of Maine Cash Pool represents investments permissible by Maine Statute: Title 5: Administrative Procedures and Services, Part 1: State Departments, Chapter 7: Treasurer of State, Section 135, and consists of excess money in the State Treasury that is 'not needed to meet current obligations'. The State funds and funds of component units of the State are pooled and invested by the Treasurer's Office; generally most securities are held to maturity or called when the par value of the security is received.
The Budget Stabilization Fund (sometimes referred to as the Rainy Day Fund) was created in 2003.
The Budget Stabilization Fund acts as the State of Maine’s savings account. It is a reserve balance that is set aside in good economic times to protect the state budget from the volatile changes in revenues that can occur when the economy unexpectedly slows. The goal of the Fund is to reduce the effect on the operation and services of state government and prevent policymakers from increasing taxes during sudden economic downturns.
Revenue Sharing is distributed per Title 30-A, Subpart 9, Chapter 223, Subchapter 2, Section 5681, by the 20th of each month to each municipality based on a formula whose variables include municipal populations, state valuations and tax assessments. The monthly revenue sharing pool is funded by setting aside a percentage of the State Government's sales, service provider, personal and corporate income tax receipts for the month. For a detailed description of how the funds are calculated and distributed, please see the Calculate Revenue Sharing. January’s distribution was $24,431,614.59 (December’s distribution was $20,179,123.48).
Unclaimed Property consists of money and other financial assets that are considered lost or abandoned when an owner cannot be located after a specified period of time of inactivity. It includes items such as bank accounts, uncashed checks, life insurance policies, unpaid wages, stocks and dividends, refunds, and safe deposit box contents. Unclaimed Property does not include real estate, animals or vehicles.
Each and every year, tens of millions of dollars go unclaimed by Maine residents. These financial assets are turned over by thousands of national and local businesses and organizations by a law called MRSA Title 33, Chapter 45: Maine Revised Unclaimed Property Act. http://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/33/title33ch45sec0.html. The Treasurer’s office holds these assets, free of charge, until claimed by the owner or heir. The State is currently holding approximately $360,000,000 in unclaimed property. In the month of January, 28,788 claims were made against unclaimed property totaling $5,355,742.27 in payments to Maine people. The highest single claim paid in the month of January was for $463,767 (uncashed checks). Last January 2024, 1,828 claims were paid for $1,817,847.76, and in December of 2024 (last month), 2,064 claims were made totaling $2,334,989.27.
Note: January of this year’s figures are considerably higher than last year because of our office’s data match program with Maine Revenue Services. Using updated address information, we are able to match unclaimed funds with their rightful owners and send those funds out. 26,674 claims totaling $3,552,020.19 of January figures represent this one data match.
JANUARY HIGHLIGHTS:
The ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) ME Program (also referred to as “ABLE ME”) is designed to help eligible individuals with disabilities save for certain qualified disability expenses on a tax-advantaged basis without jeopardizing eligibility for federal means-tested benefits, such as Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid. The ABLE ME Program is intended to operate as a qualified ABLE program, pursuant to Internal Revenue Code Section 529A, that was adopted as part of The Stephen Beck, Jr., Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2014, as amended. This federal law authorizes states and state instrumentalities, such as the Maine State Treasurer, to establish and maintain qualified ABLE programs.
Maine’s program has been in existence since 2021, and is available to individuals with qualifying disabilities that were onset by the age of 26. Mainers interested in opening one of these ABLE accounts should visit their local Bangor Savings bank branch.
About the Office of the Treasurer: the Office of the Treasurer of State is established in Article V, Part Third of the Constitution of the State of Maine. The core duties of the Treasurer’s Office are debt management, cash management, trust fund administration and unclaimed property administration. Other major tasks assigned to the Treasurer are directorships on many of Maine’s quasi-governmental debt issuing agencies and distributions under the Municipal Revenue Sharing Program.
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