Terms Used In Maine Revised Statutes > Title 37-B > Chapter 13 > Subchapter 2 - State Emergency Management Provisions

• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Disaster: means the occurrence or imminent threat of widespread or severe damage, injury or loss of life or property resulting from any natural or man-made cause, including, but not limited to, fire, flood, earthquake, wind, storm, wave action, oil spill or other water contamination requiring emergency action to avert danger or damage, epidemic, extreme public health emergency pursuant to Title 22, section 802, subsection 2-A, air contamination, blight, drought, critical material shortage, infestation, explosion, riot or hostile military or paramilitary action. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 37-B Sec. 703
• Emergency management: means the coordination and implementation of an organized effort to mitigate against, prepare for, respond to and recover from a disaster. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 37-B Sec. 703
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Homeland security: means a concerted national effort to prevent and disrupt terrorist attacks, protect against man-made and natural hazards and respond to and recover from incidents that do occur. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 37-B Sec. 703
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Joint resolution: A legislative measure which requires the approval of both chambers.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Majority: when used in reference to age shall mean the age of 18 and over. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
• Mitigation: means those activities that actually eliminate or reduce the chance of occurrence or the effects of a disaster. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 37-B Sec. 703
• Political subdivision: means counties, cities, towns, villages, townships, districts, authorities and other public corporations and entities organized and existing under charter or general law. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 37-B Sec. 703
• Preparedness: means planning how to respond in case an emergency or disaster occurs and working to increase resources available to respond effectively. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 37-B Sec. 703
• Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
• Recovery: means activities that, in the short term, return vital life support systems to minimum operating standards and, in the long term, redevelop a disaster area to preexisting conditions or to conditions that are less disaster prone and activities that assist families and businesses to return to a normal or improved state of being. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 37-B Sec. 703
• Response: means those activities designed to provide emergency assistance to victims of a disaster and reduce the likelihood of secondary damage. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 37-B Sec. 703
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• United States: includes territories and the District of Columbia. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
• Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72