The department shall encourage and promote the breeding of a strain of Maine Standardbreds and make provision to encourage donations of the same by licensees or others to persons or institutions within the State for breeding purposes. [PL 1997, c. 528, §42 (AMD).]

The commission, by rule, may define a strain of Maine Standardbred, bred or owned in the State of Maine and registered with the department in its registry book. The commission is also authorized to establish necessary fees for horses and races in the establishment of a Maine Standardbred program, the funds from which must be administered by the department by deposit in a trust account entitled Sire Stakes Fund. The fund is a dedicated, nonlapsing fund and all revenues deposited in the fund remain in the fund and must be disbursed in accordance with this section. All disbursements from the fund must be for the purposes of supplementing purses, costs of administration, including assessments and advances withdrawn in accordance with section 267?A, and any other appropriate expenses incurred by the department. A report must be submitted annually by the executive director to the commissioner setting forth an itemization of all deposits to and expenditures from the fund. [PL 2007, c. 539, Pt. G, §8 (AMD); PL 2007, c. 539, Pt. G, §15 (AFF).]