An Act To Maintain the Amount of State Land That Is Open for Hunting
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 0648
Committee Amendment CA_A_H756 (House)
Amends: 12 MRSA §1847, 12 MRSA §1853

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ,it" to H.P. 497, L.D. 648, Bill, "An Act To 
Maintain the Amount of State Land That Is Open for Hunting" 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the 
summary and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §1847, sub-§4 is enacted to read: 
4. Land open to hunting. The bureau and the Department of Inland Fisheries and 
Wildlife shall communicate and coordinate land management activities in a manner that 
ensures that the total number of acres of land open to hunting on public reserved lands 
and lands owned and managed by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife does 
not fall below the acreage open to hunting on January 1,2008. These acres are subject to 
local ordinances and state laws and rules pertaining to hunting. 
Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §1853, sub-§l, as amended by PL 1999, c. 592, §§6 and 7, is 
further amended to read: 
1. Annual report. The bureau shall submit a written report on or before March \ st 
of each year to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over 
public reserved lands. The report must include the following information: 
A. A complete account of the income and expenditures pertaining to public reserved 
lands during the preceding calendar year; 
B. A summary of the bureau's management activities during the preceding calendar 
year regarding timber, recreation, wildlife and other subjects as appropriate; 
C. A list of any gates or other constructed barriers to public access by motor vehicle 
to any publ ic reserved lands and their locations, when they block the sole or primary 
motor vehicle access, whether those barriers are located on public or private land and 
whether or not they are owned by the State or by private parties; 
Page \- 123LR0939(02)-1 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "~,, to H.P. 497, L.D. 648 
D. A summary of any campsite or recreation facility fees charged under section 
1846, subsection 5; 
E. 
A description of the proposed budget, including allocations for the bureau's 
dedicated funds and any revenues of the bureau from permits, leases, fees and sales 
for the following fiscal year beginning on July 1 st; aM 
F. The status of ecological reserves including the acreage of reserved public land 
designated as ecological reserves, results of monitoring, scientific research and other 
activities related to the bureau's ecological reserves~ ; and 
G. The amount of public reserved lands open for hunting and any change from the 
previous year in the total acreage of public reserved lands open for hunting. If there 
has been a decrease in acreage on which hunting is allowed, the report must provide 
the locations of the acres closed to hunting during the report year and the location of 
the corresponding increase in acres open to hunting and managed by the Department 
of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. 
The joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over proposed public 
reserved lands shall review the report and submit a written recommendation regarding the 
bureau's proposed budget to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having 
jurisdiction over appropriations and financial affairs on or before March 15th of each 
year. The bureau shall submit the information required under paragraph G to the joint 
standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over wildlife management 
matters on or before March I st of each year.' 
SUMMARY 
This amendment is the majority report of the Joint Standing Committee on 
Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and the Joint Standing Committee on Inland 
Fisheries and Wildlife. It replaces the bill. It requires the Department of Conservation, 
Bureau of Parks and Lands and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to 
coordinate their respective management of the public reserved lands and land owned by 
the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to ensure that there is no net loss of 
acreage open to hunting on these lands. It requires the Bureau of Parks and Lands to 
present information on changes in acres open to hunting in its annual report on the public 
reserved lands and to present this information to the joint standing committee of the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over wildlife management matters as well as the joint 
standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over public lands. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 03/07/08 
~ae 
LD648 
LR 939(02) 
An Act To Maintain the Amount of State Land That Is Open for Hunting 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment ,,{}t " 
Committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Minor cost increase - General Fund 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Additional costs to the Department of Conservation, Bureau of Parks and Lands and to the Department of Inland 
Fisheries and Wildlife associated with this legislation can be absorbed within existing budgeted resources. 
LR0939(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1