An Act To Amend Provisions of Certain Laws Relating to Fish and Wildlife
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 1650
House Amendment HA_A_H774 (House)

HOUSE AMENDMENT "!/-" to S.P., 615, L.D._J65_0,_ Bill,_~'An_AcLTCLAmend ___________ _ 
Certain Provisions ofFish and Wildlife Laws" 
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following: 
'An Act To Amend Provisions of Certain Laws Relating to Fish and Wildlife' 
Amend the bill by inserting after the title and before the enacting clause the 
following: 
'Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not 
become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and 
Whereas, this legislation is intended to advance the date upon which the open water 
fish ing season for 2010 begins; and 
Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within 
the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as 
immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, 
therefore, " 
Amend the bill by inserting after section 2 the following: 
'Sec. 3. 
MRS A §11224, sub-§I, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 168, §5, is 
amended to read: 
1. Prohibition. A person may not waste a wild bird or wild animal that has been 
wounded or killed by that person while hunting. For purposes of this section, "waste" 
means to intentionally leave a wounded or killed animal in the field or forest without 
making a reasonable effort to retrieve and render it for consumption or use. 
This 
subsection does not apply to coyote.' 
Amend the bill by inseliing after section 3 the following: 
'Sec. 4. 38 MRSA §S71, as repealed and replaced by PL 1977, c. 696, §344, is 
repealed and the following enacted in its place: 
§571. COlTupting waters forbidden' 
1. Prohibition. A person may not: 
Page I - 124LR2408(08)-1 
HOUSE AMENDMENT 
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HOUSE AMENDMENT"!}; to S.P. 615, L.D. 1650 
A. Intentionally or knowingly poison, defile or in any way corrupt the water of any 
well, spring, brook, lake, pond, river or reservoir used for domestic drinking 
purposes; 
B. Knowingly corrupt the sources of any public water supply, or the tributaries of 
those sources of supply, in a manner that . affects the purity of the water supplied; 
C. Knowingly defile waters identified in paragraphs A and B in any manner, whether 
the water is frozen or not; or 
D. Put a carcass of any dead animal or other offensive material in waters identified in 
paragraphs A and B or on the ice of those waters. A person may place the carcass of 
a dead animal on the ice of a brook, great pond or river for purposes of coyote 
hunting as long as the carcass is removed before the ice supporting that carcass is 
gone. This paragraph does not authorize a person to enter the property owned by 
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----another--petsonwithoutthe permission--ofthe-property-owner:--------------------------------------------
2. Penalty. A person who violates this section commits a Class A crime. 
Sec. 5. Open water fishing season. Except as otherwise provided in a rule 
adopted by the Department oflnland Fisheries and Wildlife that is specific to a particular 
body of water in the State, the open water fishing season for 2010 begins on the effective 
date of this Act. The rules adopted by the department governing open water fishing and 
ice fishing for the 2008-2009 season remain in effect until April 1,2010. This section is 
repealed April 1, 2010. ' 
Amend the bill by adding before the summary the following: 
'Emergency clause. 
In_ view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this 
legislation takes effect when approved.' 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or 
section number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment amends the law prohibiting the corruption of drinking water by 
clarifying that a hunter may place a carcass on the ice for purposes of coyote hunting. 
The amendment also exempts coyotes from the waste of game prohibition. 
The amendment specifies that, except as otherwise provided in a rule adopted by the 
Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife that is specific to a particular body of water 
in the State, the open water fish ing season for 2010 begins on the effective date of the 
bill. 
The amendment adds an 
SPONSORED BY: 
~; Ju8",'lJ)""'JV' __ 
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(Representative CL 
TOWN: Millinocl{eFISCAL ~OTE REQLlRED 
(See attached) 
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HOUSE AMENDMENT 
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Approved: 03/24/10 :;:b,?ac 
lZ4tbMAINE LEGISLATURE 
LD 1650 
LR 2408(08) 
An Act To Amend Certain Provisions of Fish and Wildlife Laws 
Fiscal Note for House Amendment ,,;;., 
Sponsor: Rep. Clark of Millinocket 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Minor savings - General Fund 
Minor revenue decrease - General Fund 
Correctional and Judicial Impact Statements 
Minor decrease in Class A and Class E crimes; 
A reduction in fines will decrease General Fund revenue by minor amounts. 
LR2408(08) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1