An Act To Protect Maine's Forest Rangers
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 0008
Committee Amendment CA_A_H451 (House)
Amends: 12 MRSA §8901, 25 MRSA §2801-B, 25 MRSA §2803-A, 25 MRSA §2804-L

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 9, L.D. 8, Bill, "An Act To Protect 
Maine's Forest Rangers" 
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following: 
'An Act To Provide Training for Forest Rangers To Carry Firearms' 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the 
summary and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §8901, sub-§1, 1A, as enacted by PL 2015, c. 267, Pt. Z, §1, 
is amended to read: 
A. The forest protection unit of the Bureau of Forestty shall employ no fewer than 45 
and no more than 50 forest rangers classified as Forest Ranger II to serve as wildfire 
control specialists and forestry law enforcement officers, and no fewer than 17 forest 
rangers classified as follows: 3 Regional Rangers, 8 District Rangers, one Forest Fire 
Prevention Specialist, one Ranger Pilot Supervisor and 4 Ranger Pilots. Each forest 
ranger and the state supervisor of the forest protection unit of the Bureau of Forestry 
within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry must,--at---a 
minimum, be a graduate of the Maine Criminal Justiee ,A,.eademy's 18:\Y enforeement 
preserviee program or equivalent meet the training requirements of Title 25, section 
2804-L. 
Sec. 2. 25 MRSA §2801-B, sub-§1, 1C, as amended by PL 2015, c. 267, Pt. CC, 
§1, is further amended to read: 
C. /'di agent or a representative of the Department of Agrieulture, Conservation and 
Forestry, Bureau of Forestry whose lav,r enforeement po,yvers are limited to those 
speeified by The state supervisor of the forest protection unit of the Bureau of 
Forestry within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry or a forest 
ranger appointed under Title 12, section 8901, subseetion 3 and who does not earry a 
firearm; 
Sec. 3. 25 MRSA §2803-A, sub-§8-D is enacted to read: 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
... , 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "H" to H.P. 9, L.D. 8 
8-D. Training of forest rangers. To establish certification standards and a training 
program for the state supervisor of the forest protection unit of the Bureau of Forestry 
within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and forest rangers 
appointed under Title 12, section 8901. This program must include: 
A. Preservice law enforcement training under section 2804-B; 
B. 
An additional basic forest ranger training program developed by the state 
supervisor of the forest protection unit of the Bureau of Forestry within the 
Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and approved by the board 
that is specific to the duties of a forest ranger; 
C. In-service law enforcement training that is specifically approved by the board as 
prescribed in section 2804-E; and 
D. A firearms training program equivalent to a fireaims training program of a full-
time law enforcement officer trained at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy that is 
developed and approved by the board. 
Forest rangers are exempt from section 2804-C, but completion of basic training under 
section 2804-C exempts a person from the preservice training requirement under 
paragraph A; 
Sec. 4. 25 MRSA §2804-L is enacted to read: 
§2804-L. Law enforcement training for forest rangers 
Beginning July 1, 2018, all forest rangers and the state supervisor of the forest 
protection unit of the Bureau of Forestry within the Department of Agriculture, 
Conservation and Forestty must successfully complete the training requirements 
established under section 2803-A, subsection 8-D. 
Sec. 5. Appropriations and allocations. 
The following appropriations and 
allocations are made. 
AGRICULTURE, CONSERVATION AND FORESTRY, DEPARTMENT OF 
Division of Forest Protection Z232 
Initiative: Provides appropriations for the purchase of firearms, ammunition, holsters and 
lockboxes, and for training and overtime staffing costs associated with a fireatms training 
program for forest rangers. 
GENERAL FUND 
Personal Services 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
Forest Health and Monitoring Z233 
2017-18 
$25,065 
$71,872 
$96,937 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
2018-19 
$0 
$4,225 
$4,225 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 9, L.D. 8 
Initiative: Provides appropriations for the purchase of firearms, ammunition, holsters and 
lockboxes, and for training and overtime staffing costs associated with a firearms training 
program for forest rangers. 
GENERAL FUND 
Personal Services 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
AGRICULTURE, CONSERVATION AND 
FORESTRY, DEPARTMENT OF 
DEPARTMENT TOTALS 
GENERAL FUND 
DEPARTMENT TOTAL-ALL FUNDS 
2017-18 
$10,238 
$29,356 
$39,594 
2017-18 
$136,531 
$136,531 
2018-19 
$0 
$1,726 
$1,726 
2018-19 
$5,951 
$5,951 
SUMMARY 
This amendment strikes and replaces the bill. The amendment amends the powers 
and duties of the Board of Trustees of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy to include 
that the board establish cettification standards and a training program for forest rangers 
and the state supervisor of the forest protection unit of the Bureau of Forestry within the 
Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. 
The training program must 
include preservice law enforcement training under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 25, 
section 2804-B; an additional basic forest ranger training program developed by the state 
supervisor of the forest protection unit of the Bureau of Forestry within the Department of 
Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and approved by the board that is specific to the 
duties of a forest ranger; in-service law enforcement training that is specifically approved 
by the board as prescribed in Title 25, section 2804-E; and a firearms training program 
equivalent to a firearms training program of a full-time law enforcement officer trained at 
the Maine Criminal Justice Academy that is developed and approved by the board. The 
training program exempts forest rangers from basic law enforcement training and other 
requirements under Title 25, section 2804-C, but completion of the basic training under 
section 2804-C exempts a person from the preservice training requirement. 
The training program satisfies requirements necessaty for forest rangers to carry 
5 
firearms in the course of their duties. The amendment also specifies that beginning July 
1, 2018, all forest rangers and the state supervisor must successfully complete the training 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMflTilll AMENDMENT"~" t<> H.P. 9, T •• D. 8 
requirements established under Title 25, section 2803-A, subsection 8-D, which provides 
the department and the board time to develop and implement the training. 
The amendment also adds an appropriations and allocations section. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Net Cost (Savings) 
General Fund 
Approved: 05/24/17 feac 
LD8 
LR372(02) 
An Act To Protect Maine's Forest Rangers 
\ 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment A CJ} _Lf j0 
Committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Projections 
Projections 
FY2017-18 
FY 2018-19 
FY2019-20 
FY2020-21 
$136,531 
$5,951 
$5,951 
$5,951 
Appropriations/Allocations 
General Fund 
$136,531 
$5,951 
$5,951 
$5,951 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
This bill would modify certification standards of, and create a training program for, forest rangers within the 
Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestly (ACF) to allow them to carry firearms in the line of duty. It 
directs the Maine Criminal Justice Academy (MCJA) to develop a forest ranger specific law enforcement training 
program in conjunction with the ACF. 
This bill includes appropriations of $87,899 to purchase firearms, ammunition, holsters and lockboxes to arm forest 
rangers, $13,330 for firearms training and $35,302 for overtime staffing in fiscal year 2017-18. Also, starting in 
fiscal year 2018-19 all forest rangers will complete annual firearms certification requiring an appropriation of $5 ,951. 
The department has inidicated that 50 Rangers currently classified as Forest Ranger II positions will need to be 
reclassified with a salary equivalent to a Game Warden or Marine Patrol Officer. If such a reclassification occurs the 
cost is estimated to be $9,880 per positibn for a total of $494,000. This cost is not included in this fiscal note. 
Current statute provides that Forest Rangers have law enforcement authority but they are exempt from having to 
complete the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program (BLETP) required of other law enforcement officers because 
they do not carty a firearm. With the issuance of firearms the ACF has indicated that it will require forest rangers 
who have not already completed the BLETP to complete a newly developed forest ranger specific basic law 
enforcement training program within 5 years. Because this program has yet to be developed, no appropriation for this 
cost is made at this time. Curt·ently there are 59 positions that would need to complete the newly created training 
program. The department projects that they will begin to cycle through training at a rate of 5 positions per year 
starting in fiscal year 2018-19. Using the current BLETP as an estimate, this training would have an annual cost of 
$36,403 in tuition and $72,366 for overtime to fill coverage requirements. 
LR0372(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1