An Act To Promote Snowmobiling in Maine
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1307
Committee: Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Sponsors: TIMBERLAKE, NADEAU, BLACK, DAVIS, DILL, LANDRY, MASON, ORDWAY
Amends: 12 MRSA §13104

Legislative Document
No. 1307
S.P. 403
In Senate, March 19, 2019
An Act To Promote Snowmobiling in Maine
Reference to the Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife suggested and ordered 
printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator TIMBERLAKE of Androscoggin.
Cosponsored by Representative NADEAU of Winslow and
Senators: BLACK of Franklin, DAVIS of Piscataquis, DILL of Penobscot, Representatives: 
LANDRY of Farmington, MASON of Lisbon, ORDWAY of Standish.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  12 MRSA §13104, sub-§7, ¶E, as enacted by PL 2017, c. 97, §1, is 
amended to read:
E.  The commissioner may annually establish one 3-consecutive-day period, 2 days 
of which are weekend days, during which a nonresident may operate in the State a 
snowmobile that is not registered in this State if the nonresident's snowmobile has a 
valid registration from another state or a Canadian province and if the nonresident has 
submitted notification under paragraph F.
Sec. 2.  12 MRSA §13104, sub-§7, ¶F is enacted to read:
F.  The commissioner shall establish an online notification process to promote 
seasonal nonresident snowmobile registration opportunities to nonresident 
snowmobile operators and to promote general snowmobile recreational activities in 
the State through regional state tourism organizations and a statewide organization 
with an interest in snowmobiling.  The process must allow a nonresident who plans to 
operate in this State during the 3-consecutive-day period under paragraph E a 
snowmobile that is not registered in this State to provide information to the 
department using an electronic form accessible through the department's publicly 
accessible website.  The commissioner may not require a fee to submit the electronic 
form.  The electronic form must:
(1)  Briefly describe the purpose of this process and clearly indicate that the 
notification process is free;
(2)  Request the nonresident snowmobile operator's name, address, telephone 
number and e-mail address and the location or locations where the nonresident 
plans to operate the snowmobile during the 3-consecutive-day period under 
paragraph E; and
(3)  Include a statement that by submitting the electronic form the person named 
on the electronic form authorizes the commissioner to share the information on 
the electronic form with the Department of Economic and Community 
Development, Office of Tourism after the end of the 3-consecutive-day period 
under paragraph E for purposes of promoting seasonal nonresident snowmobile 
registration opportunities to nonresident snowmobile operators and promoting 
general snowmobile recreational activities in the State through regional state 
tourism organizations and a statewide organization with an interest in 
snowmobiling.
The commissioner shall share the information collected on the electronic form under 
this paragraph with the Department of Economic and Community Development, 
Office of Tourism annually after the end of the 3-consecutive-day period under 
paragraph E for purposes of promoting seasonal nonresident snowmobile registration 
opportunities to nonresident snowmobile operators and promoting general 
snowmobile recreational opportunities in the State through regional state tourism 
organizations and a statewide organization with an interest in snowmobiling.
Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, failure to comply with this paragraph is 
not a violation of any law or rule administered by the department.  Nothing in this 
paragraph relieves a person of the person's responsibilities under any law or rule 
regulating the ownership or operation of a snowmobile in the State.
Sec. 3.  Production and distribution of promotional materials relating to 
seasonal nonresident snowmobile registration and snowmobile recreational 
opportunities.  The Director of the Office of Tourism within the Department of 
Economic and Community Development shall, within existing budgeted resources, 
collaborate with the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in the production and 
distribution through regional state tourism organizations and a statewide organization 
with an interest in snowmobiling of promotional materials relating to seasonal 
nonresident snowmobile registration and general snowmobile recreational opportunities 
using information collected pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12, section 
13104, subsection 7, paragraph F.
Sec. 4.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect December 1, 2019.
SUMMARY
This bill directs the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to establish an 
online notification process by which a nonresident who plans to operate in this State 
during the 3-consecutive-day period under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12, section 
13104, subsection 7, paragraph E a snowmobile that is not registered in this State may 
provide information, including the nonresident snowmobile operator's name, address, 
telephone number and e-mail address and the location or locations where the nonresident 
plans to operate the snowmobile, to the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in 
order to promote seasonal nonresident snowmobile registration opportunities to 
nonresident snowmobile operators and to promote general snowmobile recreational 
activities in the State through regional state tourism organizations and a statewide 
organization with an interest in snowmobiling.  It provides that failure to comply with the 
provision setting out the online notification process is not a violation of any law or rule of 
the department but that nothing in the provision relieves a person of the person's 
responsibilities under any law or rule regulating the ownership or operation of a 
snowmobile in the State.
It requires, as a condition of the 3-consecutive-day period during which a nonresident 
may operate an unregistered snowmobile in the State, use of the online notification 
process by the operator.
It also directs the Director of the Office of Tourism within the Department of 
Economic and Community Development to collaborate, within existing budgeted 
resources, with the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in the production and 
distribution through regional state tourism organizations and a statewide organization 
with an interest in snowmobiling of promotional materials relating to seasonal 
nonresident snowmobile registration and general snowmobile recreational opportunities 
using the information collected by the notification process.
The legislation takes effect on December 1, 2019.