An Act To Amend Maine's Fish and Wildlife Licensing and Registration Laws
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1920
Committee: Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Sponsors: NADEAU
Amends: 12 MRSA §10853, 12 MRSA §11154, 12 MRSA §13058

Legislative Document
No. 1920
H.P. 1368
House of Representatives, January 6, 2020
An Act To Amend Maine's Fish and Wildlife Licensing and 
Registration Laws
Submitted by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife pursuant to Joint Rule 203.
Received by the Clerk of the House on January 2, 2020.  Referred to the Committee on 
Inland Fisheries and Wildlife pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to Joint 
Rule 401.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative NADEAU of Winslow.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  12 MRSA §10853, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 414, Pt. A, §2 and 
affected by c. 614, §9, is repealed and the following enacted in its place:
3.  Paraplegics.  A resident paraplegic or a nonresident paraplegic who is a resident 
of another state may obtain upon application, at no cost, all hunting, trapping and fishing 
licenses, including permits, stamps and other permission needed to hunt, trap and fish. A 
license holder under this subsection who qualifies to hunt during the special season on 
deer under section 11153 and who meets the eligibility requirements of section 11106 
must have included in that person's license one antlerless deer permit and one either-sex 
permit. The commissioner shall issue all fishing, trapping and hunting licenses and 
permits applied for under this subsection if the commissioner determines the applicant 
meets the requirements of this subsection and is not otherwise ineligible to hold that 
permit or license. For the purposes of this subsection, "paraplegic" means a person who 
has lost, or who has permanently lost the use of, both lower extremities.
A license issued to a resident paraplegic under this subsection remains valid for the life of 
the license holder if the license holder continues to be a resident as that term is defined 
under section 10001, subsection 53 and the license is not revoked or suspended. A 
nonresident paraplegic may apply for and be qualified to be issued the complimentary 
licenses and permits referred to in this subsection as long as the state where the person 
resides provides a reciprocal privilege for resident paraplegics of this State.
Sec. 2.  12 MRSA §11154, sub-§17 is enacted to read:
17.  Moose permit deferment; significant medical illness.  The commissioner may 
authorize a person who holds a valid moose permit to defer the permit until the next 
moose hunting season in circumstances in which the permit holder or an immediate 
family member, as defined in subsection 15, of the permit holder has a significant 
medical illness that would prevent the permit holder from participating in the moose hunt.
Sec. 3.  12 MRSA §13058, sub-§4 is enacted to read:
4.  Exemption.  A motorboat, personal watercraft or seaplane operating on interstate 
waters shared with the State of New Hampshire is exempt from subsection 3 if it is 
displaying a lake and river protection sticker issued by the State of New Hampshire that 
is equivalent to the lake and river protection sticker issued by the State as long as the 
State of New Hampshire enacts legislation with substantially the same lake and river 
protection sticker requirements under this section giving a reciprocal exemption to a 
motorboat, personal watercraft or seaplane displaying the State's lake and river protection 
sticker.
SUMMARY
This bill:
1.  Amends the law governing the complimentary license package for a person who 
has lost, or who has permanently lost the use of, both lower extremities to provide that 
such a person may, upon application, at no cost, obtain all hunting, trapping and fishing 
licenses, including permits, stamps and other permission needed to hunt, trap and fish;
2.  Provides the commissioner authority to defer a moose permit for one season when 
a moose permit holder or immediate family member has a significant medical illness; and
3.  Exempts from the State's lake and river protection sticker requirement New 
Hampshire watercraft and seaplanes operating on interstate waters between Maine and 
New Hampshire as long as New Hampshire reciprocates.