An Act To Clarify and Enhance Maine's Fish and Wildlife Laws
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1921
Committee: Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Sponsors: MARTIN
Amends: 12 MRSA §10151, 12 MRSA §11108-B, 12 MRSA §11108-C, 12 MRSA §12152

Legislative Document
No. 1921
H.P. 1369
House of Representatives, January 6, 2020
An Act To Clarify and Enhance Maine's Fish and Wildlife 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 MARTIN of Eagle Lake.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  12 MRSA §10151, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 414, Pt. A, §2 and 
affected by c. 614, §9, is amended to read:
5.  Meetings.  All regular and special meetings of the advisory council must be public 
meetings and must be held in a public meeting place convenient for the public.  Public 
comment must be accepted at regular and special meetings of the advisory council.  
Comments may be restricted to subjects before the advisory council at the meeting and 
consistent with any applicable requirements and limitations of the Maine Administrative 
Procedure Act.  Public notice of all regular and special advisory council meetings must be 
published in a daily newspaper of general circulation in the geographic area where the 
meeting is scheduled at least 7 days and not more than 21 days prior to the meeting 
except in circumstances when emergency rulemaking is necessary.  That notice must 
include an agenda or statement of purpose of the meeting. That notice may be combined 
with any other notice of the meeting required by law.
Sec. 2.  12 MRSA §11108-B, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2019, c. 324, §1, is 
further amended to read:
1.  Youth hunter Apprentice supervisor required.  A holder of an apprentice 
hunter license may not hunt other than in the presence of a youth hunter an apprentice 
supervisor.
A.  The following penalties apply to violations of this subsection. 
(1)  A person who violates this subsection commits a civil violation for which a 
fine of not less than $500 and not more than $1,000 may be adjudged.
(2)  A person who violates this subsection after having been adjudicated as 
having committed 3 or more civil violations under this Part within the previous 5-
year period commits a Class E crime.
Sec. 3.  12 MRSA §11108-B, sub-§1-A, ¶A-1 is enacted to read:
A-1.  "Apprentice supervisor" means a person who is 18 years of age or older and 
holds a valid adult hunting license under this subchapter.
Sec. 4.  12 MRSA §11108-B, sub-§1-A, ¶C, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 324, §1, 
is repealed.
Sec. 5.  12 MRSA §11108-B, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2019, c. 324, §1, is 
further amended to read:
2.  Youth hunter Apprentice supervisor responsibility.  A youth hunter An 
apprentice supervisor must have held a valid hunting license for the prior 3 consecutive 
years to be qualified to supervise a holder of an apprentice hunter license.  A youth hunter 
An apprentice supervisor shall ensure that the holder of an apprentice hunter license 
follows safe and ethical hunting protocol and adheres to the laws under this Part.  A youth 
hunter An apprentice supervisor may not intentionally permit a person hunting under an 
apprentice hunter license with that youth hunter apprentice supervisor to violate 
subsection 1.
A.  The following penalties apply to violations of this subsection.
(1)  A person who violates this subsection commits a civil violation for which a 
fine of not less than $500 must be adjudged.
(2)  A person who violates this subsection after having been adjudicated as 
having committed 3 or more civil violations under this Part within the previous 5-
year period commits a Class E crime.
Sec. 6.  12 MRSA §11108-C, as amended by PL 2015, c. 281, Pt. D, §2, is further 
amended to read:
§11108-C.  Eligibility and restrictions for a junior hunting license
1.  Definitions.  As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the 
following terms have the following meanings.
A.  "Adult Junior hunter supervisor" means:
(1)  The parent or guardian of the junior hunter who holds or has held a valid 
Maine hunting license or successfully completed a hunter safety course that 
meets the requirements of section 11105; or
(2)  A person 18 years of age or older who:
(a)  Is approved by the parent or guardian of the junior hunter; and
(b)  Holds or has held a valid Maine hunting license or successfully 
completed a hunter safety course that meets the requirements of section 
11105.
B.  "In the presence of" means in visual and voice contact without the use of visual or 
audio enhancement devices, including but not limited to binoculars and citizen band 
radios.
2.  Eligibility Junior hunter eligibility.  A resident or nonresident who is under 16 
years of age may obtain a junior hunting license, which allows that person to hunt subject 
to the conditions set out in this section.
3.  Supervision of junior hunters Junior hunter supervisor required.  A hunter 
who is at least 10 years of age and under 16 years of age may not hunt unless that person 
holds a junior hunting license and is in the presence of and under the effective control of 
an adult a junior hunter supervisor.  A hunter who is under 10 years of age may not hunt 
unless that person holds a junior hunting license and is in the presence of and under the 
effective control of an adult a junior hunter supervisor who remains at all times within 20 
feet of that hunter.
4.  Supervision of junior hunters 16 years of age.  A hunter 16 years of age who 
obtained a junior hunting license before that person reached 16 years of age may not hunt 
with that license unless the person is in the presence of and under the effective control of 
an adult a junior hunter supervisor or the person has successfully completed a hunter 
safety course acceptable under section 11105.  The following penalties apply to a 
violation of this subsection:
A.  A person who violates this subsection commits a civil violation for which a fine 
of not less than $100 nor more than $500 may be adjudged; and
B.  A person who violates paragraph A after having been adjudicated as having 
committed 3 or more civil violations under this Part within the previous 5-year period 
commits a Class E crime.
5.  Expiration of junior hunting license issued to person 15 years of age.  A junior 
hunting license issued to a person who is 15 years of age is valid through the calendar 
year for which the license is issued. Beginning January 1, 2016, for those persons who 
obtain a junior hunting license and turn 16 years of age during the same calendar year, a 
pheasant hunting permit, an archery hunting license and a migratory waterfowl permit are 
included even after the person has turned 16 years of age as long as that person is hunting 
on that person's valid junior hunting license and not longer than the remainder of the 
calendar year for which the license is issued.  In addition to the requirements of 
subsection 4, all other permit requirements applicable to a person who is 16 years of age 
or older apply to a person who continues to hunt with a junior hunting license under this 
subsection after reaching that person's 16th birthday.
6.  Penalties for supervisors of junior hunters.  A person who is the adult junior 
hunter supervisor of a holder of a valid junior hunting license when that junior hunter 
violates any provision of this Part pertaining to hunting:
A.  Commits a civil violation for which a fine of not less than $100 nor more than 
$500 may be adjudged; and
B.  After having been adjudicated as having committed 3 or more civil violations 
under this Part within the previous 5-year period, commits a Class E crime.
Sec. 7.  12 MRSA §12152, sub-§3-A, ¶A, as enacted by PL 2015, c. 374, §7, is 
amended to read:
A.  Possess, propagate or sell deer, bear, moose, wild turkey, hybrid wild turkey or 
wild turkey-domestic turkey cross nor does it authorize the permittee to possess, 
propagate or sell any wild animal taken in accordance with section 11601, 11602, 
12401, 12402 or 12404; or
SUMMARY
This bill makes the following changes to the laws governing inland fisheries and 
wildlife.
1.  It waives the 7-day notice requirement for meetings of the Inland Fisheries and 
Wildlife Advisory Council in cases of emergency rulemaking.
2.  It changes the name of the supervisor of an apprentice hunter from a youth hunter 
supervisor to an apprentice supervisor and changes the name of the supervisor of a junior 
hunter from an adult supervisor to a junior hunter supervisor.
3.  It removes 2 cross-references in the laws governing permits to possess wildlife in 
captivity.