An Act To Establish a Permanent Appointment of a Member of the Wabanaki Tribes to the Marine Resources Advisory Council
Maine Legislature, Session 130, LD 0342
Committee: Marine Resources
Sponsors: NEWELL, MIRAMANT, COLLINGS, EVANGELOS, PERRY, PLUECKER, WARREN, MAXMIN, MOORE
Amends: 12 MRSA §6024

Legislative Document
No. 342
H.P. 240
House of Representatives, February 8, 2021
An Act To Establish a Permanent Appointment of a Member of the 
Wabanaki Tribes to the Marine Resources Advisory Council
Received by the Clerk of the House on February 4, 2021.  Referred to the Committee on 
Marine Resources pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to Joint Rule 401.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative NEWELL of the Passamaquoddy Tribe.
Cosponsored by Senator MIRAMANT of Knox and
Representatives: COLLINGS of Portland, EVANGELOS of Friendship, PERRY of Calais, 
PLUECKER of Warren, WARREN of Scarborough, Senators: MAXMIN of Lincoln, MOORE 
of Washington.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  12 MRSA §6024, sub-§1-A, as amended by PL 2019, c. 225, §3, is further 
amended to read:
1-A.  Appointment; composition; term; compensation.  The Marine Resources 
Advisory Council, established by Title 5, section 12004‑G, subsection 27, consists of 15 
members.  The chair of the Lobster Advisory Council, the chair of the Sea Urchin Zone 
Council and the chair of the Shellfish Advisory Council are ex officio members of the 
council.  Each other member is appointed by the Governor and is subject to review by the 
joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over marine resources 
matters and to confirmation by the Legislature.  Five members must be persons who are 
licensed under this Part to engage in commercial harvesting activities.  Those 5 members 
are selected by the Governor from names recommended to the Governor by groups 
representing commercial harvesting interests.  Each member must represent a different 
commercial harvesting activity, except that none of those 5 members may represent lobster 
harvesters.  The remaining 7 8 members must include one public member, one member 
who is a member of the Wabanaki Tribes, 4 persons who hold a nonharvesting-related 
license under this Part, one person representing recreational saltwater anglers and one 
person representing the aquaculture industry.  The Governor shall select the person to 
represent the aquaculture industry from among the names recommended by the aquaculture 
industry.  The Governor shall select the member who is a member of the Wabanaki Tribes 
based on the recommendation of the tribal governments of the Wabanaki Tribes, including 
the Aroostook Band of Micmacs, the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the 
Passamaquoddy Tribe at Motahmikuk, the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik and the 
Penobscot Nation.  In recommending the appointment of the member who is a member of 
the Wabanaki Tribes, the tribal governments of the Wabanaki Tribes shall establish a 
process that provides for the membership to rotate among the tribal governments.  The 
composition of the council must reflect a geographical distribution along the coast.  All 
appointed members are appointed for a term of 3 years, except a vacancy must be filled in 
the same manner as an original member for the unexpired portion of the term.  An appointed 
member may not serve for more than 2 consecutive terms.  Appointed members serve until 
their successors are appointed.  The chair of the Lobster Advisory Council, the chair of the 
Sea Urchin Zone Council and the chair of the Shellfish Advisory Council shall serve until 
a new chair of the Lobster Advisory Council, a new chair of the Sea Urchin Zone Council 
or a new chair of the Shellfish Advisory Council, respectively, is chosen.  Members are 
compensated as provided in Title 5, chapter 379.
SUMMARY
This bill increases the membership of the Marine Resources Advisory Council by 
adding a member who represents the Wabanaki Tribes.