An Act to Clarify and Amend the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Licensing Laws
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 0438
Committee: Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Sponsors: WOOD
Amends: 12 MRSA §10153, 12 MRSA §10155, 12 MRSA §11156, 12 MRSA §12855, 12 MRSA §12953, 12 MRSA §13104

Legislative Document
No. 438
H.P. 271
House of Representatives, February 2, 2023
An Act to Clarify and Amend the Department of Inland Fisheries 
and Wildlife Licensing Laws
Submitted by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife pursuant to Joint Rule 204.
Reference to the Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative WOOD of Greene.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  12 MRSA §10153, sub-§1, ¶C, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 414, Pt. A, §2 
and affected by c. 614, §9, is amended to read:
C.  Four representatives of the public, with no more than 3 holding a license under 
chapter 927, to be appointed by the Governor for a term of 3 years to reflect a wide 
diversity of guiding experience.  At least 2 members must be chosen for their expertise 
in outdoor recreation.  The public members must be compensated as provided in Title 
5, chapter 379; and
Sec. 2.  12 MRSA §10153, sub-§2, ¶B, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 414, Pt. A, §2 
and affected by c. 614, §9, is amended to read:
B.  At the request of the commissioner, to conduct oral examinations of applicants for 
guide licenses; and
Sec. 3.  12 MRSA §10153, sub-§2, ¶C, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 414, Pt. A, §2 
and affected by c. 614, §9, is amended to read:
C.  To advise the commissioner on granting and revoking guide licenses; and.
Sec. 4.  12 MRSA §10153, sub-§2, ¶D, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 414, Pt. A, §2 
and affected by c. 614, §9, is repealed.
Sec. 5.  12 MRSA §10153, sub-§4 is enacted to read:
4.  Compensation.  All members of the board except state employees are entitled to 
receive compensation as provided in Title 5, chapter 379.
Sec. 6.  12 MRSA §10153, sub-§5 is enacted to read:
5.  Examiners.  The board shall designate examiners for the purpose of conducting 
oral examinations pursuant to section 12855, subsection 6.  Examiners must be selected 
from active or retired members of the Bureau of Warden Service, current or former board 
members, active or retired members of the marine patrol or currently licensed Maine 
guides.  Designated examiners are entitled to $150 per day plus per diem. 
Sec. 7.  12 MRSA §10155, sub-§8 is enacted to read:
8.  Examiners.  The board shall designate examiners for the purpose of conducting 
oral examinations pursuant to section 12855, subsection 6.  Examiners must be selected 
from active or retired members of the Bureau of Warden Service, current or former board 
members or currently licensed Maine taxidermists.  Designated examiners are entitled to 
$150 per day plus per diem.
Sec. 8.  12 MRSA §11156, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2005, c. 12, Pt. III, §15, is 
further amended to read:
4.  Fee.  The fee for a pheasant hunting permit is $18 $29, $1 $2 of which is retained 
by the commissioner's authorized agent.
Sec. 9.  12 MRSA §12855, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 414, Pt. A, §2 and 
affected by c. 614, §9, is amended to read:
5.  Fee.  The examination fee is $100 $125.  An applicant may retake the examination 
once without paying an additional fee.  The fee is nonrefundable.
Sec. 10.  12 MRSA §12855, sub-§6, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 414, Pt. A, §2 and 
affected by c. 614, §9, is amended to read:
6.  Oral examination.  If an oral examination is administered, the examination must 
be conducted by at least 2 trained examiners designated pursuant to section 10153, 
subsection 2, paragraph D 5 who are approved by the commissioner or members of the 
Advisory Board for the Licensing of Guides.
Sec. 11.  12 MRSA §12953, sub-§3, ¶C, as amended by PL 2015, c. 281, Pt. F, §1, 
is further amended to read:
C.  The application must be accompanied by a nonrefundable fee of $50 $125.  This 
fee also applies to examinations for general classification under department rules.
Sec. 12.  12 MRSA §12953, sub-§6, as amended by PL 2017, c. 72, §4, is further 
amended to read:
6.  License and fee.  License applicants who successfully meet the qualifications set 
forth in this section must be issued a license upon payment of a $77 fee for a 3-year license.  
This fee is in addition to the $50 $125 application fee required for a first-time applicant and 
an application for general classification under department rules.
Sec. 13.  12 MRSA §13104, sub-§1, ¶A, as amended by PL 2005, c. 1, §1, is further 
amended to read:
A.  A registration is not required for a snowmobile operated over the snow on land on 
which the owner lives or on land on which the owner that the snowmobile operator 
owns or leases, regardless of where that snowmobile operator is domiciled, provided 
as long as the snowmobile is not operated elsewhere within the jurisdiction of this State.
Sec. 14.  Effective date. That section of this Act that amends the Maine Revised 
Statutes, Title 12, section 11156, subsection 4 takes effect January 1, 2024.
SUMMARY
This bill makes the following changes to the laws governing licensing and registration 
by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
1.  It provides that all members of the Advisory Board for the Licensing of Guides 
except state employees are entitled to receive compensation and increases the daily rate of 
compensation for examiners of the Advisory Board for the Licensing of Guides and the 
Advisory Board for the Licensing of Taxidermists from $50 per day to $150 per day and 
per diem. 
2.  It increases the guide examination fee from $100 to $125 and the taxidermist 
application fee from $50 to $125 and clarifies that the taxidermist application fee also 
applies to examinations for general classification.
3.  It repeals the provision of law that allows a guide applicant to take a 2nd test for 
free.
4.  It clarifies that the owner of a snowmobile is not required to register that snowmobile 
if it is operated on land that the owner lives on or land that the snowmobile operator owns 
or leases. 
5.  It increases the fee for a pheasant hunting permit from $18 to $29 and increases the 
amount that is retained by the authorized agent of the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries 
and Wildlife from $1 to $2.