PLEASE NOTE: Legislative Information cannot perform research, provide legal advice, or interpret Maine law. For legal assistance, please contact a qualified attorney.
An Act Relating to Death Benefits for Certain Law Enforcement Officers and Amending the Definition of Emergency Vehicles
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §12552, sub-§2, as amended by PL 1997, c. 160, §2, is further amended to read:
 
2. Law enforcement officer. "Law enforcement officer" means an active state police officer, municipal police officer, county sheriff or deputy sheriff in this State. "Law enforcement officer" also means an active game warden, fire marshal, liquor enforcement officerforest ranger, Baxter State Park ranger, detective employed by the Office of the Attorney General pursuant to Title 5, section 202, person employed by the Department of Corrections as an investigative officer as defined in Title 34-A, section 1001, subsection 10-A, juvenile community corrections officer as described in Title 34-A, section 5602, probation officer, security officer appointed by the Commissioner of Public Safety pursuant to Title 25, section 2908, motor vehicle investigator or supervisor appointed by the Secretary of State pursuant to Title 29-A, section 152, military security police officer appointed by the Adjutant General, University of Maine System police officer or marine patrol officer, if employed on a full-time basis in that position in this State.
Sec. 2. 25 MRSA §1611, sub-§5, as amended by PL 2005, c. 519, Pt. XXX, §1, is further amended to read:
 
5. Law enforcement officer or officer. "Law enforcement officer" or "officer" means an active state police officer, municipal police officer, county sheriff, deputy sheriff, game warden, an employee of the Office of the State Fire Marshal who has law enforcement powers pursuant to section 2396, subsection 7, fire marshal, state judicial marshal or state judicial deputy marshal, liquor enforcement officerforest ranger, Baxter State Park ranger, a detective employed by the Office of the Attorney General pursuant to Title 5, section 202, a person employed by the Department of Corrections as an investigative officer as defined in Title 34-A, section 1001, subsection 10-A, a juvenile community corrections officer as described in Title 34-A, section 5602, a probation officer, a security officer appointed by the Commissioner of Public Safety pursuant to section 2908, a motor vehicle investigator or supervisor appointed by the Secretary of State pursuant to Title 29-A, section 152, a military security police officer appointed by the Adjutant General, a University of Maine System police officer or marine patrol officer in this State.
Sec. 3. 25 MRSA §1612, sub-§7, as amended by PL 2005, c. 2, Pt. A, §12 and affected by §14, is further amended to read:
 
7. Payment from the Maine Budget Stabilization Fund. Benefits are payable from the Maine Budget Stabilization Fund as provided in Title 5, section 1532, subsection 6. If funds in the Maine Budget Stabilization Fund are insufficient to pay a death benefit when due, the benefit must be paid as soon as a sufficient balance exists.
Sec. 4. 29-A MRSA §2054, sub-§1, ¶B, as amended by PL 2007, c. 348, §18, is further amended to read:
 
B. "Authorized emergency vehicle" means any one of the following vehicles:
 
(1) An ambulance;
 
(2) A Baxter State Park Authority vehicle operated by a Baxter State Park ranger;
 
(3) A Bureau of Marine Patrol vehicle operated by a coastal warden;
 
(4) A Department of Conservation vehicle operated by a forest ranger;
 
(5) A Department of Conservation vehicle used for forest fire control;
 
(6) A Department of Corrections vehicle used for responding to the escape of or performing the high-security transfer of a prisoner, juvenile client or juvenile detainee;
 
(7) A Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife vehicle operated by a warden;
 
(8) A Department of Public Safety vehicle operated by a capital security officer appointed pursuant to Title 25, section 2908, a state fire investigator or a Maine Drug Enforcement Agency officer;
 
(9) An emergency medical service vehicle;
 
(10) A fire department vehicle;
 
(11) A hazardous material response vehicle, including a vehicle designed to respond to a weapon of mass destruction;
 
(12) A railroad police vehicle;
 
(13) A sheriff's department vehicle;
 
(14) A State Police or municipal police department vehicle;
 
(15) A vehicle operated by a chief of police, a sheriff or a deputy sheriff when authorized by the sheriff;
 
(16) A vehicle operated by a municipal fire inspector, a municipal fire chief, an assistant or deputy chief or a town forest fire warden;
 
(17) A vehicle operated by a qualified deputy sheriff or other qualified individual to perform court security-related functions and services as authorized by the State Court Administrator pursuant to Title 4, section 17, subsection 15;
 
(18) A Federal Government vehicle operated by a federal law enforcement officer;
 
(19) A vehicle operated by a municipal rescue chief, deputy chief or assistant chief;
 
(20) An Office of the Attorney General vehicle operated by a detective appointed pursuant to Title 5, section 202; and
 
(21) A Department of the Secretary of State vehicle operated by a motor vehicle investigator.; and
 
(22) A University of Maine System vehicle operated by a University of Maine System police officer.
 
Effective September 12, 2009