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Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following:
‘An Act To Amend the Fees for Snowmobile Registrations and To Create the Snowmobile Trail Fund Donation Sticker’
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the title and before the summary and inserting the following:
‘
‘Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and
Whereas,  Maine's snowmobile industry is a vital part of the economy and depends on the quantity and quality of the State's snowmobile trails; and
Whereas,  the State's snowmobile trails are created and maintained by a volunteer network of snowmobile clubs supported in part by snowmobile registration fees; and
Whereas,  these snowmobile clubs are struggling to maintain the snowmobile trail system at current funding levels, and, unless additional funding is provided for snowmobile trail creation and maintenance, the State's snowmobile trails will begin to deteriorate, causing economic hardship throughout the State; and
Whereas,  as snowmobile trail creation and maintenance must be planned for and started well before the beginning of the snowmobile season, this Act must take effect prior to 90 days after the adjournment of the Legislature; and
Whereas,  in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, therefore,
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §13104, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2009, c. 213, Pt. OO, §19, is further amended to read:
 
3. Form of registration.   The snowmobile registration must be in such form as the commissioner may determine except that the commissioner shall develop a single form of registration that can be used for either the 3-day, 10-day or seasonal nonresident registrations.
Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §13104, sub-§4, as repealed and replaced by PL 2011, c. 129, §1 and amended by c. 657, Pt. W, §§5 and 7 and PL 2013, c. 405, Pt. A, §24, is further amended to read:
 
4. Fee.   Except as provided in subsection 5, the annual snowmobile registration fee is as follows:
 
A. For residents, $40$45. The registration for a snowmobile owned by a resident is valid for one year, commencing on July 1st of each year; and
 
B. For nonresidents:
 
(1) Forty-threeForty-nine dollars for a 3-consecutive-day registration. A person may purchase more than one 3-day registration in any season; and
 
(2) Eighty-eightNinety-nine dollars for a seasonal registration.; and
 
(3) Seventy-five dollars for a 10-consecutive-day registration. A person may purchase more than one 10-day registration in any season.
 
The registration for a snowmobile owned by a nonresident must specify the dates for which the registration is valid.
 
Five dollars from each registration fee collected pursuant to this subsection must be transferred to a special fund administered by the Off-Road Vehicle Division of the Bureau of Parks and Lands within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. The funds must be used to assist any entity that has a snowmobile trail grooming contract with the Bureau of Parks and Lands in the purchase of trail-grooming equipment. The funds also may be used for the repair or overhaul of trail-grooming equipment.
 
SevenTwelve dollars from each resident snowmobile registration fee must be transferred to the Snowmobile Trail Fund of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Bureau of Parks and Lands.
 
Six dollars from each nonresident 3-day snowmobile registration fee, $6 from each nonresident 10-day snowmobile registration fee and $11 from each nonresident seasonal snowmobile registration fee must be transferred to the Snowmobile Trail Fund of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Bureau of Parks and Lands.
Sec. 3.  12 MRSA §13104, sub-§17  is enacted to read:
 
17.  Snowmobile Trail Fund Donation Sticker Program.     The commissioner shall establish the Snowmobile Trail Fund Donation Sticker Program. The commissioner shall design and issue 3 different Snowmobile Trail Fund donation stickers to reflect a donor's donation of $25, $50 and $100, respectively. For every donation $2 is retained by the department and the remainder is transferred to the Snowmobile Trail Fund of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Bureau of Parks and Lands.
 
A Snowmobile Trail Fund donation sticker is in addition to and separate from the snowmobile registration requirements of this section.
Sec. 4. Policies for the distribution of Snowmobile Trail Fund revenues; development and review. The Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry shall develop written policies specifying the criteria the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry will use to distribute additional revenues raised pursuant to this act to snowmobile clubs. The policies must distribute the additional revenue to eligible snowmobile organizations using a per mile reimbursement formula. To the extent feasible, the additional revenues must be distributed in a geographically equitable manner.
 
The Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry shall submit written policies for review to the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and that committee may report out a bill to the Second Regular Session of the 127th Legislature pertaining to the distribution of Snowmobile Trail Fund revenues.
Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation takes effect when approved.’
 
SUMMARY
This amendment replaces the bill and changes the title. It does the following.
1. It increases the resident snowmobile registration fee from $40 to $45 and dedicates the $5 increase to the Snowmobile Trail Fund.
2. It increases the 3-day nonresident snowmobile registration fee from $43 to $49 and dedicates the $6 increase to the Snowmobile Trail Fund.
3. It increases the nonresident seasonal snowmobile registration fee from $88 to $99 and dedicates the $11 increase to the Snowmobile Trail Fund.
4. It creates a 10-day nonresident snowmobile registration fee and sets the fee at $75, of which $6 is dedicated to the Snowmobile Trail Fund.
5. It directs the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to create the Snowmobile Trail Fund Donation Sticker Program and to create donation stickers to reflect a donor's donation of $25, $50 and $100, respectively, of which $2 is retained by the department and the remainder is transferred to the Snowmobile Trail Fund. The donation stickers are not a part of or associated with the State's snowmobile registration requirements.
6. It adds an emergency preamble and emergency clause, making the legislation effective upon approval.
7. It directs the Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to develop written policies specifying the criteria the department will us to distribute additional revenues raised pursuant to this amendment to snowmobile clubs and to submit those policies for review to the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife no later than January 15, 2016.
 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)