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An Act To Stimulate the Economy and Invigorate the Hunting Industry by Establishing a Pilot Project To Allow Hunting on Sundays in Limited Areas
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §11205, sub-§1, as affected by PL 2003, c. 614, §9 and amended by c. 655, Pt. B, §137 and affected by §422, is further amended to read:
 
1. Prohibition.   A person may not:
 
A. Hunt wild animals or wild birds on Sunday; or, except that, as a pilot project until January 1, 2018, hunting on Sundays is authorized for any species during the open season on that species in the following wildlife management districts:
 
(1) Wildlife management districts 1 to 14;
 
(2) Wildlife management district 17;
 
(3) Wildlife management district 19; and
 
(4) Wildlife management district 28; or
 
B. Possess any wild animal or wild bird taken in violation of paragraph A except as otherwise provided in this Part.
Sec. 2. Rules; report. Rules adopted by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to implement the pilot project authorized by the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12, section 11205, subsection 1, paragraph A are routine technical rules as defined by Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. No later than January 1, 2017, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife shall submit a report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over inland fisheries and wildlife matters regarding the status of the pilot project and recommendations as to whether the project should be expanded, modified, reduced or terminated. After reviewing the report, the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over inland fisheries and wildlife matters may report out a bill to the First Regular Session of the 128th Legislature concerning the subject matter of this section.
 
SUMMARY
This bill allows as a pilot project until January 1, 2018 hunting on Sundays in wildlife management districts 1 to 14, 17, 19 and 28 for any species during the open season on that species. This bill requires the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to submit by January 1, 2017 a report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over inland fisheries and wildlife matters regarding the status of the pilot project and recommendations as to whether the project should be expanded, modified, reduced or terminated.