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An Act To Amend the Emergency Rule-making Authority of the Department of Marine Resources
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §6171, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 1977, c. 661, §5, is amended to read:
 
3. Emergency regulations.   The commissioner may adopt or amend regulations under the emergency procedures, if immediate action is necessary to protect or conserve any marine organism from unusual damage or imminent depletion. An unusually large concentration of fishermen whichwho might deplete the supply of any marine organism shall justifyjustifies adopting emergency regulations. The commissioner also may adopt or amend regulations under the emergency procedures if necessary to comply with changes to federal or interstate fisheries management plans that allow fishermen additional access to a marine resource.
 
SUMMARY
This bill expands the emergency rule-making authority of the Commissioner of Marine Resources to allow the Department of Marine Resources to amend rules to expand opportunity in a fishery if the amendment is in compliance with a federal or interstate fisheries management plan.