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An Act To Amend Maine's Fish and Wildlife Licensing and Registration Laws
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §10853, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 414, Pt. A, §2 and affected by c. 614, §9, is repealed and the following enacted in its place:
 
3.  Paraplegics.     A resident paraplegic or a nonresident paraplegic who is a resident of another state may obtain upon application, at no cost, all hunting, trapping and fishing licenses, including permits, stamps and other permission needed to hunt, trap and fish. A license holder under this subsection who qualifies to hunt during the special season on deer under section 11153 and who meets the eligibility requirements of section 11106 must have included in that person's license one antlerless deer permit and one either-sex permit. The commissioner shall issue all fishing, trapping and hunting licenses and permits applied for under this subsection if the commissioner determines the applicant meets the requirements of this subsection and is not otherwise ineligible to hold that permit or license. For the purposes of this subsection, "paraplegic" means a person who has lost, or who has permanently lost the use of, both lower extremities.
 
A license issued to a resident paraplegic under this subsection remains valid for the life of the license holder if the license holder continues to be a resident as that term is defined under section 10001, subsection 53 and the license is not revoked or suspended. A nonresident paraplegic may apply for and be qualified to be issued the complimentary licenses and permits referred to in this subsection as long as the state where the person resides provides a reciprocal privilege for resident paraplegics of this State.
Sec. 2.  12 MRSA §11154, sub-§17  is enacted to read:
 
17.  Moose permit deferment; significant medical illness.     The commissioner may authorize a person who holds a valid moose permit to defer the permit until the next moose hunting season in circumstances in which the permit holder or an immediate family member, as defined in subsection 15, of the permit holder has a significant medical illness that would prevent the permit holder from participating in the moose hunt.
Sec. 3.  12 MRSA §13058, sub-§4  is enacted to read:
 
4.  Exemption.     A motorboat, personal watercraft or seaplane operating on interstate waters shared with the State of New Hampshire is exempt from subsection 3 if it is displaying a lake and river protection sticker issued by the State of New Hampshire that is equivalent to the lake and river protection sticker issued by the State as long as the State of New Hampshire enacts legislation with substantially the same lake and river protection sticker requirements under this section giving a reciprocal exemption to a motorboat, personal watercraft or seaplane displaying the State's lake and river protection sticker.
 
SUMMARY
This bill:
1. Amends the law governing the complimentary license package for a person who has lost, or who has permanently lost the use of, both lower extremities to provide that such a person may, upon application, at no cost, obtain all hunting, trapping and fishing licenses, including permits, stamps and other permission needed to hunt, trap and fish;
2. Provides the commissioner authority to defer a moose permit for one season when a moose permit holder or immediate family member has a significant medical illness; and
3. Exempts from the State's lake and river protection sticker requirement New Hampshire watercraft and seaplanes operating on interstate waters between Maine and New Hampshire as long as New Hampshire reciprocates.