New Maine Laws in 2011
New Laws Enacted by the 1st Regular Session of the 125th Me Legislature 2011
LD 11 An Act to Regulate the Keeping of Wolf Hybrids This bill prohibits the keeping of a wolf
hybrid without a permit for keeping wildlife in captivity issued by the Department
of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. It provides an exception to the prohibition
for wolf hybrids that are kept as pets and licensed under the dog licensing
statutes in 2011. It enacts provisions for the disposition of wolf hybrids that
are found at large. A shelter that accepts a wolf hybrid that is not claimed by
its owner within 6 days may transfer ownership to a person holding a permit to
possess wildlife in captivity or a person who operates a licensed animal refuge
outside the State or after 8 days may have the animal euthanized.
It directs the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to adopt rules to
regulate the importation and possession of wolf hybrids and establish
confinement standards to protect the public. It directs the Commissioner of
Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources to update the Commissioner of Inland
Fisheries and Wildlife on the status of wolf hybrids kept as pets and to submit
a bill to update statutory provisions pertaining to the keeping of wolf hybrids
when all animals kept as pets under these provisions are deceased.
It amends the definition of "dog" to distinguish between dogs and wolf
hybrids under certain chapters of the animal welfare laws while continuing to
include wolf hybrids in the definition of "dog" in others. It allows
a licensed animal shelter that is functioning as a wolf hybrid refuge in this
State to continue to accept wolf hybrids from within the State until July 1, 2012.
The facility must obtain a permit to possess wildlife from the Dept of IF&W by 12/31/12.
LD 850 An Act to Improve the Enforcement of Laws
Protecting Dogs This bill allows firefighters, first responders and
licensed 8 security guards to remove an animal from a vehicle if the animal’s
health is in immediate danger.
LD 744 “An Act to
Amend the Definition of “Service Animal” to Conform with Federal Law”
This bill changes the definition of “service animal” in the public accommodations
(stores, restaurants, theaters,
schools, etc.) section of the Maine Human Rights Act. It now conforms with the
new definition of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, which restricts
service animals in public accommodation circumstances to only trained dogs. The
previous, board definition provided in the Maine Human Rights Act (any animal,
trained or determined necessary by a health care provider) still applies in
fair housing circumstances.
LD 369 An Act to Authorize the Sale of Surplus Property to
Nonprofit Animal Shelters This bill allows nonprofit animal shelters to
be considered qualifying nonprofit organizations for purposes of purchasing
surplus property from the State.
LD 559 An Act to Protect Owners of Private Property against
Trespass This bill provides that a person may not place or hunt over bait without the oral or
written permission of the landowner or the landowner's agent. Provides that a
person may not hunt bear, coyote or bobcat with a dog unless the dog has a
collar that legibly provides the name, telephone number and address of the owner
of that dog. Prohibits the use of a dog to hunt a coyote during the period from
30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise. Limits the number of dogs
a person or persons may use to hunt coyotes or bobcats to 6 dogs. Adds another
method of posting private property to the current method of horizontal silver
paint stripes by allowing a vertical paint mark with the color and type of
paint determined by the Department of Conservation, Bureau of Forestry. The
amendment repeals the current silver paint marking provisions September 12,
2012.
Resolve
JOINT RESOLUTION MEMORIALIZING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO URGE
THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA TO END ITS SANCTIONING OF THE ANNUAL SEAL PUP HUNT
WE, your Memorialists, the Members of the One Hundred and Twenty-fifth
Legislature of the State of Maine now assembled in the First Regular Session,
most respectfully present and petition the United States Congress as follows:
WHEREAS, the State of Maine has strong and
valuable ties to Canada, sharing a long, common border with the Provinces of
Quebec and New Brunswick, and Maine is the state closest to the Canadian
Maritime Provinces; and
WHEREAS, the Canadian commercial seal hunt is the
largest annual mass slaughter of marine mammals in the world, and harp seals
are the primary target of the hunt, with 98% of all harp seals killed in 2006
being pups under 3 months of age, and hooded seals are also killed; and
WHEREAS, the annual shooting, clubbing and often live
skinning of more than 300,000 seal pups in front of their mothers has outraged
much of the international community, including the European Union, which has
banned all trade in harp and hooded seal products, and has prompted the
international effort to boycott Canadian seafood products; and
WHEREAS, the slaughter is done mainly for the luxury
fur market and therefore is unnecessary and is demonstrably cruel, as evidenced
by wounded seals that are often left to suffer in agony and pups that are often
initially only wounded, with an estimated 42% skinned alive while conscious;
and
WHEREAS, Maine citizens believe in the humane treatment
of animals, and a report by an independent team of veterinarians who studied
the commercial seal hunt concluded that government regulations regarding humane
killings were being neither respected nor enforced; and
WHEREAS, the Canadian government once banned this
practice, but then removed the ban, which has resulted in the brutal deaths of
over 1,000,000 seal pups in the last 3 years, and reports have shown that the
slaughter of the pups failed to comply with Canada's basic animal welfare
standards; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That We, your Memorialists, respectfully
urge and request that the United States Congress call on Canada's government to
end its sanctioning of the annual baby seal hunt without delay; and be it
further
RESOLVED: That suitable copies of this resolution,
duly authenticated by the Secretary of State, be transmitted to the President
of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the United States House of
Representatives, to the Canadian Ambassador to the United States and to each
Member of the Maine Congressional Delegation.